The term "Metabolic Syndrome" (also known as "Syndrome X" and "Insulin Resistance") sounds relatively harmless, but it in fact describes a set of health risk factors that can have serious and dramatic effects on your overall health and longevity.
This group of specific health risk factors increases your chances of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The American Heart Association states that “the underlying causes of this syndrome are overweight/obesity, physical inactivity and genetic factors.” It’s been estimated that 20 – 25% of adults in the U.S. have it.1 Metabolic Syndrome typically has the following characteristics:
Central obesity (meaning excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders - usually high triglycerides and low HDL)
Increased blood pressure
Insulin Resistance or glucose intolerance
Prothrombotic state (condition associated with hypertension)
Proinflammatory state (condition associated with predisposition to degenerative diseases)
In addition to Metabolic Syndrome, The National Institutes of Health and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute estimate that there are 97 million adults in the U.S., nearly half the adult population of this country, who are overweight or obese.2 Obesity is linked to a wide variety of significant health concerns, among them an increased risk for coronary heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Scientific viewpoints about obesity have undergone a dramatic change in recent years. What was once thought to be a "disease with the primary causal factor being the individual's inability to control their eating" is now seen as a "complex and multifactorial chronic disease that develops from an interaction of genotype and environment." In other words, weight gain is not just about your willpower; it's about genetic and environmental factors that impact your body's ability to biochemically perform vital functions that affect your weight and general health.
People with Metabolic Syndrome need to know the following five important points:
1. Those who have Metabolic Syndrome have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, stroke and other vascular diseases.
When you are Insulin Resistant, you have a decrease in the number of insulin receptors on your cells - which prevents the efficient conversion of food to energy and actually increases stored fats. This happens because, when glucose cannot enter the cells efficiently, it remains in the blood stream, often causing elevated blood sugar - whereupon it is sent to the liver, which converts it to fat and stores it throughout the body. Weight gain results.
As your weight increases, stressors build up on the entire cardiovascular system: the heart and lungs have to work harder to distribute an adequate amount of freshly-oxygenated blood throughout the body and an increase in high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol is seen, which encourages the buildup of plaque on the inside of artery walls. This increases the risk of stroke and heart attack.
2. Those who have Metabolic Syndrome have an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes - it’s been estimated that more than 18 million people in the United States have it and perhaps twice that number are on the road to developing the disease. In Type 2 diabetes, either the body doesn't produce enough insulin or the cells of the body don't recognize the insulin and refuse to allow the entry of glucose needed for energy.
Having Type 2 diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications, including heart disease, poor circulation in your arms and legs, blindness, nerve damage and kidney damage. A study completed early in 2004 at the Houston VA Medical Center also linked diabetes to chronic liver disease and an increased chance of developing cancer of the liver.
3. Those who have Metabolic Syndrome also have an increased risk of developing a wide variety of cancers.
Though the exact interaction of all the characteristics of Metabolic Syndrome on each bodily system are still under scientific review, it has been established that obesity contributes to a higher risk of developing endometrial, prostate, breast and colon cancers, as well as the liver cancer mentioned above.
4. Women who have Metabolic Syndrome have a higher risk of developing specific women-related conditions.
In addition to the other risks associated with obesity, women also run the risk of developing PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and gestational diabetes (GDM). PCOS is a medical condition (also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome) in which ovaries secrete abnormally high levels of testosterone and estrogens. GDM is diabetes that develops during a woman’s pregnancy.
Studies have also shown that because of the social stigma associated with obesity, women are more likely to avoid health care services, thus possibly increasing their health risks by not addressing ongoing health issues.
5. Metabolic Syndrome can be controlled, if not reversed.
Metabolic Syndrome has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, yet few, even within the medical community, understand it. Although more physicians are becoming aware of this Syndrome and its effects, it's possible your doctor may not be aware of the latest, ongoing research that is addressing effective treatment programs for Insulin Resistance.
References
American Heart Association website: www.americanheart.org/
