Obesity is one of the largest epidemics in the U.S. Millions of Americans are overweight and just as many are closing in or at obesity. In order to fight the condition, it is important to know and understand the various factors associated with obesity. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risks that factor in one individual. Various risks are associated with metabolic syndrome, so it is important to seek medical help to treat the problems associated with it.
What is Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a characterized group of risks associated with the metabolism that are found in any one person. These factors include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, pro-inflammatory state (an elevated C-reactive protein within the blood) and atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders, high cholesterol).
Risks
Those who have been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome are at special risk to coronary heart disease, along with various other diseases caused by the buildup of plaque within the walls of the arteries. Such diseases include stroke and peripheral vascular disease and type 2 diabetes. There are a lot of people diagnosed with metabolic syndrome in the United States and many more people are being diagnosed with it all the time. So far, there are about 50 million people that have metabolic syndrome.
The top risks related to this condition are abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. When your body is resistant to insulin, it means that your body is unable to use the insulin efficiently--it is a general metabolic disorder. Sometimes, metabolic syndrome is called insulin resistance syndrome.
Other Factors
Some of the other conditions associated with metabolic syndrome are physical inactivity, the aging process, genetic predisposition and hormonal imbalance. There are some individuals who are genetically predisposed to insulin resistance. Then with a combination of other acquired factors can contribute to the onset of insulin resistance, such as inactivity and excess body fat. Many of the people who develop this have abdominal obesity. So far, the molecular levels are not fully known between metabolic risk factors and insulin resistance.
Diagnosis
There's no organized system or criteria for diagnosing metabolic disorder just yet, but the criteria given by the National Cholesterol Education Program, or NCEP, are used widely. It is recommended that three or more of the following components be found in a patient (according to the American Heart Associating and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute):
• Elevated waist circumference (over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women)
• Elevated blood pressure
• Elevated glucose
• Reduced HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
• Elevated triglycerides
Treatment
Treatment that is used to treat and manage long-term and short-term metabolic syndrome includes weight loss, increased physical activity and healthy eating habits.
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