HEALTH & WELLNESS
Beating metabolic syndrome
What is metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome refers to a collection of health problems
triggered by certain processes in your body. Generally, having
metabolic syndrome increases your risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. There are five main health conditions, or risk factors, associated with metabolic syndrome, and they often occur
together.
What are the risk factors for metabolic syndrome?
Having just one risk factor for metabolic syndrome increases
the chances that you could develop heart disease. The more risk
factors you have, the more your short and long-term health is in
jeopardy.
Risk Factor
Condition
Description
Overweight/obese with a
large waistline
Heavy in stature with fat in your
stomach and midsection, rather
than other areas such as your
hips, and a waist measurement
of more than 35 inches for
women and more than 40 inches
for men
High triglyceride level
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Too much of a certain type of
lipid (fat) in your bloodstream
with a triglyceride level of 150
mg/dL or higher
Risk Factor
Condition
Description
Low HDL cholesterol level
Not enough HDL, the “good”
type of cholesterol, in your
bloodstream with an HDL level
lower than 50 mg/dL for women
and lower than 40 mg/dL for men
High blood pressure
High fasting blood sugar
The force of blood in your
arteries is too high, which can
damage your blood vessels and
your heart, with blood pressure
of 130/85 mm Hg or higher
The amount of glucose (blood
sugar) in your bloodstream is
too high, which could be a sign
of diabetes, with a blood sugar
level of 100 mg/dL or higher
Why do metabolic syndrome risk factors develop?
There are many causes of metabolic syndrome conditions,
including family health history of insulin resistance (when the
body cannot use the hormone insulin correctly, leading to high
blood sugar levels and weight gain), having an inactive lifestyle
and taking certain medications that cause weight gain. Medical
research also has shown that if you have two other conditions –