Metabolic Syndrome is becoming more and more prevalent in the United States. With obesity on the rise we see a number of health conditions on the rise as well. These conditions include:
- High blood pressure
- Elevated insulin levels
- Excess body fat around the waist
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
Having just one of these conditions contributes to the risk of of serious disease; in combination the risk is even greater.
Not all experts agree on the definition of metabolic syndrome or whether it even exists as a distinct medical condition. However, everyone agrees that they seem to be related somehow.
Metabolic Syndrome is defined by WHO as:
The presence of Type 2 Diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, or normal glucose tolerance with insulin resistance, together with two or more of the following:
- Elevated blood pressure
- Abdominal obesity and/or Body Mass Index >30
- Low HDL cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- Microalbuminuria
Metabolic Syndrome is also characterized by five major abnormalities:
- Obesity (central body and visceral)
- Hypertension
- Insulin resistance (hyperinsulinemia)
- Glucose intolerance
- Dyslipidaemia (hypertriglyceridemia + low HDL)
The role of insulin is very important in metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is thought to be an underlying feature of metabolic syndrome. The presence of Type 2 Diabetes or Insulin Resistance is characterized by insulin being released by the pancreas in response to a rise in blood glucose levels; insulin then binds to receptors located on the cell membrane. Once insulin binds a cascade of events is triggered within the cell; this cascade of events is geared towards the subsequent uptake and storage of blood glucose, therefore, the role of insulin is to increase the rate of glucose uptake by the cells of the body, mostly muscle and adipose tissue.
Obesity leads to insulin resistance, which leads to Type 2 Diabetes. This is due to the fact that when a person is obese he has a lot of fat deposits; these fat deposits interfere with insulin. Adipose fat affects how insulin works. The significance of metabolic syndrome is when you have one component of metabolic syndrome you are more likely to have others.
Individual features of metabolic syndrome are partially determined by familial factors. The characteristic metabolic alterations are associated with excess fat weight. Studies have shown that the cluster of variables in metabolic syndrome is a result of multiple factors linked by adiposity and not a single etiology.
Treatment of Metabolic Syndrome includes intensified therapeutic lifestyle changes such as:
- Reduction of LDL cholesterol
- Weight reduction
- Treatment of elevatedtriglycerides and low HDL
The most common clinical feature of metabolic abnormalities is excess body fat, which is associated with many of the additional defining characteristics. Reducing body fat should therefore be the focus of treatment and prevention. Physical activity and diet modifications are indicated for the long-term treatment of metabolic syndrome.
