Carrying around extra pounds is not just about looks today—it’s a medical problem. Excess weight can result in, or put you at risk for metabolic syndrome, also called insulin resistance syndrome. This syndrome often includes high blood pressure, obesity, abnormal blood lipid levels and high blood glucose. Experts estimate that more than 40 million overweight people have metabolic syndrome. And because of today’s obesity epidemic, these numbers are growing quickly. Here’s more about the metabolic syndrome and how to treat it.
WHAT HAPPENS?
Metabolic syndrome means that some of your body’s cells are insulin resistant. These cells—mainly your fat, liver and muscle cells—do not properly use the insulin your body makes. The result is that your pancreas makes more and more insulin to control the blood glucose. This causes your blood pressure to go up. It also results in abnormal blood lipid levels, including high triglycerides and low HDL (good cholesterol). If high insulin levels continue for years, blood glucose levels may begin to rise above normal.
THE TELLTALE SIGNS OF THE METABOLIC SYNDROME
It’s easy to find out if you have or are at risk for the metabolic syndrome because of its telltale signs. Learn about these signs. If you think you have the metabolic syndrome, talk with your health care provider.
- Weight & BMI: Most people with metabolic syndrome are overweight. Today, many health care providers use your body mass index (BMI) as a measure of healthy weight. BMI is based on height and weight. Ask your health care provider to figure your BMI and then see how your BMI stacks up:
- Your shape. Your body shape can tell you about your risk for the metabolic syndrome. An apple shape—your weight is more around your stomach—puts you at greater risk. Greater risk, that is, than a pear shape, where your weight is more around your hips and thighs. People with an apple shape hold more of their excess fat around their liver. This causes more insulin resistance.
- Trouble losing weight. People with metabolic syndrome have a hard time losing weight and keeping it off.
- Being physically inactive. You put yourself at greater risk if you are not physically active.
- Family and ethnic group. You are at greater risk of the metabolic syndrome if one or more of your parents and/or siblings has or had these problems. Also, high-risk ethnic groups are African-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, Native-Americans, Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders.
- Medical history.
Your waist measurement also tells you about your risk for metabolic syndrome. Measure yours and see what it tells you.
At risks are:
- Men over 40 inches
- Women over 35 inches
You are at a greater risk if your:
- blood pressure is usually higher than 140/90 mmHg.
- HDL cholesterol is less than 35 mg/dL.
- triglyceride level is higher than 250 mg/dL.
- blood glucose level is higher than 100 mg/dL fasting or greater than 140 mg/dL more than two hours after eating.
You are also at risk if you have:
- poly cystic ovarian syndrome.
- problems with your circulation.
- had one or more babies who weighed over 9 pounds at birth.
KNOW FOR SURE
If you read through the telltale signs and can put a check by at least 3 of them, you may have the metabolic syndrome and may be insulin resistant. (If you already have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you already have the metabolic syndrome and are insulin resistant.)
Discuss your findings with your health care provider. He or she might want to do more tests, such as checking your blood glucose levels. Your health care providers should check your fasting blood glucose or do an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). A fasting blood glucose level higher than 100 to 125 mg/dL fasting and/or a two-hour blood glucose from an OGTT greater than 140 to 199 mg/dL shows that you have pre-diabetes. If your fasting or two-hour blood glucose numbers are higher than these, you likely have diabetes. (You need to have symptoms or two higher-than-normal readings done on two different days to make the diagnosis of diabetes.)
Keep in mind that you might have metabolic syndrome even if your blood glucose levels are in a normal range. That’s because you can have insulin resistance for up to 10 years before your blood glucose levels start to creep high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
THE METABOLIC SYNDROME: HOW TO MANAGE IT
The ways to manage the metabolic syndrome are simple to say, but not simple to do.
1. Eat healthy foods and meals and lose some weight.
2. Be physically active.
Studies show that weight loss of between 10 and 20 pounds and doing a total of 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week can prevent and/or delay the start of type 2 diabetes and decrease the related problems of the metabolic syndrome. Smoking also worsens the metabolic syndrome, so speak to your health care provider about ways to quit.
Start by making one change in your lifestyle at a time. Perhaps you start to eat more fruits and vegetables or less sweets. Then you start to walk for 10 minutes, five days a week. Keep in mind that it’s these slow and steady changes that can help you become healthier and stay healthier for years to come.
You might wonder whether there are any medicines for the metabolic syndrome. The group of medicines known as insulin sensitizers do help improve your body’s response to insulin. These are metformin (Glucophage) and the glitazones (Avandia, Actos). They now are commonly prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes. At this point, studies are being done to see whether they should be prescribed for people who have pre-diabetes and/or the metabolic syndrome.
