The Danger That Comes with Obesity: Metabolic Syndrome
Cardiovascular diseases are very common in people with metabolic syndrome and the risk of death increases. Even if the blood sugar level is not at the limit of diabetes, the risk of developing this disease in the future is very high. If the necessary public health measures are not taken urgently, the metabolic syndrome is defined as a danger signal that will rank first among the causes of death in the coming years.
What is Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a group of diseases in which more than one cardiovascular disease risk factors cluster. In developed and developing countries, it has become an epidemic due to lifestyle changes, leading to an increase in the frequency of cardiovascular diseases due to atherosclerosis. Metabolic syndrome seen in people with excess weight and waist circumference is a harbinger of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. This disease is spreading all over the world. In patients with metabolic syndrome, hardening and blockages in the blood vessels increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Metabolic syndrome is a disease of the modern age
The prevalence of the disease, which generally threatens sedentary individuals, is increasing all over the world. The people most susceptible to the syndrome are those who sit at a desk, have an irregular diet and work under intense stress. The sedentary lifestyle, fast-food habit, smoking and especially stress cause the syndrome to appear at an increasingly earlier age. Therefore, the name “New World Syndrome” is also recommended.
Since metabolic syndrome is a condition that increases the likelihood of heart disease or diabetes as the person gets older, people should eliminate the risk factors that cause the disease before the disease occurs. Although metabolic syndrome is not a disease, it is a condition that increases the risk of disease too much and the only treatment is to change the lifestyle.
It consists of metabolic syndrome, apple type obesity, high blood pressure, sugar metabolism disorder (hyperinsulinemia) and lipid metabolism disorder (disorder in blood lipids).
Insulin resistance is the basis of metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is the inability of insulin to enter the cell and carry glucose, although the body secretes insulin. In these situations where the effect of insulin is insufficient, the amount of fat in the blood and organs increases. Basic factors that increase insulin resistance; It is the excess weight caused by a sedentary lifestyle and high calorie intake. In particular, increased fat in the abdominal area, psychosocial stress and post-menopausal hormonal changes in women.
Of the metabolic syndrome and related problems in which genetic and environmental factors play a role; obesity, hypertension, diabetes, fat metabolism disorder, polycystic ovary syndrome, high uric acid (hyperuricemia), sleep apnea syndrome are responsible. In the near future, the fight against metabolic syndrome will become increasingly important in preventing both cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
How does it occur?
People with a genetic predisposition are more prone to the development of the metabolic syndrome. If there are problems such as excess weight, high blood pressure, imbalance in blood lipids in the person’s family and environmental factors are added to this, it is inevitable that metabolic syndrome will develop.
Pay attention to environmental factors!
The sedentary life and high-calorie diet brought by modern city life are the most important factors affecting the occurrence of the syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is simply; It is a condition that increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease or diabetes as the person gets older. This syndrome, which was not even mentioned at the beginning of the 20th century, has grown like an avalanche and has become an epidemic.
Metabolic syndrome is an industrialization and urbanization disease
It is the disease of people who get up in the morning and leave for work without breakfast, spend a significant amount of time in traffic and do their job in front of the computer all day, spend their lunch with fast meals and fall asleep in front of the television in the evening.
Who is at Risk in Metabolic Syndrome?
People can apply the following simple test to evaluate whether they have metabolic syndrome or not:
- Do you eat more than 5 chocolate, potato chips, cereal or similar foods a week? (Yes/No)
- Have you ever been told that your blood pressure is high when measured? (Yes/No)
- Do you have trouble losing weight despite regular exercise? (Yes/No)
- Is your weight particularly localized around your abdomen and waist? (Yes/No)
- Do you have any relatives with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or diabetes? (Yes/No)
- Do you have a loss of concentration, headache, nausea between meals? (Yes/No)
- Are you high in cholesterol? (Yes/No)
- Do you often need to eat sugary foods? (Yes/No)
- Are you 5 pounds or more above your ideal weight? (Yes/No)
- Do you often feel tired after eating? (Yes/No)
- Do you take foods containing rice, potatoes, flour more than 3 times a week? (Yes/No)
- Do you have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)? (Yes/No)
- Do you exercise less than twice a week? (Yes/No)
- Do you experience energy ups and downs during the day? (Yes/No)
0-4 YES: Low risk for metabolic syndrome.
5-8 YES: Moderate risk for metabolic syndrome. It is recommended to investigate.
9-14 YES: High risk for metabolic syndrome. It is recommended to start treatment.
Metabolic syndrome seen among young people causes hypertension and heart disease at an early age. Metabolic syndrome is an important cause of morbidity affecting more and more people around the world. Metabolic syndrome, which includes metabolic abnormalities and cardiovascular risk factors, mostly occurs in individuals with impaired insulin sensitivity.
The main components that make up the metabolic syndrome; insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure and lipid abnormalities, high uric acid and some independent factors.
Excessive use of foods that increase blood sugar rapidly causes many chronic-degenerative diseases that have increased in recent years, such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, ulcer, chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer and osteoporosis.
Why is metabolic syndrome an important health problem?
Metabolic syndrome is a condition characterized by insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, high triglycerides (a type of blood fat), low HDL-cholesterol (good cholesterol) and fasting blood glucose levels higher than normal values. It was first described in adults and it was shown that both adult-type diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are common in those with metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is also called insulin resistance syndrome; Because almost all of the symptoms in this disease are due to the insulin receptors in various tissues not working well. In recent years, it has been emphasized that insulin resistance causes obesity rather than obesity causing insulin resistance. Because when insulin effect decreases in tissues other than adipose tissue, especially in brain tissue, the organism works towards storing it in adipose tissue rather than using the energy it receives.
Even if people get little energy in a situation called “if water is good” among the people, the energy taken is converted into adipose tissue. When adipose tissue, especially adipose tissue in the abdominal region increases, insulin resistance increases further and causes secretion of certain substances known as “inflammatory secretions” from this adipose tissue.
How is Metabolic Syndrome Recognized?
4 important symptoms to be considered in patients;
- Widening around the waist
- High blood pressure,
- High cholesterol
- It’s a bordering height in blood sugar.
Can it be understood in advance?
It can be understood beforehand, but relatives of these people are also at risk. For example, higher blood pressure, sugar, obesity and high cholesterol are seen in the relatives of these people. If there is even one of these, if the patient is obese, blood lipids, blood pressure and sugar should be checked.
Who are at risk?
People with one of these four risk factors are at risk. If there is one of the four factors, the necessary tests should be done and the others should be investigated. Because these may be triggering each other. There is both an association and a cause and effect relationship. For example, as obesity increases, sugar, blood pressure and blood fat also increase.
How can action be taken?
The most effective approach to both treatment and prevention of metabolic syndrome is lifestyle change. Lifestyle change includes healthy eating and sports. If you make intense lifestyle changes and follow this constantly, you reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 50%. To be protected; Make sure you exercise, maintain your weight, get tested (blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar), stop smoking, limit alcohol.
What does it lead to?
Cardiovascular diseases are very common in people with metabolic syndrome and the risk of death increases. Even if the blood sugar level is not at the limit of diabetes, the risk of developing this disease in the future is very high. These people and their relatives should be monitored very well, diagnosed correctly, and all risk factors should be treated altogether.
In many cases, the difference between symptoms of metabolic syndrome and complications of metabolic syndrome is unclear or varies from person to person.
If we briefly summarize the complications of metabolic syndromes:
- Insulin resistance
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Increase in cancer
- Increase in kidney disease
- Blood fat disorder (dyslipidemia)
- Overweight (obesity)
- Coronary artery disease
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Vascular endothelial disorder
- Increased blood clotting tendency (hypercoagulability)
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disorder in the elderly. The knee joint is the joints most frequently affected by the disease. Knee joint osteoarthritis causes the formation of an important group of diseases such as metabolic syndrome due to the restriction of movements and is also important in terms of causing the progress of obesity.
Again, according to a study conducted in Italy, it was revealed that the frequency of impairment in sexual functions in women with metabolic syndrome is significantly higher than in healthy individuals in the normal population.
If Metabolic Syndrome Is Not Treated…
The likelihood of cardiovascular diseases, heart attack and stroke increases geometrically and sudden deaths can be seen. If precautions are not taken, all negative consequences such as hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases occur within 7 years at the latest.
How is it treated?
- Weight loss
- Physical activity
- Reduction of insulin resistance
- Treatment of obesity