Metabolic syndrome is becoming more common these days. This troubling disorder has been implicated in several dangerous and even deadly conditions. That’s why you need to know how to reverse metabolic syndrome before it can irreparably damage your body and your health. If you’re ready to make these changes and take control of your health, here’s what you need to know.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of disorders that increase your risk of developing diseases like diabetes and heart disease. It's associated with some common conditions that on their own, don't usually cause too many problems. If you have one of these conditions, it doesn’t mean that you instantly have metabolic syndrome. Instead, this one risk factor will decrease your health over time and increase your chances of developing serious diseases. And if you have more than one of these risk factors then your chances of long-term damage are even higher.
The risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome are:
There often aren’t any symptoms associated with metabolic syndrome. Instead, you need to look out for weight gain around your waist and symptoms of diabetes or high blood pressure. And if you’re concerned, ask your doctor to test for these issues as well.
When you want to reverse metabolic syndrome, you need to focus on reducing all of these health measurements. Obviously, you could take medications for each specific issue, but it’s far more effective and safer to reduce them through lifestyle changes before they become a problem.
There is no one cause of metabolic syndrome. Anybody can develop it, but it is strongly linked to excess weight and inactivity. There’s also a link between insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Insulin helps sugar enter your cells so it can be used as fuel. When you become insulin resistant, your cells don’t respond the way they should to insulin. This leads to lower than normal glucose absorption by the cells, high blood sugar levels, and high insulin production as your body tries to correct the problem. Over time, insulin resistance can lead to diabetes and other health problems.
There are also several factors that will increase your chances of developing metabolic syndrome including:
If you have any or all of these risk factors, then you need to think about how to reverse metabolic syndrome before it’s too late.
Lifelong lifestyle changes are the best way to reverse metabolic syndrome. These strategies will reduce your risk factors and help you avoid the consequences of this disorder. The most effective strategies for this include:
Smoking isn’t a direct risk factor, but it does increase your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease. That’s why quitting smoking will obviously help reverse metabolic syndrome.
It seems like a healthy diet can help with every disease and disorder and this is probably true. Improving your diet will help you lose weight and decrease the amount of poor-quality foods that you're eating. These foods are often high in sugar and fat and can increase your blood pressure and add to insulin resistance.
You should talk to a medical professional about which diet is right for you. But as a general guide, a healthy diet should consist mainly of vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats.
You absolutely must reduce or eliminate saturated fats and salt from your diet if you’re concerned about metabolic syndrome. These contribute to all the risk factors for this disorder and put you at a higher risk of heart disease too.
Exercise lowers your blood pressure and heart rate and can even help with weight loss. It can improve cholesterol levels and improve insulin resistance at the same time. So, even if you only notice a few of these effects, it will obviously help to reverse metabolic syndrome.
You don’t need to do a lot of exercises to get these effects either. If you’re out of shape, start slowly with a gentle walk every day. And work up to at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
If you’re eating right and exercising, then you will probably lose weight. However, it’s also important that you have this goal in mind if you’re overweight or obese and trying to reverse metabolic syndrome. It will help reduce belly fat, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and improve the health of your heart all at the same time. So, if you’re overweight or obese, you need to work on this strategy.
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is an increasingly common problem in today’s busy, stress-filled world. This disorder can occur when you’re under stress for a prolonged period, resulting in the overuse of the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response. This system is meant to be a short-term solution for stress. It causes changes throughout the circuits in your body in response to stress, driven by cortisol released by the adrenal glands.
The problem comes when you’re under chronic stress. This can cause ongoing high cortisol levels, adrenal fatigue, and imbalances in the circuits, which aren’t permitted to go back to their normal, stress-free levels of functioning.
One of the circuits that is quickly affected when you have AFS is the Bioenergetics Circuit. This is responsible for metabolic functions, and it isn’t well understood by most people. The organs in this circuit, the liver, thyroid, and pancreas, are responsible for producing the energy that your cells need to function. So, when this circuit becomes dysfunctional, it can lead to malfunctions in every part of your body.
The Bioenergetics Circuit usually becomes unbalanced in the second stage of AFS. In the first, energy output increases because of the body’s demands and you may experience early signs of metabolic problems that disappear once you rest. But when you enter stage two of AFS, metabolic derangement can occur. This will start to cause problems with blood sugar levels, weight gain, and other issues that are associated with metabolic syndrome. It’s at this stage that you may have to start thinking about how to reverse metabolic syndrome.
As you go into the third stage of AFS, your Bioenergetics Circuit severely malfunctions and you will experience several physical symptoms and issues.
Malfunctions in the Bioenergetics Circuit can contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome. As the three organs in this circuit decline in health and functioning, it can cause problems with metabolic syndrome risk factors. This includes:
The three organs in the Bioenergetics Circuit are tightly linked. So, as the liver and thyroid become dysfunctional, the pancreas will follow suit. Your pancreas produces insulin, which is essential for sugar metabolism. So, this can result in problems with your blood sugar levels or blood insulin levels.
High cortisol levels, which occur when you’re stressed, cause the release of more glucose into your bloodstream. This naturally increases the release of insulin. However, as the stress continues and the NEM stress response becomes unbalanced, cortisol levels decrease and glucose levels drop, leaving too much insulin in your blood. This can result in hypoglycemia and insulin resistance.
When you have adrenal fatigue, this problem is often overlooked and not treated. So, your levels may remain unbalanced for a long time, which will allow for more damage to your heart and other organs.
People with AFS often struggle with inexplicable weight gain and struggle to lose the weight. Weight gain may be caused by a variety of factors when you have AFS including a poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, insulin resistance, stress, and snacking to raise energy levels. This will obviously raise your risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
The battle to reverse metabolic syndrome isn’t an easy one. You can’t take a pill once and forget about it. Instead, you will need to make lifestyle changes that you maintain throughout your lifetime to see the lasting health benefits you’re looking for. Here’s how to get started:
If you suffer from metabolic syndrome, then get help to make needed lifestyle changes from our team on +1 (626) 571-1234. You can also send us a question through our Ask The Doctor system by clicking here.
The short answer is that yes, you can reverse metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of health conditions and certain risk factors that increase your chances of developing life-threatening diseases. Furthermore, the best way to reverse these risk factors is with long-term lifestyle changes.
