Do you have metabolic syndrome?

Do you have some extra abdominal fat? High cholesterol? Hypertension?

If so, you may have metabolic syndrome. The exact criteria varies slightly from the most well-known authorities; the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and the Adult treatment Panel III (ATPIII). However, all authorities agree, obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension are the culprits.

What exactly is metabolic syndrome? Metabolic syndrome is a precursor or pathway leading to chronic conditions like diabetes and cardio vascular disease that with early intervention of life style changes it may be reversable.

Let's start with problem number one: fat. Fat cells are known to be more insulin resistant then any other cell in the body. Insulin is an important hormone that needs to attach to a glucose molecule to pass through the cellular wall and into the mitochondria, the engine of the cell where metabolism occurs. When your cells are resistant to insulin this makes it difficult for the fuel for your cell to get into it's engine. Unfortunately, if glucose can't get in the cell, it just hangs outside of the cell making your serum pretty thick. This thick fluid is harder to push around your body by your heart then a then "thinner fluid".

Problem number two: high cholesterol. Eating a diet full of saturated fats found in fast foods, fried foods, premade sauces, marinades and glazes or prepared foods causing your serum to become more junked up by various types of lipids that can adhere to the vessel wall called atherosclerosis. Great, now you have a narrowed vessel with thicker blood increasing the tension in your pump's system. If you are a plumber or know a plumber you can relate-no?

This doubly thick blood gets pushed up against the tiny vessels and arteries that feed your life saving organs doing damage to the vessels walls known as the endothelial lining. When this lining becomes damaged its protective barrier is compromised, allowing substances to move in and out that are not suppose to. Furthermore, when your heart works harder to pump some of the heart's chambers may become uneven or enlarged over time causing your pump to become inefficient. All of these factors create the prefect storm to a never ending scenario that destroys organs slowly over time until one day the slightest difference tips the bucket and you are in deep trouble.

Sounds like gloom and doom doesn't it? Well here's the real downer...the natural aging process and environment add to insulin resistance due to cellular wall changes. UGH

No worries! There is a happy ending if you care enough to STOP the process before its too late with these three major lifestyle changes:

1- Change your diet to one that includes non processed foods, lean protein, green leafy veggies and nearly zero prepackage items. Avoid added sugar, soft drinks and as many environmental factors you have control over that increase your cells resistance to insulin.

2-Exercise every 48 hours. There is a ton of evidence that proves cardiovascular exercise every other day can help your cells become LESS insulin resistant and help you clean out those pipes (Bharath et al., 2018; García-Hermoso, Saavedra, Escalante, Sánchez-López, & Martínez-Vizcaíno, 2014)!

3-Reduce stress. HA! Well some things are not so easily controlled except for SLEEP. According to recent studies (Garbarino & Magnavita, 2019; Pickett et al., 2022) getting the right amount of sleep every night is the most powerful way to reduce stress. Falling asleep and staying asleep is easier with good diet and exercise but still may be difficult for some. In fact, the problem of sleep is another topic all together.

All of this can be overwhelming at first until good habits are formed. Taking the right supplements to help support your bodies immune system and metabolism can help get you there faster.

I highly recommend getting a head start with the Thorne testing kits that can help determine your cellular health and give you an idea of the vitamins, minerals and hormones your body may be lacking. By signing up through the Med Spa at Clinical Edge Thorne dispensary you can save 20% off all supplements and testing. Totally worth getting started today.

Finally, if you have concerns, you should talk with your partitioner about your signs and symptoms during a comprehensive evaluation ASAP.

References

Bharath, L. P., Choi, W. W., Cho, J., Skobodzinski, A. A., Wong, A., Sweeney, T. E., & Park, S. (2018). Combined resistance and aerobic exercise training reduces insulin resistance and central adiposity in adolescent girls who are obese: Randomized clinical trial. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(8), 1653-1660. doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3898-8

Garbarino, S., & Magnavita, N. (2019). Sleep problems are a strong predictor of stress-related metabolic changes in police officers. A prospective study. PLoS ONE, 14(10), e0224259. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0224259

García-Hermoso, A., Saavedra, J. M., Escalante, Y., Sánchez-López, M., & Martínez-Vizcaíno, V. (2014). ENDOCRINOLOGY AND ADOLESCENCE: Aerobic exercise reduces insulin resistance markers in obese youth: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. European Journal of Endocrinology, 171(4), R163-R171. doi:10.1530/EJE-14-0291

Pickett, S. M., Kozak, A. T., Lanni, D. J., Warnke, A. S., Gaillard, P., & Jarrett, N. L. (2022). The comparison of brief, online mindfulness and relaxation interventions to reduce stress and improve sleep-related outcomes in college students. Journal of American College Health, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print), 1-9. doi:10.1080/07448481.2022.2066979