Overweight – Why?

 Overweight? You may have a condition called metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Having just one of these conditions listed below isn’t diagnosed as metabolic syndrome, but if more than one occur in combination, your risk is great.
• Obesity, particularly around your waist (having an “apple shape”) measured by waist circumference: Men- greater than 40 “, Women – Greater than 35”.
• Elevated blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/85 mmHg
• Fasting blood triglycerides greater than or equal to 150 mg/dL
• Blood HDL cholesterol:  Men – Less than 40 mg/dL. Women – Less than 50 mg/mL
• Resistance to insulin, a hormone that helps to regulate the amount of sugar in your body. Fasting glucose greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL.
Research into the complex underlying process linking the group of conditions involved in metabolic syndrome is ongoing.  As the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is tied to your body’s metabolism, possibly to a condition called insulin resistance.
Normally, your digestive system breaks down some foods you eat into sugar (glucose). Your blood carries the glucose to your body’s tissues, where cells use it as fuel. Glucose enters your cells with the help of insulin. In people with insulin resistance, cells don’t respond normally to insulin, and glucose can’t enter the cells easily. Your body reacts by churning out more and more insulin to help glucose get into your cells resulting in higher than normal levels of both insulin and glucose in your blood.
Factors that increase your chances of metabolic syndrome
• Obesity. Having a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25
• Age. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting less than 10 percent of people in their 20s and 40 percent of people in their 60s.
• History of diabetes. Family history of type 2 diabetes or a history of diabetes during pregnancy.
• Other diseases. High blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Tackling one of the risk factors of metabolic syndrome is tough — taking on all of them might seem overwhelming. Contacting a medical professional experienced in weight management could be the answer.
Etcetera’s professional staff offers the experience in weight management to prescribe the appropriate medication, nutritional guidelines, and lifestyle changes needed to improve all of the conditions of metabolic syndrome. Call today to find out how at 661-259-8884.