Metabolic Health

Lower Risks of Metabolic Disorders or Reverse Them in 5 Steps.

Data Indicate that only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy. How can 88% of the population improve metabolic health?

Dear Reader,

First of all, there is no typo or clickbait in my subtitle. Credible sources indicate that 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy. This is a piece of alarming news in medical communities. However, Americans are not the only ones, metabolic disorders skyrocket in many other countries too.

Purpose of the Article

This article briefly introduces metabolic disorders and their root causes. I provide a five-step approach to lowering the risks with healthy lifestyle habits based on my reviews and experience.

Metabolic disorders are close to my heart as I suffered from the metabolic syndrome in my younger years as a prediabetic and lost many friends, relatives, and colleagues due to these disorders. Seeing amputated friends due to severe diabetes and colleagues dying from heart attacks bled my heart.

Therefore, this piece is practical rather than theoretical content. I have strong empathy and compassion for those who experience these disorders. This piece does not include health advice. It only provides information for awareness purposes.

What are metabolic disorders, and why do they matter?

Metabolic disorders are broad spectrum. They include diseases caused by dysfunctioning metabolism with various risk factors threatening the body’s homeostasis.

Metabolic diseases also affect other types of diseases, such as those related to immune, endocrine, cellular, mitochondrial, neurological, and mental health.

A long-term study concluded that the “Prevalence of metabolic health in American adults is alarmingly low, even in normal weight individuals. The large number of people not achieving optimal levels of risk factors, even in low-risk groups, has serious implications for public health.”

This valuable study found that only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy. Unfortunately, 88% needs improvement.

Common metabolic disorders (caused by dysfunctioning metabolism) include metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders.

As I mentioned in a previous article, 442 million people live with diabetes. Furthermore, diabetes leads to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, neurological disorders, and mental health conditions.

Around 18 million people die from cardiovascular diseases yearly. Unfortunately, One person dies every 36 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular diseases, according to CDC. I documented my findings in an article titled Here’s How to Lower the Risks of Heart Disease and Strokes in Five Steps.

Around ten million people died from cancer in 2020, as I documented in an article titled Here’s Why I Believe That Cancer Might Be Preventable.

Millions of people also suffer from the effects of neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and several mental health conditions caused by dysfunctioning metabolism.

Metabolic syndrome is the root cause of these diseases. I won’t go into details here as I documented my perspectives in an article titled Here’s How to Defeat Metabolic Syndrome and Slim Down Waistline with Three Tips.

Five Known Causes of Metabolic Disorders

Like metabolism itself, metabolic diseases are also highly complex as the human metabolic pathway is enigmatic, and scientists still cannot fully understand them.

Metabolism refers to biochemical and electrical processes in the body to function and survive by creating energy from food and spending with internal reactions and movements of the body.

We need to understand two key concepts related to metabolism. They are anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism refers to saving energy and the growth of cells. Catabolism refers to spending energy and shrinking of cells (e.g., muscle and fat cells).

We must keep a delicate balance between anabolic and catabolic activities for a healthy metabolism. While giving the body the necessary nutrients for energy, we also need to abstain from food for a while to create a catabolic effect such as autophagy to eliminate unnecessary metabolic waste materials.

For example, time-restricted eating is one of the best tools to create this fine balance between anabolism and catabolism. Therefore, one-meal-day has become a lifestyle habit for me. I also replaced carbs with healthy fats.

My metabolism could not function properly when I was eating frequent meals on high-carb diets.

The body of knowledge indicates that certain lifestyle factors and conditions lead to metabolic diseases. In this section, I introduce five major factors that cause an increase in metabolic disease risks.

1 — Excessive Sugar and Calories

Our bodies need an adequate amount of calories from food regularly. The body turns food from macronutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins to energy in the form of glucose, free fatty acids, and ketone bodies.

If we consume more calories than our metabolic expenditure, most calories are stored as fat, not sugar. So the body converts sugar to fat molecules.

Therefore, sugar is an important molecule contributing to metabolic diseases if it exists more than the body can handle. The body manages glucose via the bloodstream distributing it to various cells, tissues, and organs.

The critical hormone undertaking this important distribution role is insulin. If the muscle cells do not accept blood glucose, insulin sends it to the fat cells, which are more receptive.

However, the accumulation of fat molecules turning to visceral fat leads to obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and metabolic diseases.

Insulin is a valuable hormone therefore when the body becomes insulin resistant, we face serious issues. I explained this situation in an article titled Here’s What Makes Insulin an Ally, but Insulin Resistance a Foe.

Besides excess calories, hormones also play a critical role in metabolic health and metabolic diseases. I cover the hormonal aspect of metabolic disorders in section #5. I also wrote an article titled Here’s Why Fat Loss Has Nothing to Do with Calories to emphasize the importance of hormones.

2 — Sedentary Life

In the previous section, I highlighted the importance of having adequate energy. In this section, I emphasize the importance of spending excess calories using exercise.

When we don’t move our muscles, glucose offered by insulin is not accepted by muscle cells. Therefore, insulin diverts them to fat cells and stores glucose for future use. If we stay sedentary, the fat cells grow constantly, and we might become obese.

However, exercise plays more roles than just spending energy. These accumulated fat cells also keep many toxins. Exercise is a mechanism to mobilize fat cells and contributes to the elimination of toxins via various systems. For example, exercise can activate the lymphatic system and contribute to the elimination of toxins.

In addition, exercise provides oxygen to the cells and increases the blood flow to improve metabolic health. Therefore, a sedentary life leads to metabolic dysfunction leading to disorders.

Some specific exercises, such as weightlifting and calisthenics, can boost metabolism. Boosting our metabolism as we age is critical, as I explained in this article titled How to Boost Sluggish Metabolism with Three Solutions Like Edward.

3 — Sleep Deprivation and Accumulated Stress

Sleep is critical for the body to survive and thrive. It plays multiple roles in the functioning of the metabolism.

Sleep deprivation causes excessive stress and elevated release of stress hormones such as cortisol. Stress affects the body at the genetic level affecting, impacting our cells and mitochondria.

Chronic stress is one of the root causes of metabolic diseases. Even though exercise creates acute stress, it can reduce chronic stress in the long run.

In addition to sleep deprivation and sedentary life, toxins and nutritional deficiencies also cause stress in the body. To lower stress and prevent its accumulation, we need to focus on our nutrition, diet, exercise, and natural detoxification (e.g., autophagy).

Unfortunately, chronic stress can also lead to chronic inflammation, which I will cover in the next section.

4 — Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is a critical cause of all metabolic diseases.

The body induces inflammation to rescue damaged tissues by recruiting plasma proteins and leukocytes to the affected areas. However, it can be damaging if this inflammation stays too long in the body.

The body sees excessive and prolonged inflammation as toxic. Therefore, chronic inflammation causes complications that destroy the body’s homeostasis in the long run.

Excess inflammation might damage joints causing pain and deformities, and adversely affect arteries and organs, leading to cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke.

Many factors cause chronic inflammation. The most common ones are autoimmune reactions, infectious organisms, defective cells, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress caused by free radical molecules, environmental toxins, advanced glycation products, uric acid crystals, oxidized lipoproteins, and homocysteine.

Since chronic inflammation is a complex and broad topic, I published an article documenting my reviews, observations, and experience with it in an article titled Here Is How I Defeated Chronic Inflammation via 9 Lifestyle Habits.

5 — Hormonal Imbalances

Even though all previous items contribute to metabolic diseases, from my experience and reviews, the larger part of metabolic diseases is related to hormonal imbalances.

The previous factors that I covered in other sections also affect our hormones. Therefore, I see metabolic disorders as hormonal imbalances.

Many hormones play different roles in metabolic activities. However, three hormones play a pivotal role in forming metabolic disorders. I briefly summarise their role and function in metabolic diseases.

A. Insulin Resistance

As a master hormone, insulin manages glucose. Its role looks simple, but insulin is an anabolic hormone that contributes to muscle and fat cell growth.

When the body becomes insulin resistant, the muscle cells do not accept blood glucose and turn them into fat molecules. In other words, excessive and unused calories turn into visceral fat.

Insulin resistance is a root cause of metabolic syndrome. An insulin-resistant body can get imbalanced and metabolically disadvantaged. Therefore, the solution is to make the body insulin sensitive.

I provide practical solutions to make the body insulin sensitive in an article titled Three Tips to Eliminate Insulin Resistance and Shrink Waistline.

B. Leptin Resistance

This item is straightforward but has a high impact on metabolic disease formation. If our leptin hormone does not function or if we have too little of it in the body, we feel hungry all the time and even crave specific foods.

Even if the body does not need more energy and nutrients, when it becomes leptin resistant, the ghrelin hormone takes place and makes us crave food constantly, causing excessive calorie intake.

I documented my findings and experience with the leptin hormone in an article titled Make the Body Leptin-Sensitive to Lose Visceral Fat With a Simple Metabolic Shift.

C. Elevated Cortisol

Even though cortisol is not a metabolic hormone, it has a significant role in sugar and fat metabolism. The body produces cortisol to manage stress. The more stress we create, the more cortisol the body releases.

The critical problem with cortisol is its energy use. Cortisol is dependent on sugar. When the cortisol levels are elevated, the body remains in sugar-burning mode.

Even if we don’t consume any food during excess stress, the body cannot tap into fat stores when the cortisol levels elevate. It can even catabolize precious muscles, which is an indication of starvation. Therefore reducing calories too much and doing excess exercise do not work due to the catabolic effects of the cortisol hormone.

In addition, elevated cortisol can also lead to insulin resistance. I documented my experience with high cortisol levels in an article titled Optimize Cortisol to Melt Belly Fat and Keep Lean Muscles with Three Tips.

D. Other Hormones

Several other hormones affect our metabolism. I covered some of them in the following articles.

Hormonal Intelligence: Sharpen It to Achieve Optimal Health.

Lose Visceral Fat by Understanding the Intricacies of Six Critical Hormones

Here’s Why Understanding the Role of Glucagon Is Vital for Type II Diabetes.

Here’s How to Lose Fat and Retain Lean Muscles with CCK Hormone.

Conclusions and Takeaways

Metabolic disorders are complex and widespread. Even though there are genetic components, most disorders relate to our lifestyle. Many people find ways to reverse their conditions. I was one of them.

I also documented a case study of a mature couple who reversed their type II diabetes in an article titled Here’s How a Mature-Age Couple Reversed Diabetes and Trimmed Their Bodies with Lifestyle Habits.

Another friend who was a single mum reversed her obesity and made her body insulin sensitive, giving her a metabolic advantage: Here’s How a Single-Mum Reversed Her Obesity and Built up a Unicorn Business.

From my experience, lowering stress, eliminating chronic inflammation, refraining from toxins, and maintaining hormonal balance are critical aspects of dealing with metabolic disorders.

When hormones get imbalanced, they cause severe metabolic issues that affect our mental health. Thus, our thoughts and emotions also play a role in forming metabolic disorders.

For example, emotional eating caused by mental health issues coupled with sedentary and stressful life can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders, including metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and neurodegenerative disorders.

It is possible to lower the risks of metabolic disorders and even reverse them via healthy lifestyle habits. I met many people who inverted their insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver, and even type II diabetes.

Technology and science empowered clinicians. There are holistic clinics in developed countries using intervention methods to reverse type II diabetes.

One of the options is supervised and prolonged fasting, which I sometimes perform to make my body more insulin sensitive and initiate autophagy and mitophagy. I documented my experience in an article titled Here Are the Benefits I Gained from Performing Long-Term Fasting.

Nevertheless, some people might have exceptions where lifestyle changes do not work due to underlying health conditions. Those individuals need medical intervention and support from qualified healthcare professionals.

I’d like to provide a dozen takeaway points to lower the risks of metabolic diseases and increase the chance of recovery and reversal.

Takeaways

1 — Improve glucose balance and make the body insulin sensitive.

2 — Make the body leptin susceptible.

3 — Refrain from junk food, excessive refined carbs, and empty calories.

4 — Consume an adequate amount of healthy fats and bioavailable proteins. We can overeat refined carbs, but it is challenging to overconsume proteins and fats.

5 — Lower unnecessary stress and address elevated cortisol issues with help from qualified healthcare professionals such as endocrinologists.

6 — Get an adequate amount of restorative sleep every night.

8 — Perform an adequate amount of exercise suiting your needs.

9 — Eat, drink, and act mindfully. Refrain from toxins (e.g., smoking).

10 — Improve your relationship with food, people, and the environment.

11 — Get blood markers checked regularly and heal the leaky gut.

12 — Seek assistance from loved ones and professionals when needed.

Final Words

From my experience, the best approach to metabolic health is to gain metabolic flexibility giving the body alternative energy like ketone bodies. Therefore, I chose lifestyle habits that keep me in ketosis and make my body fat-adapted. Since then, I have kept myself metabolically healthy and mentally joyful.

As metabolic health is a passion for me, I wrote multiple articles about eliminating visceral fat and keeping lean muscles as we age. I also wrote about Seven Mistakes to Avoid When Losing Fat. I explained Why Our Midsections Grow As We Age and How to Shrink Them in Seven Steps.

In addition, I posted numerous case studies reflecting on success stories from my circles compiled in a collection titled Here Are Insightful Life Lessons from My Personal Stories.

I recently answered one of the most frequently asked questions on managing appetitive within real and emotional hunger contexts.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

If you are a new reader and find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments.

Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers

I write about various hormones and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, glutamate, and histamine.

One of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.

Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, cardiac output, and major disorders.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, Cod Liver Oil, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.

Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.

I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.

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