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Health & Fitness
H
Metabolic Syndrome
Are You At Risk?
T
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34
August 13 • 2009
he Metabolic Syndrome
(MetS) is a term used to
identify individuals who have
three or more of these risk factors:
• Low levels of "good" (HDL) cho-
lesterol, defined as less than 40 in
men and less than 50 in women.
• Too much fat around the waist
(abdominal obesity) defined as
greater than 40 inches in men and
greater than 35 inches in
women.
• High triglycerides (a
type of blood fat) defined
as 150 mg/dL or higher.
• High blood pres-
sure (130/85 mm Hg or
higher).
• Insulin resistance, evi-
denced by elevated blood
glucose (sugar) levels
after fasting (defined as
100 mg/dL or greater).
Metabolic Syndrome
(MetS) has also been
referred to as "Syndrome X" and
Insulin Resistance Syndrome (IRS)
in the literature, although MetS is
the more commonly used term.
About 30 percent of U.S. adults
older than 20 have MetS, some 70
million people. Perhaps even more
appalling is the estimated 9.4 per-
cent of adolescents who have it,
representing 2.9 million U.S. teens.
Among obese teenagers, the inci-
dence rises to 30 percent! These sta-
tistics represent a sizeable propor-
tion of the population at significant
risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Indeed, MetS is a life-threatening
condition. Consider these lifestyle
factors: The typical American diet,
characterized by high intakes of
refined grains, fried foods and red
meat, increases the risk of devel-
oping MetS by around 18 percent.
Drinking diet soda raises the risk
by 34 percent, likely due to its effect
on magnesium and Vitamin A levels.
Consuming too many calories while
also remaining physically inactive
leads to weight gain, often around
the waist. A large waist circumfer-
ence is the main predictor of MetS.
Elevated fasting blood glucose
occurs when cells no longer respond
to the presence of insulin. Insulin's
job is to stimulate cells (muscle and
other tissues) to take in glucose
from the bloodstream. When cells
don't respond or become "resistant"
to insulin's signal, glucose accumu-
lates in the blood. Excess body fat
can interfere with the insulin sensi-
tivity of cells. Accordingly, individu-
als with MetS are at an increased
risk of developing Type 2 diabetes
as well as cardiovascular disease
and premature death.
Physical activity favor-
ably influences each risk
factor, offering strong
protection against heart
disease and mortality. In
fact, people who exercise
less than an hour a week
experience a 60 percent
increase in the likelihood
of having MetS.
Endurance training,
interval training and
strength training have
all been shown to reduce
risk factors. For example,
regular activity can sometimes raise
the good (HDL) cholesterol and in
some people, especially when fat
loss occurs, lower the bad (LDL)
cholesterol. It also helps lower blood
pressure, reduces insulin resistance
(again, especially when body fat
is decreased) and improves heart
function.
Coupled with a healthy diet, the
incidence of MetS can be greatly
reduced. Simple or refined carbohy-
drates should be avoided (they are
quickly digested and elevate insulin
and triglyceride levels) and replaced
with whole grains and complex
carbohydrates that take longer to
digest. The intake of saturated fats
and trans fats should be minimized
along with alcohol, which has been
shown to raise triglyceride levels,
even in relatively small amounts.
Lastly, increase consumption of
omega 3 fatty acids either by eat-
ing more fish (salmon, sardines,
black cod and herring) or taking 1-2
grams of a good fish oil supplement
a day.
Jan Jacobs, M.S., of Beverly Hills,
Mich., is an Exercise Physiologist and a
Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist. She
is a personal trainer. Her e-mail address
is: JJFFH@comcast.net .