metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is especially caused by a high-fat diet or a diet rich in simple carbohydrates like sugar, bread, white flour, cookies, candy, pasta, donuts, etc. These carbohydrates increase the glucose and insulin levels and as well they lack minerals, vitamins and the required nutrients for the body. Those minerals and vitamins which are necessary and due to lack of which metabolic syndrome can occur are as follows.

• Chromium

Chromium is needed by the body to break the insulin resistance of the cells which is responsible for causing the higher blood glucose levels. Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance is the main hallmark of diabetes as well as metabolic syndrome. Obese people normally suffer from insulin resistance which prevents the cells from taking in the sugars or carbohydrates. This left out sugar levels remains in the blood serum since they are not taken in by cells. As a result, the sugar levels increase in the blood and this excessive glucose accumulate as body fat.

Risk factors for various cardiovascular disease (CVD) like dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes and hypertension in addition to insulin resistance has triggered the researchers to propose a new distinct entity, which is named as “the metabolic syndrome,”. This new entity has been identified by reputable organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO) and the entity has also been allotted its own code (277.7) in the WHO’s ICD-9. By this, the metabolic syndrome is fully institutionalized and the word has become a part of the latest medical vocabulary.

But many questions arise on current definitions of the metabolic syndrome for predicting the CVD risk. As of now, there is no proper pathophysiological process to explain the syndrome. Also, it is still not clearly known, how distinct is this syndrome different from its own constituent components and how does treatment differ from that of its individual constituents.

Do you know that one of the ways for maintaining good health is just clubbed in a nutshell? Daily consumption of a handful of nuts, nearly 40-80 grams or 1½ to 3 ounces, in addition to some fresh fruits and vegetables aids to keep control of several of the cardiovascular risk factors.

The December edition of Archives of Internal Medicine published a research which discovered that addition of small quantities of nuts in the diet daily was seen to help better compared to the addition of olive oil or the reliance on a low-fat diet in lowering the risk for developing the condition of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a condition which includes elevated levels of blood pressure, blood glucose though they are not high enough for getting treated and extra fat accumulated around the waist. The diet including small quantities of nuts daily proved to be more effective than the popular Mediterranean diet.

Central or abdominal obesity and inactive or sedentary style of living could be perceived as   symptoms for potential metabolic syndrome, but laboratory as well as non-laboratory tests must be done to properly diagnose metabolic syndrome. Given below are the recommended tests:

Laboratory Tests

• Glucose: The purpose of a glucose test is to find out the glucose levels of the patient. If the patient’s cells have an impaired function towards glucose, it will result in elevated glucose concentrations in the blood. Fasting glucose test (before the meal) is usually performed. However in some exceptional cases, post-prandial glucose test (after the meal) or glucose tolerance test (GTT), where multiple glucose tests are done before and at regular intervals after an initial glucose challenge.

Metabolic syndrome, popularly known as syndrome X, has been shown to considerably increase the death risk even in the case of healthy people. This conclusion has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association using the data obtained from Kuopio Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

Nearly 1200 men living in Finland between 40-60 years of age who did not possess any type of cardiovascular disease or diabetes or cancer were observed for a period of 10-15 years for the Kuopio study. It was evident that those men who possessed metabolic syndrome were 3-4 times more probable to die of cardiovascular disease in the observed period as compared to those men without metabolic syndrome. This occurred in spite of accounting for the other risk factors involved in causing cardiovascular disease.

Understanding the relationship among the metabolic syndrome symptoms will help in identifying the syndrome at an early stage and further consequences may be prevented.
The main symptoms of metabolic syndrome are

• Obesity
• Increased levels of plasma insulin (hyperinsulinemia)
• Hypertension
• Low HDL cholesterol levels
• High triglyceride levels
• impaired glucose response

Obesity and hyperinsulinemia

A study was conducted with more than 1500 people with in 5-23 age group initially and again after a period of 8 years. It was found that people with high levels of insulin were more overweight (36 times), more hypertension (2.5 times) and more dyslipidemia (3 times) than people with low levels of insulin. Several others studies also indicated the relation among overweight, high insulin levels and other symptoms which demands the important need to identify the role of insulin resistance in youth. Other factors like energy input and output may be controlled by taking proper diet and regular exercise.

Metabolic syndrome, popularly known as syndrome X, has been shown to considerably increase the death risk even in the case of healthy people. This conclusion has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association using the data obtained from Kuopio Heart Disease Risk Factor Study.

Nearly 1200 men living in Finland between 40-60 years of age who did not possess any type of cardiovascular disease or diabetes or cancer were observed for a period of 10-15 years for the Kuopio study. It was evident that those men who possessed metabolic syndrome were 3-4 times more probable to die of cardiovascular disease in the observed period as compared to those men without metabolic syndrome. This occurred in spite of accounting for the other risk factors involved in causing cardiovascular disease.

Metabolic syndrome, popularly known in other names such as syndrome X, Insulin Resistance Syndrome, serves not only as an illness which is very prevalent in America but also the precursor of type II diabetes as well as enhances the risk factor for many complications like heart diseases and stroke. Nearly 25% of the Americans are found to be affected by this syndrome and most of them are unaware of their prevailing illness.

The hallmark of metabolic syndrome has been insulin resistance or glucose intolerance. This condition can be treated by modest lifestyle changes which include exercising, dietary modifications and weight loss. Several spices like cinnamon, fenugreek, caper, garlic, coriander, ginger, etc also have been found to have a minimizing effect on glucose intolerance.

Amongst thousands of options and opinions regarding exercise, it is often confusing to choose the appropriate one. The following questions usually crop up.

• Should you exercise daily?
• Or could you do it on alternate days?
• And how long..?
• Is 20 min ok…? Or more time..?
• What kind of exercise to do..? Yoga or strength or cardio or flexibility?

This article addresses these issues and suggests few answers.

Simple exercises

Metabolic syndrome is not a single condition as like other diseases but it is in fact a cluster of illnesses which can occur in combination thus enhancing the risk of developing heart diseases, diabetes and stroke. It has been well known since 1940, the connection between cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. But only in 1980, this association was proved and this disorder was coined as metabolic syndrome, popularly called as Syndrome X or dysmetabolic syndrome.
Syndrome X included all metabolic risk factors which occur combined together in a person. Recently, metabolic syndrome is so popularly known among the medical literature. Irrespective of the differences existing in the diagnosis criteria based on which healthcare provider is employed, the theory of the clustering of many risk factors resulting in cardiovascular disease is acknowledged by everyone.
An individual with any one of the following conditions like
•    Increased BP
•    Hypertension
•    Increased insulin levels or insulin resistance
•    Excess fat near waist
•    Abnormal cholesterol levels
•    High risk for clotting
Cannot be identified as metabolic syndrome and they are just contributing to the risk of other serious disorders. If these conditions occur combined, the risk is even increased. The reduced capability of the cells to react to insulin’s action of transporting the glucose between blood and muscles or tissues is referred to as Insulin resistance, which is the chief feature of metabolic syndrome.
The definition was further clarified by many organizations like ATP (Adult Treatment Panel) of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and WHO (World Health Organization). The definition varies according to the organizations. As per ATP, any of the following three traits in an individual is diagnosed to be metabolic syndrome.
1.    Fasting blood glucose levels of 110 mg/dl and higher. (This may be 100 mg/dl in some people).
2.    Abdominal obesity involving a waist circumference of above 40 inches (102 cm) in men and above 35 inches (88 cm) in women.
3.    HDL Cholesterol levels of 40 mg/dl or even lesser in men and 50 mg/dl or even lesser in women.
4.    Serum triglyceride levels of 150mg/dl or higher.
5.    Blood pressure levels of 130/85 or higher.
According to WHO, the definition of syndrome X includes high insulin levels or increased fasting blood glucose levels or increased post meal glucose levels along with any of the following two conditions.
1.    Blood pressure levels of 140/90 and higher.
2.    Cholesterol tests indicating triglyceride levels of 150 mg/dl and higher or HDL Cholesterol levels of 35 mg/dl or even lower.
3.    Abdominal obesity involving the waist to hip ratio to be larger than 0.9 or the body mass index of 30 kg/m2 and higher or a waist of nearly 37 inches.

Metabolic syndrome or syndrome X refers to a cluster of health problems unlike other diseases and not a single problem. These problems eventually lead to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The trademark is insulin resistance. The main problem is the individual being obese or overweight, particularly in the midsection of the body. Other problems include high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, high blood triglycerides and lowered HDL or good cholesterol levels.
If metabolic syndrome is due to the above problems, the question why it affects children and teens arises. Metabolic syndrome is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and the precursor for diabetes. The type II diabetes, otherwise known as adult onset diabetes, has been found to be more prevalent among children and teens recently. And even cardiovascular disease which results in heart attacks starts early in youth stages of life. These are the reasons behind the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in young adults and children.
So what are the ways to find out if your child is at risk or not? There are some specifications which can help to detect this. They are as follows
•    Children and teens that are overweight are generally more probable to develop the illness.
•    In order to determine if a child is overweight, one of the ways is to determine the body mass index or BMI. This clarifies if a child is heavier for his height. Hence it is recommended that children and teens check their BMI at least once every year. Inquire the healthcare provider whether the child’s BMI is among the top 15% of people belonging to the same sex, race and age. If yes, it is high.
•    The blood pressure of the child must also be checked each time you go on a medical visit.
•    When the child is found to be overweight or has a familial history of diabetes, his blood sugar levels also must be checked once in 2 years. And if the sugar is above 100 mg/dl, there are chances for developing the illness.
•    The blood lipid levels must also be checked especially when the child is obese or when there is a familial history of early heart diseases or high cholesterol.
And the following steps help in maintaining the health of the child.
•    Regular medical check-ups must be done.
•    Adopt a non-sedentary or active lifestyle. Regular exercises can help a lot to control the weight, blood pressure, lipid levels and blood sugar. Think of many physical activities which are also fun-inducing for the child. Keep the child active for a minimum of one hour daily. The parents must also be active so that the child learns the similar way.
•    Reduce the time that the child spends for watching TV, sitting in a computer or playing video games on TV or computer. Avoid these activities as much as possible. This can be allowed for less than 2 hours daily.
•    Teach the child to choose healthy foods like fresh vegetables and fruits. Keep lots of healthy foods at home and promote the habit of consuming five servings of these healthy foods every day instead of high-fat foods and sweets. Stop buying these unhealthy foods or keep it as less as possible. When the child starts enjoying these healthy foods right from childhood, he will continue it for his lifetime.
•    Do not force the child, and avoid any food struggles. The child must realize its importance and choose his foods and the quantities to eat.
•    In case of overweight children, the parents can approach an amicable dietician with the help of a healthcare provider.

This article deals with the prevention and treatment modes of metabolic syndrome. The two main ways is to
•    Do cardio exercises regularly. One of the basic cardio exercises that can be done is walking briskly. A brisk walk for a minimum of half an hour or 5 hours weekly is recommended. Other exercises such as swimming, jogging, biking, hiking, etc are also good. These exercises are especially recommended for the heart since it needs more effort to be put in and develops stamina. In addition, regular exercises can also reduce the cholesterol levels and burns off the unwanted fats.

The disorder “metabolic syndrome” or “syndrome X” indicates a combination of risk factors contributing to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) which is the result of insulin resistance and obesity. There has been several confusions regarding the correct usage of this term and hence this has led to complexity in evaluating the use of this concept. In order to understand the different approaches to this disorder better, a simple framework was designed. This enables the decision-making process about the part of metabolic syndrome in clinical practice.

In general, metabolic syndrome includes multiple risk factors which can increase the chances of developing type 2 diabetes and CVD that imitates the combination or complex of many individual risk factors which had occurred in consequence of insulin resistance and obesity. This complex is considered to include the following risk conditions
1.    Glucose intolerance
2.    Atherogenic dyslipidemia
3.    Hypertension
4.    Prothrombic state
5.    Proinflammatory state

In the online edition of the Circulation journal dated July 23, 2007, researchers have analyzed in depth regarding the chances of getting metabolic syndrome with the consumption of above one soft drink in a day. This relationship was proved to be true in the case of diet soft drinks, which possess zero calories, and also in the case of those soft drinks which are possess calories or sugar in them.

This study has filled the air with breathless speculations about the development of metabolic syndrome caused by diet soft drinks. It was completely bizarre. The researchers working for this study proposed that the soft drinks as such may not be the culprit but some of the eating habits, which soft drinks may influence or some of the ingredients in the diet soft drinks may well be contributing. All these were just their assumptions and not yet proven.

Montana Dietetic Association Annual Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo 2011
Event on 2011-05-31 13:00:00