Metabolic Syndrome – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Metabolic syndrome is a condition in which a group of risk factors. People with the this diseas are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls (e.g., stroke and peripheral vascular disease) and type 2 diabetes. It affect a large number of people in a clustered fashion. In more current times, the term metabolic syndrome is found throughout medical literature and in the lay press as well.

Unfortunately the only symptom related specifically to the Metabolic Syndrome is abdominal or central obesity. Metabolic Syndrome has been identified as a “Ticking Time Bomb” and a “Silent Killer” because a large portion of the population is affected but doesn’t know it—and may not know it until they are suffering the consequences of heart disease, stroke or diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It affects a great number of people, and prevalence increases with age. Some studies estimate the prevalence in the USA to be up to 25% of the population. Metabolic syndrome is also known as metabolic syndrome X, syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome, Reaven's syndrome, CHAOS (Australia), or metabo (Japan). A similar condition in overweight horses is referred to as equine metabolic syndrome; it is unknown if they have the same etiology.

The Facts on Metabolic Syndrome

A person has metabolic syndrome when they have a combination of three or more certain health risks. These health risks include:

high blood pressure
high blood sugar levels
excess body weight
low levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL)

Medicines are also used to treat and control most of its individual risk factors. No magic pill for waistline reduction, not yet anyways. Making healthier lifestyle choices is your best route to avoiding metabolic syndrome medications. Metabolic syndrome is a lifelong condition, but healthy lifestyle changes can help you reverse/reduce your risk.

Diagnosis

Prior to a child being diagnosed with a metabolic disorder, parents often come to Mayo Clinic because their child has a combination of symptoms that lack a diagnosis for the underlying cause. Symptoms may include developmental delays, mental retardation, birth defects, an abnormally small head or brain, seizures, abnormal movements, stunted growth and other symptoms.

Would a successful exercise program alone have an impact on anxiety or anger symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome? We have no data on that at all. We certainly know exercise can have an impact on mood, as you'll see if you follow that link above. Simply from the physiology of the syndrome, it seems that exercise could have a direct, reversing effect on the whole problem.

The goal of treating metabolic syndrome is to prevent the development of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Your doctor will first suggest lifestyle modifications such as exercising for 30 minutes most days of the week. One study showed that individuals who are physically active (30 minutes of activity at least once per week) have half the risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those who are inactive. Your doctor may also suggest eating a healthy diet to promote weight loss and normal blood cholesterol and fat levels.