THE WARNING SIGNS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME

   We’ve all known that it is good to have a general health check up and this 57 year old man you’ll hear about now did just that.  When his doctor informed him he had developed metabolic syndrome he was surprised.  A cluster of risk factors doubled his chances of having a heart attack over the next decade and at least tripled his odds of ending up with Type II Diabetes, depending on its severity.  Metabolic syndrome can increase diabetes risk 15 to 20 fold, according to Dr. Jean-PierreDepres Scientific Director of the International Chair on Cardiometabolic Risk at Laval University in Quebec City.  Metabolic syndrome stretches back to the late 1960s when Dr. Gerald Reaven of Stanford University discovered that when people with higher-than-normal, but not yet diabetic blood sugar, their bodies were resistant to its effects.

  According to the definition developed by the American Heart Association, someone who meets any three of the six following criteria has metabolic syndrome. .

l. Large waist circumference (40 inches/88 cm or greater for men; 35 inches/88 or greater for women).  A simple tape measure could help predict heart disease and diabetes risk. A measurement around the belly (roughly at belly button level) is a good indicator of the amount of fat that’s deep in the abdomen, surrounding the vital organs.

2. Elevated fasting blood sugar is linked with blood vessel linings (which in turn can lead to atherosclerosis and heart attack as well as kidney disease.

3. Elevated systolic blood pressure.  If the top number is above 130 and you have to take medications to keep it below 130, this signals that blood vessels and arteries are starting to stiffen. 

4. Elevated diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is greater than 85 and you need to take medications to keep it below that level is another indicator of metabolic syndrome.

5. Elevated triglycerides.  If they are too abundant, this cream-like fat can lead to problems and build up on blood vessel walls and lead to leg pain.

6. Low HDL (good cholesterol) acts as a natural drain cleaner in arteries and blood vessels clearing away potentially damaging bad cholesterol (LDL).  Physical exercise throughout the day along with moderation in diet is the answer.  Work your muscles by increasing physical activity, walking and resistance exercise, weight lifting and engage in physical exercise during the day improves suppleness and mops up sugar in the blood and melts up abdominal fat.  Some 80 year olds have adapted a weight lifting program.