Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: If you have abdominal obesity and any two of the other factors you have metabolic syndrome.
- Abdominal obesity (Belly Fat)
- Diabetes – Raised fasting plasma glucose
- Cardiovascular disease
- Low HDL and high triglicerides
- High blood pressure
From Dr Robert Lustig, “Your don’t die of obesity; you die of the disease that “travel” with it. It’s these metabolic decompensations that make obesity the scourge that it is. Diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and dementia – the things that kill you are collectively packaged under the concept of ‘metabolic syndrome.’ Obesity is just a marker. 40% of people with Metabolic Syndrome are not obese. Thin people can be insulin resistant too.”
“Metabolic syndrome starts as your body accumulates energy (carbohydrates), storing it in the liver and in visceral (organ) fat tissue. This makes the liver insulin resistant, which starts metabolic dysfunction – a detrimental cascade of effects that damages every organ in the body. High insulin, High Lipids, High blood pressure.”
40% of the world’s population have metabolic syndrome. (International Diabetes Federation)
Its causes are: genetics, lifestyle, physical inactivity, pro-inflammatory state and chronic high carbohydrate intake. Remember, if you are genetically predisposed to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high blood sugar, you can do something about it. Eat differently, exercise, change your lifestyle to change your genetics.
Metabolic syndrome is caused by:
- Poor nutrition
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Too much stress for too long.
- Trans -fats — partially hydrogenated oils
- Branched-chain amino acids – These amino acids are in high concentration in corn so every animal fed on corn is a potential contributor. Our body needs these amino acids but not in excess. The excess are burned for energy in the liver. If you are a body builder, you use them up. If you are not, they make the liver work overtime and they are turned into fat. (triglycerides and cholesterol)
- Alcohol – High glucose content
- Fructose – It is sweet and it is everywhere, especially for our children and even babies. The key to realize, is that while every cell in the body can use glucose, the liver is the only organ that can metabolize fructose in significant amounts.
Important fact – The liver makes excess sugar into cholesterol and triglycerides. When we eat eggs and pasture raised meat we are putting good cholesterol in. The way to stop the liver from making the sugar into cholesterol is to replace the sugar with real cholesterol. There is a difference between the two of them. We need the cholesterol eggs give us to make our body and brain function properly. The cholesterol made from sugar clogs our arteries. Yes, Sugar is a huge contributor to heart disease, diabetes, high triglycerides and cholesterol and high blood pressure.