Metabolic Syndrome

Dr. Amy's Wellness Tip for March

By: Dr. Amy Whittington
Published March 4, 2010

In the past few decades, we have seen an increase In a condition called metabolic syndrome, which is considered to be a pre-cursor to non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). The statistics are now staggering, and they are getting worse every year. It is estimated that 40.8% of American men age 40-59, and 51.5% of men age 60 and over, along with 37.2% of American women age 40-59, and 54.4% of women age 60 and over, have what is called metabolic syndrome.

In other words, nearly half of the adults forty and over have a disturbance in blood sugar metabolism, putting them at increased risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. What is even scarier is that beyond diet and exercise, the traditional medical world currently has very little to offer to help you battle this manifestation. Instead, you have likely been sent away and told to lose weight. This is an especially hard task for those with metabolic syndrome, as will be explained later. So, in essence, you are turned away until you start to show the symptoms of, or reach the lab values for, diabetes or cardiovascular disease. It doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, integrative medicine, with the use of particular nutrients and herbs, can help you prevent and reverse metabolic syndrome and allow you to lose the weight necessary to prevent its further progression.

According to the American Heart Association, you are considered to have metabolic syndrome if you exhibit three of the following: hypertension, elevated fasting glucose, a large waist circumference, low HDL, and/or elevated triglycerides. It is very possible that you have this condition and no one has ever mentioned it to you. It is usually first detected with an elevated fasting blood sugar result on your yearly lab-work. A fasting glucose above 100 but below 121 signifies that you probably have metabolic syndrome. Levels over 121 are diagnostic for having diabetes. See below for more details on the diagnostic criteria for Metabolic Syndrome.

Diagnostic Criteria for Metabolic Syndrome
Having three of the following is considered Metabolic Syndrome.

• Blood Pressure: Equal to or higher than 130/85 mmhg
• Fasting Blood Sugar: (Glucose) equal to or higher than 100 mg/dl
• Large Waist Circumference: (Distance around the waist) of 40 inches or more for men, and 35 inches or more for women
• Low HDL Cholesterol: Under 40 mg/dl for men, and under 50 mg/dl for women
• Triglycerides: Equal to or higher than 150 mg/dl

Why are so many of us trending toward elevated blood sugar levels as we age? Metabolic syndrome, like diabetes (NIDDM, formerly type II or adult-onset) occurs as our cells begin to become insulin resistant. This resistance can increase with age, due to lack of exercise, excess sugar consumption, and especially for those of us with a genetic predisposition.

To understand this process better, it is important to understand sugar metabolism, or how our bodies process sugar. Blood glucose (the sugar that has been processed from the food we eat) is our body’s fuel, but to use this fuel, we must be able to absorb it into each cell. Our blood stream is the transport mechanism that brings glucose to each cell in our bodies. This is where the hormone insulin comes in. Each cell has what are called insulin receptors, which allow the entry of insulin from the blood stream into our cells. Insulin’s function is to attach to glucose in the bloodstream, and hence, when insulin is allowed into a cell, the glucose is taken along with it. In the process, both blood glucose and insulin levels decrease (because these substances have made their way out of the bloodstream and into the cells).

A problem can occur (again, because of poor lifestyle and genetics), in which the receptors on our cells no longer allow the passage across the cell membrane of insulin, or the insulin/ glucose complex (hence, the term insulin resistance). This is when we see the increase in blood glucose (sugar) levels. As blood glucose levels rise, you eventually develop metabolic syndrome. If this process goes unchecked, it can progress to diabetes.


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