What is Metabolic Syndrome? You’ve probably never heard of it. But it’s one of the biggest health problems in the Western World. It’s on the increase and tends to start showing itself when individuals reach middle age. So what is it? And can you do anything about it? Well, the good news is YES!
What is Metabolic Syndrome?
First of all, what is Metabolic syndrome? Metabolic syndrome is a combination of certain risk factors which together make it more likely for an individual to get Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
These risk factors include:
- Increased waist circumference or belly fat
- High blood sugar levels
- Elevated blood pressure
- High levels of fatty acids in the blood known as triglycerides
- Low good cholesterol levels and high bad cholesterol levels.
If you’ve 3 out of the 5 risk factors above you’re considered to have metabolic syndrome which can initially lead to pre-diabetes. Some of the above can be diagnosed by blood tests, others such as high blood pressure can be harder to identify.
There is also a range of more easily identifiable signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for. These include fatigue, sleepiness, weight gain, headaches and excessive thirst.
So what can you do about it if you think you’re edging in this direction. Unsurprisingly there are 2 main things to think about. The food you consume and movement.
The food you consume
I’ve purposefully not used the word diet here. This is not necessarily a quick fix of a diet for a few months to lose weight and then revert to the foods you currently enjoy. It usually involves switching to a well-balanced set of foods that mainly come from whole, real foods. Processed foods and added sugar are cut right down.
Movement
30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least 3 times per week is the minimum recommendation. This is any type of exercise that gets your heart rate up, for about 30 minutes. If you can do more frequent exercise all the better.
Other tips
- Smaller portions
- Reduce stress
- Have a support network/’accountability’ partner to help you
- Good sleep quantity and quality
- Establish new habits, break old ones.
Summary
The good news is that research has shown that many of the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome can be improved through lifestyle choices such as the food we consume and our levels of movement. Having a plan and introducing small, yet consistent steps work to help you take back control of your health.