What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of factors which increase a person’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Such factors include high triglyceride levels, low HDL levels, high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, and obesity.

Some Important Facts

In 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that 34.5% of adults and 17% of youths in America were obese. Obesity is directly related to an increased risk for diabetes mellitus type 2, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Each year approx. 610,000 people die from cardiovascular disease in the U.S.A.

Over 29 million Americans have diabetes. Per the American Diabetes Association, diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the United States in 2010, and diabetes was mentioned as a cause of death in a total of 234,051 death certificates. While these numbers are staggering on their own, a 2017 study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, found that diabetes is now the third leading cause of death in America.

Why it Matters

My life, and the lives of so many others, have been touched by these diseases. Here are some interesting facts, put out by the National Health Council in 2014:

  • Chronic diseases affect approximately 133 million Americans. By 2020, that number is
    expected to grow to an estimated 157 million, with 81 million having multiple conditions.
  • Approximately one in two adults has a chronic condition.
  • Approximately 8% of children, ages 5 to 17, were reported, by their parents, to have at least one chronic disease or disability.
  • Many people suffer from more than one chronic illness.
  • Almost a third of the population is now living with multiple chronic conditions.
  • In 2009, seven in ten deaths in the U.S. were due to chronic diseases.

I personally have lost many wonderful people to these kinds of chronic and debilitating illnesses. Metabolic syndrome and non-communicable chronic diseases are quickly becoming worldwide health epidemics, but we are not powerless against them.

The Good News

Nutrition and lifestyle have been found to be key factors in a long list of illnesses, diseases, and disorders. These include, but are not limited to: alopecia, Alzheimer’s, arteriosclerosis, autism spectrum disorder, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cirrhosis of the liver, type 2 diabetes, depression, food sensitivities, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gout, heart disease, hypertension, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and arthritis. 

The good news is that we each have the potential to have more fulfilling, happier, and healthier lives. Through intentional changes in lifestyle and nutrition, we have the power to positively influence our genes, prevent and reverse chronic disease, increase our life spans, and improve the overall quality of our lives!

If you would like to learn more about how you can prevent, better manage, and even reverse chronic disease, please read my book Healthy Body Connection:Unlocking Your Body’s Natural Connection to Sustainable Weight Loss and Optimal Health 

If you live in the US, you can order here, in the UK you can order here,  in Canada you can order here.

Order a copy for yourself now, and remember to order a copy for someone you love, too!