Metabolic Syndrome

Since the 1940s, it was known that there is a connection between some metabolic disorders and cardiovascular disease. This connection became clearer in the 1980s and the condition was named metabolic syndrome, which is also called syndrome X or dysmetabolic syndrome. This is a group of risk factors occurring in one single person. Nowadays the term metabolic syndrome is used commonly and its connection with cardiovascular disease is admitted universally.

Mainly metabolic syndrome features insulin resistance (leading to type II diabetes), high blood pressure, abnormalities of cholesterol and increased incidents of clotting. Most of the patients are either overweight or obese.

Insulin resistance denotes the weakened ability of cells to respond to insulin, thereby resisting the transport of blood sugar from blood into other tissues. Insulin resistance plays a major role in metabolic syndrome.

Definition of metabolic syndrome is occurrence of any three of the following traits in the same person. The traits are, abdominal obesity, serum triglycerides equal to or higher than 150 mg/dl, HDL cholesterol 40 mg/dl or lower in males and 50 mg/dl or lower in females, blood pressure of 130/85 or above, and fasting blood sugar 110 mg/dl or above.

If you have any of these features, ensure if you are suffering from metabolic syndrome as soon as possible and if you are, start the treatment at once, as you are high risk of cardiovascular disease.

The causes of metabolic syndrome are genetic involvement and environmental factors. If you have a family history of type II diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardiovascular disease, there are high chances that you may get metabolic syndrome. Though this is a bad news, there is good news too and it is, you can prevent the disease by controlling the outside or environmental factors, like sedentary lifestyle, less activity, and diet rich in fats, contributing to progressive weight gain. The environmental factors are important to cause the disease in a person, even if he or she has no genetic factors. Factors such as smoking, diet rich in carbohydrates and lack of activity contribute greatly to the condition and therefore, if you have such habits, you should start to control them in order to keep away from the disease. Change in lifestyle under the supervision of qualified dietician or healthcare provider will bring about definite improvement in your health level and you can stay away from metabolic syndrome.

All in all, preventing or kicking out metabolic syndrome is to change your lifestyle.