Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions caused by insulin resistance that put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes. Any three of the following five conditions noted below:
- High blood pressure or being treated for high blood pressure
- Low good cholesterol (<50 in High Density Lipoproteins – HDL) and
- High levels of triglycerides (>150 in TG’s), a type of fat, in your blood
- High blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels or history of diabetes (fasting blood sugar of over 100)
- A waist circumference of 35 inches or more in women and 40 inches or more in men (for Asians, 30 in women and 35 in men).
Any three of the above five conditions means that you would meet the criteria for metabolic syndrome.
According to the statistics from Centers for Disease Control (CDC), about one in three American adults meet at least 3 criteria for metabolic syndrome while another more than a third of the entire adult population meets some of the criteria. The precursor to metabolic syndrome is a process called insulin resistance. If you do nothing about it, metabolic syndrome leads to increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
At W8MD weight loss centers in New York City and other places, we not only understand address any underlying causes such as insulin resistance, but also help you to reverse these by helping you lose weight!