What is it?
Metabolic syndrome is a group of factors that raises your risk for several other health problems. This includes:
- Heart Disease
- Lipid Problems
- Hypertension
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Dementia
- Cancer
- PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
- Stroke
It is a pro-inflammatory state that is stemming primarily from Insulin Resistance
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
There is a direct correlation between the rise in overall abdominal obesity and the rise in metabolic syndrome, however, one can still have metabolic syndrome while being at a normal weight. Therefore, everyone should be aware of this, regardless of their size.
It is important for doctors to be able to identify in order to suggest preventative measures. It is expected that at least 20-30% of people globally have Metabolic Syndrome. However, when looking at America, it is predicted that only 12% of people are metabolically healthy. Meaning, that 88% of some sort of dysfunction with their metabolism. These rates are only predicted to continue increasing globally.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT
In order to identify Metabolic Syndrome, your doctor can look at various telling factors. These are mainly:
- Weight (the waist to hip ratio)
- Insulin Sensitivity
- Blood Glucose levels
- Lipid Profile
- Blood Pressure
Metabolic Syndrome can be prevented or even treated through lifestyle changes. These include:
- Being more active. This can be as simple as adding a few minutes of walking or jumping jacks on the hour, or going for an evening stroll. Reducing the sedentary lifestyle, and starting to incorporate more movement as the norm in your daily life will aid in this.
- Possibly try Intermittent Fasting, ideally a 14:10 window. Where you do not eat for 14 hours, and you do eat during 10. For example having all your meals between 10am and 8pm. Research in humans is still developing on this tool for Metabolic Syndrome, but loks very promising and deems minimal risk.
- Follow a Mediterranean Diet. This diet is shown to improve several markers of metabolic syndrome, and is recommended by doctors both for primary and secondary care. This is since it is cost-effective, easily accessible, and easy to comply to. Therefore, it’s a diet everyone in Malta should inherently be following, considering it is also the local diet.
RESOURCES
https://www.onlinejacc.org/content/57/11/1299.abstract
Click to access s13690-020-0399-0.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1550413119306114
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140673605663787
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature05488
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/ATVBAHA.107.151092 Health
Professionals Nutrition Update February 2013 N Vassallo Mediterranean diet and dementia – food for thought?
Did you already know about Metabolic Syndrome? What are your thoughts? What more would you like to learn about this?
Thank you for reading, and please share with your loved ones x