The Cluster Of Conditions That Define Metabolic Syndrome!
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
It is also associated with fatty liver disease and PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
It is not a single disease but a group of risk factors.
These include the following five conditions, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high blood levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL (the good) cholesterol.
A person having three of these five conditions is said to be suffering from metabolic syndrome.
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Key Components of Metabolic Syndrome:
Abdominal obesity:
Waist circumference of more than 90 cm (35.4 inches) in Indian men and 80 cm (31.5 inches) in women is considered to be abnormal obesity.
Waist measurement has to be taken with the tape placed horizontal at the mid point between the lowest point of the last thoracic rib and the highest point of the iliac crest or the hip bone, this level generally coincides with a point about one inch above the navel (umbilicus), but the position of the navel can vary in grossly abdominally obese persons.
High blood pressure:
Blood pressures greater than 130/85 mm Hg, or on treatment for hypertension
Insulin resistance:
Very broadly speaking, fasting blood sugar levels being higher than normal (70 to 99 mg/dL or 3.9 to 5.5 mmol/L) in spite of fasting insulin levels being high (normal 2 to 25 miU/L) indicates insulin resistance.
High triglycerides:
Blood triglycerides levels of 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) or higher, or people on treatment for high triglycerides.
Low HDL (the good) cholesterol:
HDL cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL in men and less than 50 mg/dL in women
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Health Risks Associated with Metabolic Syndrome:
Heart disease
Type 2 diabetes
Stroke
Fatty liver disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in women
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Causes and Risk Factors For Developing Metabolic Syndrome:
Insulin resistance
Sedentary lifestyle
Poor diet high in refined carbohydrates, sugars, and unhealthy fats; low in whole grain cereals and pulses, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk and healthy fats.
Obesity, especially abdominal obesity
Genetics
Aging
Smoking
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Diagnostic Tests:
Waist circumference measurement
Blood pressure measurement
Fasting blood sugar
Blood insulin levels
Glucose tolerance test (OGTT)
Lipid profile
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Treatment and Management:
Lifestyle changes are the first and most important treatment:
They include adapting healthy diet and regular physical activity, weight loss, stress management, quitting smoking and quitting or at least drastically limiting alcohol, treatment of underlying medical conditions and taking necessary supplements.
Healthy diet consisting of whole grain cereals and pulses, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk and healthy fats.
Reduce processed foods, sugar, and refined carbohydrates like rava, maida, refined corn flour, limit white rice, white bread, sweets, colas.
Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.
Increase fiber in your diet: Helps control blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight.
Add healthy fats: From moderate amounts of nuts, seeds and fatty sea fish like salmon.
Adding small amounts of olive oil as dressing for salads but avoiding overheating or overcooking them also helps add healthy fats to the diet.
Avoid trans fats and limit saturated fats.
Trans fats are present in commercially made fried snacks like shev, farsan, samosa, wada, kachori, chips, wafers, French fries, etc. and sweets like jilbi, imrati, balushahi when the same oil is used repeatedly for frying large amounts of these fried foods.
Trans fats are also developed in foods made using vanaspati ghee, partially hydrogenated oils (Dalda), like bakery products (breads, biscuits, cakes, pastries, pattice).
Saturated fats come from palm oil, coconut oil, whole milk and cream, butter, buttermilk, ghee, vanaspti ghee and meat and poultry.
Limit salt: Helps lower blood pressure.
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Regular physical activity
At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.
Aerobic exercise: 30 to 45 minutes a day (walking, slow jogging, slow running, dancing, cycling, swimming) most days of the week. Helps burn calories and improves cardiovascular fitness, helps lower blood pressure, blood sugar and weight.
Strength training 2–3 days a week helps improve insulin sensitivity.
Keep moving through the day, avoid sitting for long.
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Weight Management
Losing 5 to 10% of body weight can dramatically improve all five markers of metabolic syndrome and significantly improve symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Even small, steady weight loss reduces insulin resistance and blood pressure.
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Sleep Management
Sleep: Aim to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night; poor sleep worsens insulin resistance and hunger.
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Stress management: Stress increases cortisol, worsening blood sugar and fat storage.
Practice yoga, meditation, yoganidra, pranayam or deep breathing, or breathing techniques, they reduce stress.
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Quit smoking and limit alcohol.
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Medications whenever necessary
To control blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar levels.
Reversing metabolic syndrome is very achievable, especially in the early stages, through consistent lifestyle changes and, in some cases, the use of targeted supplements, like omega 3, magnesium, Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA), Vitamin D, berberine, cinnamon and probiotics.
Also read the article ‘Abdominal Obesity, Diabetes And Heart Disease’ on this website.