When I visited the Weight Loss clinic the other day, I was interviewed by pharmacists who told me I had something called "Metabolic Syndrome." It sounded scary to me, so I asked more about it. The pharmacists told me something, but it didn't really make much sense to me.
So I Googled the words and found this really neat web site hosted by that trainer girl, Jillian Michaels. If you don't know it, she has a TV show called Losing it with Jillian. Jillian sent an e-mail specially to me, explaining in terms I can understand just what this Metabolic Syndrome is! I was thrilled because now I know that I have to take better care of myself. Here's what Jillian told me:
About Metabolic Syndrome
"Nearly one-quarter of Americans have a syndrome that dramatically raises their risk of developing other serious health conditions. It's called metabolic syndrome, and you have it if you meet three or more of the qualifying criteria:
•A waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men, and greater than 35 inches in women
•High triglycerides: 150 mg/dl or higher
•Low HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind): less than 40 mg/dl in men; less than 50 mg/dl in women
•High blood pressure, defined as a reading of 130 mm Hg or higher for systolic pressure (the top number), or 85 mm Hg or higher for diastolic pressure (the bottom number)
•High blood sugar: a reading of 100 mg/dl or higher for a fasting blood glucose test
Why does metabolic syndrome matter? If you have it, your risk of developing heart disease doubles, and you're five times more likely to develop diabetes. You also have a higher chance of developing fatty liver disease or polycystic ovary syndrome.
The good news is that there are ways to fight metabolic syndrome and lower your risk for its related conditions. Metabolic syndrome is linked to insulin resistance, and many of the strategies for combating insulin resistance are helpful for people with metabolic syndrome. For example, if you're overweight, losing 10 percent of your body weight can cut your risk of diabetes and heart disease and raise your life expectancy. Eating four small meals a day, without going longer than four hours between meals, can help you stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels. And one of the most important changes you can make is to get more exercise, which can increase your cells' ability to use insulin.
If you think you might have metabolic syndrome, talk to your doctor. While it's a dangerous condition, the consequences are not a foregone conclusion — with diet and exercise you can take control of your metabolism and get healthier!"
BTW, her is a link to Jillian's web site. http://www.nbc.com/losing-it-with-jillian/. I found it to be pretty neat. There are a bunch of tools you can use and also there are links to past episodes of her show. I don't have much spare time to watch TV, but maybe I'll check out a couple of the episodes!!
So I Googled the words and found this really neat web site hosted by that trainer girl, Jillian Michaels. If you don't know it, she has a TV show called Losing it with Jillian. Jillian sent an e-mail specially to me, explaining in terms I can understand just what this Metabolic Syndrome is! I was thrilled because now I know that I have to take better care of myself. Here's what Jillian told me:
About Metabolic Syndrome
"Nearly one-quarter of Americans have a syndrome that dramatically raises their risk of developing other serious health conditions. It's called metabolic syndrome, and you have it if you meet three or more of the qualifying criteria:
•A waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men, and greater than 35 inches in women
•High triglycerides: 150 mg/dl or higher
•Low HDL cholesterol (the "good" kind): less than 40 mg/dl in men; less than 50 mg/dl in women
•High blood pressure, defined as a reading of 130 mm Hg or higher for systolic pressure (the top number), or 85 mm Hg or higher for diastolic pressure (the bottom number)
•High blood sugar: a reading of 100 mg/dl or higher for a fasting blood glucose test
Why does metabolic syndrome matter? If you have it, your risk of developing heart disease doubles, and you're five times more likely to develop diabetes. You also have a higher chance of developing fatty liver disease or polycystic ovary syndrome.
The good news is that there are ways to fight metabolic syndrome and lower your risk for its related conditions. Metabolic syndrome is linked to insulin resistance, and many of the strategies for combating insulin resistance are helpful for people with metabolic syndrome. For example, if you're overweight, losing 10 percent of your body weight can cut your risk of diabetes and heart disease and raise your life expectancy. Eating four small meals a day, without going longer than four hours between meals, can help you stabilize your blood sugar and insulin levels. And one of the most important changes you can make is to get more exercise, which can increase your cells' ability to use insulin.
If you think you might have metabolic syndrome, talk to your doctor. While it's a dangerous condition, the consequences are not a foregone conclusion — with diet and exercise you can take control of your metabolism and get healthier!"
BTW, her is a link to Jillian's web site. http://www.nbc.com/losing-it-with-jillian/. I found it to be pretty neat. There are a bunch of tools you can use and also there are links to past episodes of her show. I don't have much spare time to watch TV, but maybe I'll check out a couple of the episodes!!
Joy, it is great that you are educating yourself! It sounds like now you have a better understanding of metabolic syndrome and it's implications. You must have felt very let down when the pharmacist didn't answer your questions very well. :(
ReplyDeleteHowever, don't let one confusing answer discourage you from sharing any concerns with your pharmacist or doctor. I'm SURE they care about you very much, and would love to help you out in any way they can:D