Having three or more of the risk factors listed here usually suggests a person has metabolic syndrome. A healthy lifestyle can help prevent metabolic syndrome. Insulin is a hormone that is made in the pancreas. It helps to control the amount of sugar in the blood. If you have insulin resistance, your body can't respond properly to insulin so your pancreas has to make more and more to cope with the build-up of sugar in the blood.
Over time, the pancreas is put under more and more pressure to make insulin. Eventually the strain can become too much and the pancreas won't be able to make enough insulin. The levels of sugar in the blood rise and stay high. This is called Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance is the stage that comes before Type 2 diabetes. It's also known as pre-diabetes. At this stage it's possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes. When your blood sugar levels are too high, the sugar damages your blood vessels.
This can lead to eye problems, nerve damage and kidney damage, which can all be very serious. Type 2 diabetes also raises the risk of diseases of the heart and blood vessels , including heart attacks and strokes. High cholesterol also raises the risk of these illnesses, so having high cholesterol and insulin resistance at the same time raises the risks further.
Insulin resistance can be treated with medicines to help your liver make less glucose sugar , and to make your body more sensitive to insulin. Lifestyle changes, including a healthy diet and exercise , can also make a huge difference.
These can help prevent insulin resistance from progressing to Type 2 diabetes. Doctors have special guidelines for diagnosing diabetes. This usually involves having a sugar tolerance test to see how your body copes with a certain amount of sugar over a certain period of time. Insulin resistance is more common in people who are obese, especially if they are carrying the excess fat around their waistline.
Excess fat can get stuck inside the pancreas where it can cause problems with blood sugar control. People from some ethnic backgrounds are more prone to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. For example, those with a South Asian or black Afro-Caribbean background. Find out if you are at risk of Type 2 diabetes and whether you need a blood test.
A healthy lifestyle will help prevent insulin resistance. Your blood pressure is the force that your blood puts on your bloods vessel walls as it flows around your body. When your blood pressure is too high, your heart has to work harder to the pump blood, putting a strain on your heart. This raises your risk of problems such as heart disease and stroke.
The numbers are written in millimetres of mercury, or mmHg. But it does mean you have a greater risk of serious disease. And if you develop more of these conditions, your risk of complications, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, rises even higher. Metabolic syndrome is increasingly common, and up to one-third of U. If you have metabolic syndrome or any of its components, aggressive lifestyle changes can delay or even prevent the development of serious health problems.
Most of the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome don't have obvious signs or symptoms. One sign that is visible is a large waist circumference. And if your blood sugar is high, you might notice the signs and symptoms of diabetes — such as increased thirst and urination, fatigue, and blurred vision. If you know you have at least one component of metabolic syndrome, ask your doctor whether you need testing for other components of the syndrome.
It's also linked to a condition called insulin resistance. Normally, your digestive system breaks down the foods you eat into sugar. Insulin is a hormone made by your pancreas that helps sugar enter your cells to be used as fuel. In people with insulin resistance, cells don't respond normally to insulin and glucose can't enter the cells as easily. As a result, your blood sugar levels rise even as your body churns out more and more insulin to try to lower your blood sugar.
A lifelong commitment to a healthy lifestyle may prevent the conditions that cause metabolic syndrome. A healthy lifestyle includes:. Having a large waistline means that you carry excess weight around your waist abdominal obesity. This is also called having an "apple-shaped" figure. Your doctor will measure your waist to find out whether you have a large waistline.
A waist measurement of 35 inches or more for women or 40 inches or more for men is a metabolic risk factor. A large waistline means you're at increased risk for heart disease and other health problems. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. HDL cholesterol sometimes is called "good" cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries.
The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure. If only one of your two blood pressure numbers is high, you're still at risk for metabolic syndrome. About 85 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes—the most common type of diabetes—also have metabolic syndrome. These people have a much higher risk for heart disease than the 15 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes without metabolic syndrome. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes are the first line of treatment for metabolic syndrome.
The major goal of treating metabolic syndrome is to reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease. Treatment is directed first at lowering LDL cholesterol and high blood pressure and managing diabetes if these conditions are present. Long-term complications of diabetes often include heart and kidney disease, vision loss, and foot or leg amputation. If diabetes is present, the goal of treatment is to reduce your risk for heart disease by controlling all of your risk factors.
Heart-healthy lifestyle changes include heart-healthy eating , aiming for a healthy weight , managing stress , physical activity , and quitting smoking. For example, you may need statin medications to control or lower your cholesterol. By lowering your blood cholesterol level, you can decrease your chance of having a heart attack or stroke. Doctors usually prescribe statins for people who have:. Doctors may discuss beginning statin treatment with those who have an elevated risk for developing heart disease or having a stroke.
Take all medicines regularly, as your doctor prescribes. You should still follow a heart-healthy lifestyle, even if you take medicines to treat your risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a lifelong condition. However, lifestyle changes can help you control your risk factors and reduce your risk for ischemic heart disease and diabetes.
If you already have heart disease or diabetes, lifestyle changes can help you prevent or delay related problems. Examples of these problems include heart attack , stroke , and diabetes-related complications for example, damage to your eyes, nerves, kidneys, feet, and legs.
Take all of your medicines as prescribed by your doctor. Make realistic short- and long-term goals for yourself when you begin to make healthy lifestyle changes. Work closely with your doctor, and seek regular medical care. Learn more about participating in a clinical trial. View all trials from ClinicalTrials. Visit Children and Clinical Studies to hear experts, parents, and children talk about their experiences with clinical research.
Metabolic Syndrome. What Is - Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Risk Factors The five conditions described below are metabolic risk factors. A large waistline. This also is called abdominal obesity or "having an apple shape.
A high triglyceride level or you're on medicine to treat high triglycerides. HDL sometimes is called "good" cholesterol. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease. High blood pressure or you're on medicine to treat high blood pressure.
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