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DIET AND FITNESS:
Metabolic Syndrome--Global Body Warming
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Waist Size Matters
Normal Waist Size
Foods That Shrink Your Waist
Foods That Lower Your Blood Pressure
Diet and Exercise-Lose 10 Pounds
How to Eat Healthy-A Plan for Life
My Heart Attack-a personal story
Ideal Breakfast to Prevent Diabetics
January 20, 2008, last updated January 3, 2012
By Susan M. Callahan, Associate Editor and Featured Columnist
A funny thing has happened on the way to progress in the 21st
century. What used to be thought of as a problem unique to
Americans--- obesity-- is, well, spreading. Obesity defined as the
composed of fat, afflicts 33% of Americans. The pre-condition to
obesity, merely being overweight, describes two-thirds of all
Americans. Two out of three of us. That leaves only one out of
three of us with a normal body weight. Even our children are
among the most obese in the world, with estimates that as many
as 33% of all our children can classified as overweight or
technically obese. (Read more about the ideal weight for children
of different heights.)
We have chronicled the causes and dangers of obsesity. See Fat--
It's Alive. Being overweight is a significant risk factor for
diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Being overweight and carrying
fat around your waistline is the most reliable predictor of your life
expectancy. (Read more about what your ideal waist size should
be.)
But less well understood is the condition that leads the body to
store too much fat.
What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
The group of risk factors underlying diabetes, heart disease and
other related conditions such as hardening of the arteries is called
metabolic syndrome. The American Heart Association lists the
following risks factors and conditions as indicative of metabolic
syndrome:
Abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the
abdomen)
Atherogenic dyslipidemia (blood fat disorders — high
triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and high LDL cholesterol — that
foster plaque buildups in artery walls)
Elevated blood pressure
Insulin resistance or glucose intolerance (the body can’t properly
use insulin or blood sugar)
Prothrombotic state (e.g., high fibrinogen or plasminogen
activator inhibitor–1 in the blood)
Proinflammatory state (e.g., elevated C-reactive protein in the
blood).
According to the American Heart Association, at least 50% of
Americans have Metabolic Syndrome. Belly fat and insulin
resistance are the dominant factors in the syndrome.
Evidence is growing that metabolic syndrome is spreading around
the globe. Recents reports from the World Health Organization
and the United Nations reveal that, as Africans have developed
more Western eating patterns, they are developing higher
incidences of diabetes. The same patterns are emerging in parts
of Europe and the Far East.
In Japan, changes from the traditional rice and fish-based diet to
American-style fast food burgers and fries has led many in that
nation to call for a new focus on healthy eating.
As reported to CBS News, Japan's health authorities are getting
worried."I don't know for how long Japan can maintain the
world's highest longevity," says Yukio Yamori, director of the
International Center for Research on Primary Prevention of
Cardiovascular Diseases. "If eating habits change, life expectancy
will shorten and this has already been made clear."
Whether Japan or Europe will be more successful than America is
battling metabolic syndrome remains unclear. What is clear is that
metabolic syndrome, Global Body Warming, may be as great a
threat to our long-term survival as the disappearance of the
glacial caps.
Let's call it "Our Silent Inconvenient Truth". There are of course,
things you can do. Walking just 45 minutes a day will reduce both
your blood pressure and your waist line.
Related Links
Normal Waist Size
Ideal Weight for Children of Different Heights
Foods That Shrink Your Waist
My Heart Attack --index of personal stories
Foods That Lower Your Blood Pressure
Ideal Breakfast for Diabetics
Ideal Breakfast for Heart Health
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| Growing levels of obesity have increased the incidence of metabolic syndrome. |