Learn about

Metabolic Syndrome

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that when combined, significantly increase the risk of developing:

Heart disease
Stroke
Diabetes
Liver and kidney disease

An individual is defined as having metabolic syndrome when they have at least three of the following conditions:

Excess belly fat.
High blood pressure or hypertension diagnosis.
Elevated triglycerides (a type of fat in blood).
High blood glucose (sugar).
Low Levels of HDL, the “good cholesterol.”

Each of these health components is typically diagnosed and treated separately, but they are all essentially connected and can be contributed to similar root causes, such as poor diet and lack of physical activity.

Metabolic Syndrome and Heart Health

Individually, the contributing factors that make up metabolic syndrome can negatively impact cardiovascular health:

Visceral fat (belly fat) is risky because it encases your vital organs and is highly inflammatory.
High blood pressure can damage arteries and veins.
High triglycerides can lead to thickening or hardening of the arteries.
Too much LDL “bad cholesterol” can cause a buildup of fatty deposits or plaque in artery walls.
High blood sugar can damage your nerves, blood vessels, tissues and organs.

Therefore, having a combination of these factors amplifies the risk and makes your heart work harder.

Know Your Numbers

There are key health numbers that are used to offer insight to an individual’s metabolic health. Your primary care provider typically measures these numbers during your routine check-up. This is partly why regular visits with your doctor are so vital to your health.

Vital Digits	Measurement or Number
	Healthy	At Risk	High Risk
Large Waist Size			Women: 35 inches or more Men: 40 inches or more
Blood pressure	Less than 120 Less than 80	120 – 129 Less than 80	130 or higher 85 or higher
Triglycerides	Less than 150 mg/dL	151 – 199	200 or above
Blood glucose (sugar)	80 – 100 mg/dL	101 – 125	126 or higher
HDL: good cholesterol	Women: 60 or higher Men: 60 or higher	Women: 51-59 Men: 41-59	Women: 50 or less Men: 40 or less

Your doctor will bring these numbers to your attention when they are elevated and suggest lifestyle changes and/or medications to bring them to a healthy range. The time for intervention is before the numbers get to the “High Risk” levels and before any damage is done.

How Common is Metabolic Syndrome?

About one-third of adults in the U.S. have metabolic syndrome. This growing medical concern is thought to be associated with the rise of obesity and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in this country.

Studies show that metabolic syndrome is more prevalent among certain ethnic groups, particularly Hispanic adults. This strongly indicates that certain health disparities, such as social and environmental factors play a pivotal role in the rise of metabolic syndrome for some groups over others.

Environmental factors, specifically lifestyle-related behaviors include:

Access to healthy foods and/or proper medications.
Physical inactivity, access to appropriate facilities.
Sedentary lifestyle.
Tobacco and alcohol consumption.
Sleep patterns and quality.
Physical stress and mental health issues.

Treating Metabolic Syndrome

Treatment for metabolic syndrome isn’t like treating a single disease, it will include taking

Nutrition and exercise education and counseling.
Losing pounds to achieve a healthier body weight.
Eating better by adopting a healthier diet.
Moving more, any level of activity is better than sitting.
Support to help stop tobacco and alcohol use.
Screening for sleep disorders.
Prescribed medications to treat high blood pressure, high cholesterol or manage diabetes.
Being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome is a serious insight to your heart health.

Being diagnosed with metabolic syndrome is a serious insight to the state of your heart health. Use it as an opportunity to make some much-needed lifestyle modifications. Everyone has their own unique challenges and roadblocks in their health journey, the important thing is to stay focused and keep trying.

Your Journey to a Healthier Heart

Changing a behavior is a process that doesn’t occur overnight. St. Elizabeth offers a complimentary prevention and wellness program called Take Time for Your Heart. This program outlines a range of unhealthy habits and offers tips, tools and preventive strategies for lifelong changes.

If you’re ready to make better choices for your heart, partnering with your primary care provider is a great place to start. Together you can decide on the treatment path that would be best for you.