What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Despite the mysterious and slightly menacing name, Syndrome X or Metabolic Syndrome – as its better known – is actually a very commonly prevalent condition. Also referred to as Reaven’s syndrome, Metabolic syndrome cannot really be classified as a disease – it essentially can be termed as a cluster of risk factors that can raise chances of adults developing diabetes, heart diseases or both. Metabolic risk factors that can put you in jeopardy include obesity, lack of activity, and insulin resistance. Other risk factors include high blood pressure, high levels of blood sugar, unhealthy cholesterol levels or low levels of HDL or good cholesterol, and high triglyceride levels. While having one of these risk factors should be good enough to raise the alarm bells; but when combined with additional factors, the potential for a health disaster increases exponentially. Not only do they double the risk of heart diseases but also increases the chances of contracting diabetes by nearly five times.

Moreover, the risk of getting diagnosed with metabolic syndrome keeps on increasing as your age progresses, which is why it’s wise to take preventive action and start adjusting your health habits right from the beginning.

How Metabolic Syndrome is a predictor for type 2 diabetes?

Individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome usually exhibit resistance to insulin. The reason why our body produces insulin is to break down glucose into sugar and then move it into cells to utilize it as energy for the body. Obesity – a common factor in individuals diagnosed with metabolic syndrome – makes it very difficult for the body’s cells to react to insulin. If the body is unable to produce enough insulin to dismiss the resistance, the levels of sugar in the blood sugar tends to rise, thus causing type 2 diabetes. In that regard, metabolic syndrome may actually be a precursor to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Who is at risk for metabolic syndrome? 

As with any other disease/disorder or condition, understanding the risk factors can help you make a more informed decision and thereon, take the appropriate course of action. This includes adjusting your health habits early on and being monitored closely by your healthcare professional for keeping it under check. Listed below are certain risk factors which are closely linked to metabolic syndrome

• Age. As you age, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome
• Ethnicity. Certain ethnicities such as African-Americans and Mexican Americans are more prone to getting diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
• Body mass index (BMI): Obesity is usually determined by making use of BMI or Body Mass Index. BMI is a form of a measurement that is calculated by dividing the body weight by the squared height. Obese or overweight Individuals with a BMI greater than 27.5 are said to be at a higher risk of getting diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
• Personal or family history of diabetes. If you have a family member or a close relative who has type 2 diabetes or heart disease, you could be at a greater risk for metabolic syndrome. Women suffering from gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) are also at a higher risk.
• Individuals who smoke excessively, use other tobacco products, or who have a history of heavy drinking are said to be at a higher risk of getting diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
• Stress coupled with a sedentary lifestyle can also put individuals at a greater risk of getting metabolic syndrome.
• Women who are past menopause age are also said to be at a higher risk.
• Individuals consuming a high-fat diet are also at a greater risk of getting metabolic syndrome.

Managing Metabolic Syndrome: In order to minimize the risk of type 2 diabetes from developing, it is crucial to intervene and take preventive measures to keep metabolic syndrome at bay right at an early stage. It also needs to be mentioned that if an individual already has diabetes, they are at very high risk for developing heart disease. When it comes to diabetes, you need to apply caution at all times as diabetes is a condition that needs active planning and complete awareness of one's body. Diabetes in itself is a manageable condition if adequate precautions are exercised.

Insulin resistance is very closely linked to having excess and dangerous weight in and around the belly region. Moreover, people who are overweight tend to find it extremely difficult to control their cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure. Which is why increased exercise levels coupled with a healthy diet is one of the key measures one can undertake in efficiently managing the metabolic syndrome. Try to manage your diet and restrict the intake of salt, sugars, solid fats, and refined grains as much as possible.

In case, you’re unable to lose weight, you can always ask your trusted healthcare professional to get you in touch with a registered dietitian. Additionally, there are several medications that can help improve insulin metabolism, lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure or aid in weight loss.

Another proven and effective technique is weight-loss surgery in the form of bariatric surgery for morbid obesity recommended for individuals struggling to lose weight through diet, exercise, or medicine. Weight loss surgeries can be executed in a multitude of ways but all of them can be categorized as either malabsorptive, restrictive, or a combination of the two. The primary distinction between malabsorptive and restrictive surgeries is that the former changes the way the digestive system functions while the latter is done to restrict the size of the stomach without changing the way the digestive system operates. The primary objective of any surgery is not only to treat the underlying cause of the syndromebut also to restrict the development of diabetes, stroke, and other heart disorders.

Some of the proven surgeries in this regard which have helped in reversing or halting the progress of metabolic syndrome are the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, Mini gastric bypass, Ileal interposition along with several other novel techniques such as Duodeno-jejunal bypass SADI, SASI, and BPD-DS. In addition, gastric bypass surgeries have proven to have helped lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and body weight at one year after the procedure.

You can discuss all of these metabolic surgeries, their various pros, and cons, and accordingly, decide the best course of action after consulting with our highly experienced and professional team.

At Fortis, our aim is to ensure that everyone should be able to lead a healthier and happier life and thereon have a bunch of novel procedures and treatments for keeping metabolic syndrome in check which has proven to be effective. Needless to say, we are 100 per cent committed to helping our patients to help them reverse or restrict the progress of metabolic syndrome and in turn, type 2 diabetes, so that even they can finally go on to experience an enriched quality of life.