Do You Have Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic Syndrome is not some type of disease but rather a group of features that are associated with your metabolism. Metabolic Syndrome is also known as Syndrome X or Insulin Resistance Syndrome. The features that you want to be aware of are:

1. Extra fat covering your abdominal area
2. Low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)
3. Higher than normal blood pressure
4. Blood that clots too easily
5. Problem with the way your body processes insulin
6. High levels of fats in your blood

If you have any of the conditions listed above your physician will let you know and it's important that you exercise regularly and work on keeping your body weight down.

Here are a few items you need to work on if you have Metabolic Syndrome and if you don't you should still be working on keeping these in line:

-Maintain a waist circumference <40 inches for males and <35 for females.
-Keep your blood triglycerides <150 mg/dl
-Keep your blood pressure <130/85
-Your blood glucose levels should be <100 mg/dl

More than 20% of people in the U.S. have Metabolic Syndrome

Sources:
Ford ES et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among U.S. adults: findings from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal American Medical Association. 2002; 287: 356-359