The Lowdown on Metabolic Disorders and Metabolic Syndrome
Age, sex, genes, muscle mass, level of physical activity, sleep, stress and mental health are all factors influencing your metabolic health. Some of these you can control and others, like your gender and age, you can’t.
Most Metabolic disorders are inherited genetic conditions that impact any aspect of the complex biochemical process of metabolism – from missing or dysfunctional enzymes, which break down and absorb nutrients to impairments in the efficiency of how cells use energy to fuel our complex body functions.
The A to Z list of metabolic disorders is long, some being quite rare. The more common ones include diabetes (type 1 and type 2), phenylketonuria (PKU), inflammatory bowel diseases and hemochromatosis. Most are caused by genetic mutations or missing or deficient enzymes necessary to metabolic processes.
In addition to genetic metabolic disorders, there is also metabolic syndrome. Currently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 30 percent of American adults have metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions together that raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and strokes. These are high blood sugar and blood pressure, abnormal triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and excess body fat around the waist and abdominal area – think apple-shaped body versus pear-shaped.
As obesity rates have risen steadily in the last three decades so has the risk for metabolic syndrome. There is currently no known cure for metabolic syndrome, which recent research has linked to an increase in risk for all cancers.
But it can be treated and managed with a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. Your doctor can help you identify your risks and develop a plan to reduce them.
This includes following a heart-healthy diet and lifestyle: eating a balanced diet of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and avoiding saturated fats, refined sugars, salt and alcohol; quitting smoking; getting plenty of exercise and quality sleep; and managing stress and your mental health.