What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic Syndrome is characterized by the presence of 3 out of 5 health concerns, namely central obesity (weight gain around midsection), high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, or insulin resistance.

Those who are diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome are often at twice the risk of cardiovascular disease, have five times the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and are at increased risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), and Gout.

What about Pre-Diabetes and Diabetes?

Diabetes is a serious health condition that has serious potential complications for all. In the US, 34.2 million people (10.5% of the population) have diabetes, and up to 26.8% of Americans over the age of 65 have diabetes. This is significant, but only 1 in 4 Americans with type 2 diabetes is diagnosed. The rest are suffering unknowingly.

Diabetes should concern us all because:

• It is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, and limb amputation
• Diabetes increases risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia
• It more than doubles individual health care costs – the total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2017 was $327 billion, including $237 billion in direct medical costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity

A person with prediabetes is at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease or stroke. At least 84.1 million American adults – more than 1 in 3 – have prediabetes, but more than 8 in 10 adults with prediabetes do not know they have it!

What are the risk factors for Diabetes?                                                                                                           

If you are overweight or obese, over age 45, have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes, are physically active less than 3 times a week, have a history of gestational diabetes, or are a member of certain ethnic groups in the U.S. (African-American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Americans, Pacific Islander, or Asian American), you are at increased risk for developing diabetes.

But there is good news!  One’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating healthy, being more active and losing weight. The data indicates that weight loss of as little as 5% to 7% of body weight achieved by reducing calories and increasing physical activity to at least 150 minutes per week resulted in a 58% lower incidence of developing type 2 diabetes.