Metabolic Syndrome is a group of risk factors that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, vascular disease, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Vascular disease can cause myocardial infarctions (heart attack), cerebrovascular disease (stroke), and chronic kidney disease.
How Prevalent is Metabolic Syndrome?
Only 12% of American adults are metabolically healthy. That means only 1 in 8 Americans achieve optimal metabolic health. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), treating patients with heart disease has taken a toll on our healthcare system at the rate of $216 billion per year. CDC diabetes and obesity maps of US. These rising rates are significant compared to the 1988-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. CDC NHANES 1988-2012.
What are the causes of Metabolic Syndrome?
- Age – the older you are, the higher the risk
- A sedentary lifestyle-inactivity
- Insulin resistance is when your body, particularly the liver, muscles, and fat, are not responding correctly to insulin. A diet high in carbohydrates causes the blood sugar to rise to require the body to store the excess glucose in the fat cells causing central obesity and, in the liver, causing a condition known as Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).
How Do You Know If You Have Metabolic Syndrome?
Criteria for Metabolic Disease require an individual to have a combination of at least 3 of the following clinical signs:
- Blood pressure greater than 130/80 mmHg higher
- Fasting blood sugar level of 100 mg/dl
- Triglyceride level of 150 mg/dl or higher
- HDL (High-Density Lipoproteins) cholesterol level of:
- <50 mg/dl for women
- <40 mg/dl for men
- A waist circumference of:
- >40 inches at the waist for men
- >35 inches at the waist for women
Can You Be Thin and Have Metabolic Syndrome?
Yes, the acronym TOFI (thin-outside-fat-inside) describes individuals with excessive fat stored in their abdomen, called visceral fat. The individual does not look obese, and their limbs are thin.
How Do You Treat Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic Syndrome is associated with obesity and can be a symptom of hyperinsulinemia. People could adjust their carbohydrate consumption, but age and genetics are not adjustable. Prioritizing protein, including healthy fats, avoiding seed oils, processed foods, and limiting carbohydrates can reverse metabolic syndrome.
The Primal Approach
It is true. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet, trust me, I have tried.
Modern society has shifted us away from our ancestor’s healthy diet and active, stressed-balanced lifestyles. Yet, we are essentially genetically identical to our hunter-gather ancestors. A more comprehensive approach to health can provide better outcomes for your health and wellness goals.
In today’s world, we are so disconnected from our food. The Standard American Diet (SAD diet) comprises 60% of processed foods! These highly processed foods are stripped of their nutrition and are not good fuel sources. Our bodies have not genetically adapted to process foods, seed oils, lack of movement, sleep, and modern stresses. Our sleep and stress levels are poor, and we leave too little time for exercise and play.
As a physical therapist, I know that mobility is integral to longevity. The CDC reports approximately 36 million falls annually for our elderly, leading to 32,000 deaths.
How we live in our 20s and 30s plays a crucial role in our metabolic health. Did you know we start losing muscle mass in our 30s? Loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, lowers insulin sensitivity and contributes to insulin resistance.
Genes are activated and deactivated by signals from our environment. Epigenetics is the study of changes in gene expression that do not involve changes to the underlying DNA sequence. Several factors, including lifestyle and environmental factors, such as diet, influence it. A poor diet can influence epigenetic modifications, affecting gene expression and health outcomes.
For example, we know Type II Diabetes is here. Hyperinsulinemia occurs because of cells not responding to normal insulin levels, causing the pancreas to release more insulin into the bloodstream. The excess insulin then plummets your blood sugar causing hypoglycemia. You start to feel “shaky,” sweaty, exhausted, and hungry. So, you eat something with high carbs and start the cycle all over again. Does this sound familiar?
Talk to Your Doctor
If you have three or more criteria for metabolic disease, talk to your doctor about ordering the following tests. Metabolic Syndrome can lead to liver disease, prediabetes, or Type II Diabetes Mellitus. The earlier you address metabolic syndrome, the lesser chance of developing diabetes, heart disease, and many other chronic diseases.
Recommend lab tests to evaluate metabolic health:
- Hemoglobin A1C
- CMP (Complete Metabolic Panel)
- CBC with differential
- C-Peptide
- Vitamin D25
- DHEA-S
- ESR- a marker of inflammation
- Ferritin level-related to hyperinsulinemia
- Fasting Insulin-measure the level of insulin
- GGT-Damage to liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and kidneys
- Homocysteine level
- hsCRP
- Lipid panel-focus on Triglycerides and HDLs
- Magnesium and Phosphorus levels
- TSH level- thyroid hormones
- Urinalysis
Metabolic Syndrome is Reversible
There is hope…
For years I focused solely on diet and exercise. I now incorporate the 10 Primal Blueprint laws with a well-formulated low-carb lifestyle and reprogrammed my genes toward health and longevity. Food is my medicine; it can be yours too.
If you want to learn more about managing your metabolic health, consider subscribing to my website. You can also book a call to see if a health coach is right for you in navigating your journey to metabolic health.
