Metabolic syndrome is a problem which has been described over the last decade as a major route to and cause of chronic disease. It is a collection of criteria that demonstrate the effects of high calorie intake (sugar) leading to an inflammatory process. Five common criteria used are central obesity, high triglycerides, a reduction of HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure and elevated fasting blood glucose. WHO also includes elevated urinary albumin excretion. It truly is a state of clustered metabolic risk factors. It is estimated that more than 70 million Americans can now be described as having the syndrome. The sad part of it is that in most cases it is manageable or better yet preventable. Just a few years ago the average annual cost per metabolic syndrome patient was just over $4000. Presently the estimated cost can sometimes reach as much as $10,000 per person. There is no end in sight since the numbers continue to increase even outpacing the almost epidemic curve of obesity. We are basically talking about the body poorly regulating blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, hypertension, heart disease, kidney dysfunction, and obesity. The entire picture of metabolic syndrome progressing into inflammation is producing cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, polycystic ovarian syndrome, non-alcoholic liver disease, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and dementia, erectile dysfunction, sleep apnea, and loss of muscle or sarcopenia.
These are not genetic diseases. They are really the result of dysfunctional metabolic processes. Dysfunction created by poor choices in lifestyle. metabolic syndrome is not spontaneous but it is a cluster of factors which come together to produce the diseases which kill us in Western society. Before it is late we all must wake up to the fact that poor choices in food, lack of exercise, and exposure to toxins in our environment, are having their effect. The answer will never be found in building more medical centers. The answer stems from educating people how to take care of the body that they live in.















