Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity. It’s a thing.

Metabolic syndrome what? Ok so this is a topic we aren’t talking about at the dinner table, but we should! Metabolic syndrome is not just one thing, it is a combination of 3 things that lead to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. In 2017 the American Heart Association stated that 47 million people suffer from this condition. News flash that is one out of 6 people. So listen up to see if you may have this or know someone that does.

Here are the most significant factors that define Metabolic Syndrome:

• Abdominal obesity – large waist in comparison to the rest of the body (pear or apple shaped body)
• High level of triglycerides
• Low level of ‘good’ cholesterol or HDL cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• High fasting blood sugar
• High LDL or bad cholesterol
• Fatigue

If you have 3 or more of these symptoms, it could mean that you have Metabolic Syndrome and that the chances of your developing heart disease, developing diabetes or having a stroke are quite high. This is serious and needs to be addressed. The tricky thing is that there is only one visible sign and the rest need to be checked by your primary care physician.

There could be other reasons too. For example, if you have high cholesterol it might be genetic and need medication (or herbs) to control and manage it. If you have consistently high sugar levels, it may be because you are diabetic. This can come with other symptoms such as increased thirst, increased need to urinate, blurred vision and fatigue. High cholesterol can come from a sedentary lifestyle, poor diet and can especially follow smokers.

If you are obese or significantly overweight (meaning you are a man with more than 20% body fat or a woman with more than 30% body fat) and lead a sedentary lifestyle, you could develop any of the above-mentioned risk factors that cause Metabolic Syndrome. There are many factors that contribute to this and you can help reverse this with a customized plan.

This is a potentially life-threatening disease and needs to be tackled immediately. If you’re experiencing a combination of any of these symptoms you need to seek medical help without delay.

If you suspect that a loved one or you yourself have Metabolic syndrome, why don’t you come down to our clinic and start your journey to wellness? All you have to do is schedule your complimentary consultation with our patient care concierge who will talk to you about treatment options, and help you set up appointments with the doctor who can help you tackle this problem.

Simply click the link below to set the wheels in motion or read more about our weight loss services in Los Gatos: