WELL & GOOD

ADD METABOLIC SYNDROME TO THE LONG LIST OF MEDICAL MALADIES THAT CAN BE AVOIDED BY LIVING WELL

Rosemarie White explains metabolic syndrome

SCIENCE IS CONSTANTLY offering new information with which to sharpen the tools needed to hone a healthy life. Avoiding heart disease and diabetes is essential for anyone wanting to achieve the ultimate of a long, healthy life and a short death.

A new focus is coming on yet another condition linked to obesity and inactivity. Metabolic syndrome, while not a cause for celebration, is often reversible by the patients themselves. But what is the difference between a syndrome, disease and disorder?

A disease is a pathophysiological response to internal or external factors.

A disorder is a disruption to regular bodily structure and function.

A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms associated with a specific healthrelated cause.

Metabolic syndrome may not be commonly known, but it soon will be as it is one of the steamroller of diseases associated with the nation’s ever-growing waistband. But it’s not a new condition, and was first noted in 1947 by the French physician Jean Vague who found that upper-body obesity seemed to be associated with an increased risk for the conditions atherosclerosis, diabetes, kidney stones and gout.

The term “metabolic syndrome” was used in 1977 by Herman Haller who was studying the association between obesity, diabetes, high blood lipids, a high uric acid level and fatty liver disease. In 1988, Gerald Reaven hypothesized that insulin resistance could be the underlying factor linking this constellation of abnormalities, which he named “syndrome X”. Today, with a dramatic increase in the percentage of the population reaching obesity, the condition known as metabolic syndrome is top of mind for diagnosticians.

WHAT IS METABOLIC SYNDROME?

Metabolic syndrome is a group of health problems, often found together in people who are obese. The combined effect of these issues can lead to serious health conditions, like diabetes, stroke or heart disease. Metabolic syndrome includes: obesity — notably fat around the belly; high blood pressure (also called hypertension); high fasting glucose levels in the blood; high fat levels in the blood (triglycerides); low levels of good cholesterol in the blood (HDL).

WHAT CAUSES METABOLIC SYNDROME?

An unhealthy lifestyle often causes metabolic syndrome. People who overeat or consume a lot of sweetened beverages are most at risk of developing it. A lack of exercise can also be a factor. It’s not a new condition, and was first noted in 1947 by the French physician Jean Vague

The word “metabolism” refers to how the body processes food to make energy. When too much energy (food) is consumed, the metabolism doesn’t work as well as it should causing problems such as insulin resistance — the primary cause of type 2 diabetes.

Other causes include abnormal sleep patterns, increased stress, genetics and ageing.