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Metabolic Syndrome: The Whole is Greater (and Worse) Than the Parts
How a group of health conditions—when combined—can add up to a personal health calamity.
What is the Metabolic Syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of health conditions that, when combined, increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions—increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist, or abnormal cholesterol levels—contributes to your risk of serious disease. But when combined, your risk is even greater.
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Research into the complex underlying process linking this group of conditions is ongoing. As the name suggests, metabolic syndrome is tied to the body’s metabolism, possibly to a condition called insulin resistance.
Not all experts agree on the definition of metabolic syndrome or whether it even exists as a distinct medical condition. Doctors have talked about this constellation of risk factors for years and have called it many names, including syndrome X and insulin resistance syndrome.
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Whatever it’s called, and however it’s precisely defined, this collection of risk factors is apparently becoming more prevalent.
The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommend that the metabolic syndrome be identified as the presence of three or more of these components: |
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Elevated waist circumference, greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men. For people genetically at greater risk of diabetes, the circumference limit is slightly lower; 31 to 35 inches for women and 37 to 39 inches for men. |
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Elevated level of triglycerides of 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher. |
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Reduced HDL (less than 40 mg/dL in men or less than 50 mg/dL in women). |
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Elevated blood pressure of 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) systolic (the top number) or higher or 85 (mm Hg) diastolic (the bottom number) or higher. |
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Elevated fasting blood sugar (blood glucose) of 100 mg/dL or higher. |
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Having one component of metabolic syndrome means you're more likely to have others. And the more components you have, the greater are the risks to your health.
One study showed that men with three factors of metabolic syndrome are nearly twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke and more than three times as likely to develop heart disease as are those with no factors. |
Unicity Chairman and CEO Stewart Hughes describes how Bios Life helped him overcome an imbalance in blood sugar levels. |
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Metabolic syndrome is quite common. Approximately 20-30% of the population in industrialized countries have metabolic syndrome. By the year 2010, the metabolic syndrome is expected to affect 50-70 million people in the US alone. |
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Causes
Most doctors believe that the underlying cause of metabolic syndrome is resistance to insulin — a hormone made by the pancreas that helps control the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. |
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Normally, your digestive system breaks down some of the food you eat into sugar (glucose). Your blood carries the glucose to your body's tissues, where the cells use it as fuel. Glucose enters the cells with the help of insulin. In people with insulin resistance, cells don't respond to insulin and glucose can't enter the cells.
Your body reacts by churning out more and more insulin to help glucose get into your cells. This results in higher than normal levels of insulin and glucose in the blood. Although perhaps not high enough to qualify as diabetes, an elevated glucose level still interferes with your body processes. Increased insulin raises your triglyceride level and those of other blood fats. It also interferes with how your kidneys work, leading to increased blood pressure.
These combined effects of insulin resistance put you at risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other conditions.
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Researchers are still learning what causes insulin resistance. It probably involves a variety of genetic and environmental factors. They think some people are genetically prone to insulin resistance, inheriting the tendency from their parents. But being overweight and inactive are major contributors.
If You Have Metabolic Syndrome, What Health Problems Might Develop?
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Metabolic syndrome is present in about 5% of people with normal body weight, 22% of those who are overweight and 60% of those considered obese. Adults who continue to gain 5 or more pounds per year raise their risk of developing metabolic syndrome by up to 45%. |
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Metabolic syndrome is worth caring about because it is a condition that can pave the way to both diabetes and heart disease, two of the most common and important chronic diseases today.
Consistently high levels of insulin and glucose are linked to many harmful changes to the body, including: |
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Damage to the lining of coronary and other arteries, a key step toward the development of heart disease or stroke |
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Changes in the kidneys' ability to remove salt, leading to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke |
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An increase in triglyceride levels, resulting in an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease |
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An increased risk of blood clot formation, which can block arteries and cause heart attacks and strokes |
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A slowing of insulin production, which can signal the start of type 2 diabetes, a disease that can increase your risk for a heart attack or stroke and may damage your eyes, nerves or kidneys |
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Risk Factors
The following factors increase your chances of having metabolic syndrome: |
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Age. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increases with age, affecting less than 10 percent of people in their 20s and 40 percent of people in their 60s. However, one study shows that about one in eight schoolchildren have three or more components of metabolic syndrome. |
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Race. Hispanics and Asians seem to be at greater risk for metabolic syndrome than other races are. |
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Obesity. A body mass index (BMI)—a measure of your percentage of body fat based on height and weight—greater than 25 increases your risk of metabolic syndrome. So does abdominal obesity—having an apple shape rather than a pear shape. |
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History of diabetes. You're more likely to have metabolic syndrome if you have a family history of type 2 diabetes or a history of diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). |
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Other diseases. A diagnosis of high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or polycystic ovarian syndrome—a similar type of metabolic problem that affects a woman's hormones and reproductive system—also increases the risk of metabolic syndrome. |
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Treatment
Tackling one of the risk factors of metabolic syndrome is tough—taking on all of them might seem overwhelming. But lifestyle and diet changes can improve all of the metabolic syndrome components.
You can’t take a magic prescription to treat or reverse metabolic syndrome. Getting more physical activity, losing weight, and quitting smoking help reduce blood pressure and improve cholesterol and blood sugar levels. These changes are key to reducing your risk.
How Do You Prevent or Reverse Metabolic Syndrome?
Since physical inactivity and excess weight are the main underlying contributors to the development metabolic syndrome, getting more exercise and losing weight can help reduce or prevent the complications associated with this condition. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to manage some of your underlying problems. Some of the ways you can reduce your risk: |
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Consider dietary changes—Healthy eating habits that include reduced intake of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, and increase dietary fiber which can lower your insulin levels. |
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Recommendation: Dietary fiber is just one of the powerful and effective ingredients found in Bios Life. Experts agree that if you could take just one supplement to improve your health, you should be taking Bios Life. Learn more about how by drinking a glass of Bios Life 10 minutes before you eat you can improve your cholesterol levels, lowering your triglyceride and blood sugar levels—and doing perhaps the most effective thing you can to avoid cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and diabetes. |
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Lose weight—Moderate weight loss, in the range of 5 percent to 10 percent of body weight, can help restore your body's ability to recognize insulin and greatly reduce the chance that the syndrome will evolve into a more serious illness. |
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Recommendation: Unicity's Lean Control Nutritionals help men and women achieve noticeable weight management results and improve overall health, energy levels, and well-being. Our time-tested, simple and easy, three-step Cleanse Burn Build philosophy works in harmony with the body’s natural functions to achieve and maintain weight management goals. |
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Exercise—Increased activity alone can improve your insulin levels. A brisk 30-minute walk a day can result in a weight loss, improved blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of developing diabetes. |
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Recommendation: Unicity has always recommended an active, healthy lifestyle. |
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What Recent Studies of Metabolic Syndrome Have Been Done?
Recently published studies have used different criteria for the metabolic syndrome and followed subjects for varied lengths of time. Thus the magnitude of risk associated with the metabolic syndrome varies across the studies. |
In a study of Japanese men without cardiovascular disease at baseline followed for 7 years, the subsequent development of cardiovascular disease was correlated with the number of features of the metabolic syndrome at baseline. Those men with 3 or more features at baseline had more than 12 times the risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those with none.(1) Other studies have shown a relative risk of developing cardiovascular disease for those with 3 or more features compared to those with 2 or less of 1.3 to 1.7.(2-4) For individuals with diabetes the relative risk is higher with 5 times increased risk of cardiovascular disease for those with the metabolic syndrome and diabetes compared to those with diabetes without the metabolic syndrome.(5)
All cause mortality is increased by 20-80% in individuals with the metabolic syndrome with mortality from cardiovascular disease increased by 60-280% and death from coronary heart disease increased by 70-330%.(6-8) |
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The presence of the metabolic syndrome confers an increased risk of death from coronary heart disease in women compared to men.(9)
More Information
Click here for the American Heart Association’s Metabolic Syndrome Statistical Fact Sheet
Click here for “Getting Tough With Metabolic Syndrome” from McGraw-Hill
Reference List |
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Nakanishi N, Takatorige T, Fukuda H, Shirai K, Li W, Okamoto M, et al. Components of the metabolic syndrome as predictors of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in middle-aged Japanese men. Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2004 Apr;64(1):59-70. |
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Sattar N, Gaw A, Scherbakova O, Ford I, O'Reilly DS, Haffner SM, et al. Metabolic syndrome with and without C-reactive protein as a predictor of coronary heart disease and diabetes in the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study. Circulation 2003 Jul 29;108(4):414-9. |
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Girman CJ, Rhodes T, Mercuri M, Pyorala K, Kjekshus J, Pedersen TR, et al. The metabolic syndrome and risk of major coronary events in the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) and the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS). Am J Cardiol 2004 Jan 15;93(2):136-41. |
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Ford ES. The metabolic syndrome and mortality from cardiovascular disease and all-causes: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey II Mortality Study. Atherosclerosis 2004 Apr;173(2):309-14. |
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Bonora E, Targher G, Formentini G, Calcaterra F, Lombardi S, Marini F, et al. The Metabolic Syndrome is an independent predictor of cardiovascular disease in Type 2 diabetic subjects. Prospective data from the Verona Diabetes Complications Study. Diabet Med 2004 Jan;21(1):52-8. |
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Isomaa B, Almgren P, Tuomi T, Forsen B, Lahti K, Nissen M, et al. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care 2001 Apr;24(4):683-9. |
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Lakka HM, Laaksonen DE, Lakka TA, Niskanen LK, Kumpusalo E, Tuomilehto J, et al. The metabolic syndrome and total and cardiovascular disease mortality in middle-aged men. JAMA 2002 Dec 4;288(21):2709-16. |
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Malik S, Wong ND, Franklin SS, Kamath TV, L'Italien GJ, Pio JR, et al. Impact of the metabolic syndrome on mortality from coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and all causes in United States adults. Circulation 2004 Sep 7;110(10):1245-50. |
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McNeill AM, Rosamond WD, Girman CJ, Golden SH, Schmidt MI, East HE, et al. The metabolic syndrome and 11-year risk of incident cardiovascular disease in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study. Diabetes Care 2005 Feb;28(2):385-90. |
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Patented Flower Power
Boosting the enzymatic breakdown and removal of cholesterol.
By Dr. Peter Verdegem, Unicity Chief Science Officer
Bios Life is the only supplement that combines all four of the known approaches or “mechanisms” to maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
And Mechanism Four, today’s topic: Boosting the enzymatic breakdown and removal of cholesterol. |
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Cholesterol’s Bad Rap
Cholesterol has had a lot of bad press over the years. But the fact is, you need cholesterol—in fact, that’s why your body produces it. Cholesterol is a major building block for many of the hormones in your body. For example, both the estrogen and testosterone hormones begin with cholesterol as a starting molecule.
Another important function of cholesterol is to build and maintain cell membranes. Cholesterol floats in the fatty phospholipids that makes up your cell walls, and maintains the structural integrity of your cells.
A third function of cholesterol is that it’s a fundamental building block for bile acids.
So you need cholesterol in your body. The problem is that too much cholesterol is a health risk. |
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Manufacturing the Chemicals You Need to Survive
Your body is like a high-tech chemical manufacturing facility. It’s continually building, tearing down, eliminating or storing the chemicals it needs to survive. One of these chemicals that your body is continually manufacturing and then tearing down is bile acid. Bile acids are biological molecules that our body uses to digest fat from our diet. They are made by the liver using cholesterol as a building block. One of the bile acids is called cholic acid.
The first step your body takes to make cholic acid is to convert cholesterol into what’s called “7 alpha-hydroxycholesterol.” Try saying that five times fast. What produces this transformation is an enzyme called 7-alpha hydroxylase. |
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Now imagine being able to give those 7-alpha hydroxylase enzymes an energy drink that make them work twice as hard. As a result, more cholesterol would be taken from your body’s storage and converted into cholic acid—thus reducing the total amount of cholesterol in your body. |
Meet our Proprietary Discovery
That’s exactly what the Fourth Mechanism of Bios Life does—thanks to an extract from chrysanthemum—that’s right, from the flowers that are in bloom this time of year!
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It was our own Unicity Research and Development that discovered that a water extract of chrysanthemum morifolium energizes the enzyme 7-alpha hydroxylase. Chrysanthemum morifolium is not a new herbal extract. It has been known for many centuries that this flower has healthy benefits when it is consumed as a tea. Particularly in China and other parts of Asia this flower tea is consumed for its benefits for the eyes, and the immune system.
In fact, this discovery is the foundation of one of the patents on Bios Life—making it the only supplement available that possesses this cholesterol lowering mechanism. |
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This Month’s Featured Product—
Coenzyme Q10 Helps Bios Life Combat Heart Disease
Unicity’s CoQ10 multi-tasks to improve your health including nourishing your heart muscle tissue. |
What do congestive heart failure, gum disease and obesity have in common? Very often, it’s a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10).
A lack of CoQ10 has also been implicated in arrhythmias, strokes, hypertension, heart attacks, atherosclerosis, muscular dystrophy and many of these diseases can be prevented and treated successfully with CoQ10.
Since its discovery and isolation 40 years ago hundreds of clinical research studies have been done on CoQ10 and it is now abundantly clear that this nutrient
is absolutely vital to health.
Coenzyme Q10 has received particular attention in the prevention and treatment of various forms of cardiovascular disease. It is highly effective in preventing the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) that leads to atherosclerosis.
Several studies have shown that patients with congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases have significantly lower levels of CoQ10 in their heart tissue than do healthy people and supplementation with as little as 100 mg/day has been shown to markedly improve their condition. CoQ10 is now approved in Japan for the treatment of congestive heart failure.
Coenzyme Q10 is a great boost to heart health, but it has many other beneficial effects. Strenuous physical exercise reduces blood levels of CoQ10 and supplementation with CoQ10 has been found to improve athletic performance.
Many overweight people have very low levels of CoQ10 and supplementation may enable them to lose weight due to the effect of CoQ10 in speeding up the metabolism of fats.
CoQ10 has been used with success in combating periodontal diseases, especially gingivitis (gum disease). Tissue affected by gingivitis is deficient in CoQ10 and experiments have shown that supplementation with CoQ10 can decrease inflammation.
Taking CoQ10 everyday will help ensure your body maintains healthy levels of this vital nutrient for a long and healthy life!
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Bios Life Recipe of the Month |
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