What is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic Syndrome (aka Syndrome X, insulin resistance syndrome, cardio-metabolic syndrome) is a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and age related cognitive problems and affects about 1 in 4 adults or 50-60 million Americans.
Metabolic Syndrome is considered to be prominently a lifestyle disease rather than due to genetic factors. The basic metabolic problem is insulin resistance due to an excessive amount of refined flour and sugar in the diet. This means the cells of the body do not respond to the insulin signal (i.e. the door bell is out of order) so the cells do not allow glucose to enter. The blood sugar continues to rise and eventually pre-diabetes develops and then full diabetes.
A concomitant factor is an elevated triglyceride to HDL ratio. This means triglycerides too high and HDL too low. The ideal ratio is 3:1 or lower of triglycerides/HDL. These chemical processes take place primarily in the liver. Persistent elevations of triglycerides promote a fatty liver.
Metabolic Syndrome is diagnosed by any three out of the following factors:
- Blood pressure above 130/85 in women or men
- HDL below 40 mg/dl in men and below 50 mg/dl in women
- Triglycerides above 150 mg/dl in either men or women
- Blood sugar over 100 mg/dl but below 126 mg/dl (pre-diabetes)
- Waist circumference greater than 35 inches in women or 40 inches in men.
Metabolic Syndrome Criteria
Other criteria for Metabolic Syndrome include inflammation measured by a blood test called hsCRP or high sensitivity C-reactive protein. Metabolic Syndrome is a pro-inflammatory state of the whole body that arises along with the biochemical changes mentioned above. hsCRP is also a well documented risk factor for heart disease just as important as cholesterol.
The good news is Metabolic Syndrome is definitely reversible and our Metabolic Recovery program and approach addresses all of these factors through medically proven dietary and lifestyle changes.
Learn more about the Testing used at the Naperville Institute For NeuroMetabolic Solutions to Help with Metabolic Syndrome here.
Functional Medicine is different. It seeks to understand the relationships between various “systems” of the body, the interplay or dance (if you will) of your metabolic fingerprint. Once your metabolic fingerprint is known and we understand where your metabolism is breaking down then a list of priorities can be established. Why continue to suffer from the debilitating effects of Fatigue, Weight gain, Insomnia, Restless Leg. If you are interested in seeing if you are a candidate for our Natural Non Drug treatment Program for Chronic Fatigue call The Naperville Institute For NeuroMetabolic Solutions (630) 718-0555. Not all patients are accepted into our Metabolic Syndrome Recovery program. Call and request a Free Phone consultation to see if you qualify. Rest assured that we will refer you out to the appropriate professional if you do not qualify for our care.