Metabolic Syndrome: What Is It, and Do You Have It?

One of every three North American children born this year will develop diabetes by adulthood.

Unlike the pandemics of the past that brought on death quickly, this disease attacks the kidneys, eyes, and nerves—painfully breaking them down over the course of years. Many lose their sight. Others lose their limbs to amputation. It turns their blood toxic. What once was their source of energy becomes deadly. In fact, a quarter million people will die from it this year alone. Since 1983, the disease has increased sevenfold–and many predict this is only the beginning.

The odds put diabetes in your future

What makes it even more disturbing, though, is that we are bringing this disease upon ourselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 90% of adults who have diabetes could have prevented it. So, what precautions can you take? How can you know if you are at risk? Luckily, there are warning signs on the road to diabetes.

What to watch out for

If a person has any three of five critical risk factors, they have something called metabolic syndrome, are considered insulin resistant, and are likely pre-diabetic. Metabolic syndrome is a condition—not a disease. It’s an urgent wake-up-call for the 90 million North Americans most likely to develop diabetes. You can measure the first risk factor at home. The remaining four require a simple blood test and blood pressure reading.

Risk factor 1

is a mid-section circumference more than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women. Measure with a tape across your abdomen at the navel—not the beltline—while standing and relaxed. You automatically qualify for this risk factor if you have a Body Mass Index of 30 or more. Just because you don’t qualify for this risk factor does not mean you are in the clear. Even thin-looking people may have metabolic syndrome.

Risk factor 2

is blood triglycerides—or blood fat levels—greater than 150.

Risk factor 3

is a blood-HDL (good cholesterol)     reading of less than 40 in men—50 in women.

Risk factor 4

is blood pressure greater than 130 over 85.

Risk factor 5

is a fasting glucose (blood sugar) reading greater than 100. (This number alone would classify you as pre-diabetic.)

If you qualify for one of these factors, that’s a problem. Two is worse. If you have three, you officially have metabolic syndrome and your chances of developing diabetes just increased 5 times.

So what does metabolic syndrome feel like?

Ask yourself these questions. Do you ever experience a general lack of energy, sleepiness after meals, cravings for sweets—especially after meals, loss of mental clarity or inability to focus between meals, and little desire to exercise? If so, you should consider yourself at risk for pre-diabetes, and you should do something about it.

There’s a train coming

Over 90% of those with metabolic syndrome are completely unaware that the freight train called diabetes is heading straight for them. Doctors are not trained or paid to diagnose, manage, or prevent metabolic syndrome. In fact, many of the risk factors alone aren’t cause for concern. But together, they represent one of the greatest risks currently known to human health.

Too many Americans today have a toxic mixture of high-sugar diets and low-activity lifestyles. Most of us eat far too many sugars—the equivalent of a half pound a day—and we simply aren’t exercising enough to burn it all off.

Melaleuca can help

So along with eating healthier, and getting enough exercise, Melaleuca makes one of the top glucose control dietary supplements on the market. Being cognizant of your blood sugar levels, and living a healthy lifestyle to burn the sugars you take in, will go a long way to helping you avoid many of the deadly consequences of metabolic syndrome and diabetes.

Tagged as: blood sugar, diabetes, health, metabolic, prediabetes