Written by Sabine Hoadley, Bsc (Hons), Lead Exercise Scientist
What is metabolic health?
Metabolic health is defined as being free from metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Understanding the risk factors is essential when thinking about how you can improve your metabolic health.
Key Risk Factors:
Abdominal Obesity (1)
Excess fat around the waist can lead to diabetes, hypertension (harmfully high blood pressure) and hypercholesterolaemia (high levels of cholesterol in your blood stream). Excess fat around your waist usually means there is also excess fat around your abdominal organs (such as your kidneys, causing harm due to compression of the organ), or even deposited in the organs, like the liver, causing liver inflammation and damaging its function. Obesity typically causes inflammation, also, damaging organs and blood vessels.
High Blood Pressure (2)
Elevated blood pressure levels cause damage to the walls of blood vessels, which can narrow, leak, or break over time. High blood pressure can lead to clinical events affecting various parts of the body, such as heart failure, stroke, dementia, and kidney disease.
High Blood Sugar (3)
Insulin resistance or elevated fasting blood sugar levels lead to prediabetes, and often to type 2 diabetes over time. It can also affect the blood vessels around nerves and in the eyes, causing deterioration of vision and changes to skin sensation, typically in the hands and feet. Type 2 diabetes also greatly increases the risk of other clinical events, such as heart attack and stroke.
High Triglycerides (4)
Triglycerides are found in foods we eat but can also be created by our body to store excess calories from our dietary intake. Elevated levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream can lead to coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks. Very high triglyceride levels can damage the pancreas, causing pancreatitis.
Low HDL Cholesterol (4)
High-density lipid or HDL cholesterol is commonly called the “good” cholesterol. Having low levels of HDL-C is strongly linked to the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart attack, and stroke.
While all these factors can increased your risk of developing diseases and conditions, there are steps that you can take now to help prevent and reduce your risk.
How many risk factors for metabolic syndrome?
You only need 3 of these to be considered as having a metabolic syndrome, not all 5.
Each of these elements can increase overall risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, but whether you have none of these, or all five, there are steps that you can take to reduce your future risk of metabolic disease.
The vast majority of metabolic conditions can be avoided with the right lifestyle actions and changes.
How to improve metabolic health
Studies show that lifestyle modifications can improve metabolic health risk factors via; blood pressure management, blood sugar level control, healthy weight management, optimising cholesterol levels and enhancing overall well-being (5).
At Uniquely Health, our integrated team of healthcare professionals collaborates to provide comprehensive support for managing these risk factors and contributing to long-term health.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome encompasses various risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, weight management, and cholesterol levels.
Studies indicate that lifestyle modifications can positively impact these factors, promoting overall wellbeing.
Type 2 & Pre-Diabetes
Lifestyle changes have been well-documented in reversing both pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes. These changes typically involve adjustments to diet, increasing physical activity, managing stress and often, carefully managing weight loss.
Blood pressure (5)
Hypertension can be a reversible condition. Lifestyle factors, including obesity, lack of exercise, smoking, stress, and high alcohol consumption, are common contributors to high blood pressure.
Cholesterol (5)
Hypercholesterolemia, characterised by high cholesterol levels, can be attributed to lifestyle factors like an imbalanced diet, inadequate physical activity, excessive alcohol intake, and smoking.
Often, individuals may not be aware of high cholesterol levels unless identified through a blood test. Lifestyle factors can help to lower cholesterol levels naturally, through our personalised health plans and regular consultations, our clinicians can help reduce cholesterol levels, and help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease.
Weight Management (5)
Obesity, affecting approximately 1 in 4 adults in the UK, can be a reversible condition influenced by various factors, including lifestyle factors like diet, fitness, and stress. With changes to your lifestyle, weight management can be achieved without medical intervention.
At Uniquely Health, we recognise the need for a personalised and targeted approach to address the diverse risk factors and causes of excess fat. Managing obesity not only supports weight loss but also helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure, liver disease, joint and back pain, coronary heart disease, and various types of cancer.
Key Conclusions
1. The key risk factors for metabolic syndrome are abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol.
2. The best ways to manage your risk of metabolic syndrome include managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight.
3. Each risk factor associated with poor metabolic health can be improved through lifestyle elements such as nutrition and exercise.
If you are looking for support with your metabolic health, book a complimentary call with our team to discuss how we can help you.
- Després, J.P. and Lemieux, I., 2006. Abdominal obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nature, 444(7121), pp.881-887
- Bo, S., Gambino, R., Gentile, L., Pagano, G., Rosato, R., Saracco, G.M., Cassader, M., Durazzo, M. and Cavallo-Perin, P., 2009. High-normal blood pressure is associated with a cluster of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors: a population-based study. Journal of Hypertension, 27(1), pp.102-108
- Chadt, A. and Al-Hasani, H., 2020. Glucose transporters in adipose tissue, liver, and skeletal muscle in metabolic health and disease. Pflügers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology, 472(9), pp.1273-1298
- Grundy, S.M., 1999. Hypertriglyceridemia, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome. The American journal of cardiology, 83(9), pp.25-29
- Pérez-Martínez, P., Mikhailidis, D.P., Athyros, V.G., Bullo, M., Couture, P., Covas, M.I., de Koning, L., Delgado-Lista, J., Diaz-Lopez, A., Drevon, C.A. and Estruch, R., 2017. Lifestyle recommendations for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome: an international panel recommendation. Nutrition reviews, 75(5), pp.307-326
