Metabolic syndrome, a condition thought to be caused by a combination of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, diet and genetics, was found to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and death among middle-aged men.
Insulin resistance and elevated blood sugar levels, along with obesity including a potbelly, abnormal blood lipids, and high blood pressure, distinguish the syndrome, which is also known as insulin resistance syndrome.
However, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome is hard to define because the syndrome’s definition varies.
In the recent study of 1,209 men aged 42 to 60 years, four similar definitions were used.
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the men, who were followed for about 11 years, was 8.8 percent to 14.3 percent, depending on the definition used.
Results showed that men with metabolic syndrome as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) were 2.9 to 4.2 times more likely to die of coronary heart disease than healthy men, while those with metabolic syndrome as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) were 2.9 to 3.3 times more likely to die of coronary heart disease.
Among men with metabolic syndrome as defined by the WHO, death from cardiovascular disease was 2.6 to 3 times higher than among healthy men.
The syndrome affects close to one-third of middle-aged men and women, according to the WHO definition.
While aspects of metabolic syndrome such as high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol are known to be risk factors for heart disease, the risk of others, including abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, are still being determined.
Doctors typically treat the symptoms of metabolic syndrome rather than the entire disease. Researchers say that designating the symptoms as a syndrome may help to raise awareness that there is an increased risk of heart disease among people with this syndrome.
JAMA December 4, 2002;288:2709-16
There is an ever-increasing epidemic of insulin resistance in the United States, and its new name is Metabolic Syndrome. Obesity and lack of exercise are the main culprits and we, of course, know what causes obesity and insulin resistance. In fact, over two-thirds of our country is overweight.
Yes, that’s right. For most, the problem is too many grains and sugars. Fortunately there are some simple solutions.
One of them is to know your Metabolic Type as this will help you fine-tune your biochemistry to defeat the challenge of obesity.
Exercise is another major step in the right direction. What could be a better gift to give yourself as you begin the New Year than an exercise program? For more information you can review my current exercise recommendations.
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