What Is Metabolic Syndrome?
An amalgam of several medical disorders that aggravates the likelihood of contracting diabetes and cardiovascular disease is called the Metabolic syndrome. It is alternatively called syndrome X, Reaven's syndrome and insulin resistance syndrome in the medical community. As a matter of fact, this ailment affects people of Asian and African origin more than other races. The prevalence of the ailment goes up with age.
Causes of Metabolic Syndrome
This disease is a very complex one and the medical community is still trying to discover the exact causes that lead to its formation. However, the researchers point to three main reasons-beings obese, being lazy or inactive and inheriting genetic traits. Some of the victims of this syndrome have inborn insulin resistance in their metabolism.
Symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome
The most prevalent symptom of Metabolic syndrome is Central obesity. People who are centrally obese tend to gather the fat in the abdominal region instead of developing it all over the body. The afflicted person also suffers from unusual fat levels in his blood. His blood also contains low amount of HDL. This can cause the accumulation of fatty plaques on the layers of blood vessels.
A person affected by this disease may also develop glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in his body. He can suffer from high blood pressure. Apart from these major complications, a person affected by the disease may also contract some other illnesses. For example, he may suffer from increased uric acid level, hemochromatosis, and fatty liver while the women patients can develop polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Cure for Metabolic syndrome
A person suffering from this syndrome is required to undergo drastic lifestyle changes if he wants to improve his situation. Being physically inactive or leading a lazy life can aggravate the progression of the ailment and hence he is required to exercise or work out regularly. In most of the cases, the separate diseases that lead to Metabolic syndrome are dealt with individually.
Therefore the use of medication becomes imperative. The ACE inhibitors and diuretic drugs are typically used to combat the symptoms of hypertension. To bring down the levels of triglyceride and LDL cholesterol in blood, cholesterol drugs are prescribed by the doctors.
According to the findings of a study conducted in 2003, the use of cardiovascular exercise can bring relief to the patients suffering from this syndrome.
Advice
Even though the root cause of the disease remains unexplored and extensive researches need to be done to understand the exact relation between the various factors of the ailment, there are certain steps that people can take to diminish their risk of contracting the disease.
Generally people suffering from this disorder are overweight; therefore they should try to shed the flab as much as possible. If a person is not sure about which type of weight loss regime he should adhere to, he can join a professional weight loss group.
The researches have revealed that people suffering from this menace who join a certified and scientific weight loss regime gain better results and do not put on weight later. Joining a gym would be an excellent option for such a person.
However, caution should be practiced while taking beta blockers and diuretic drugs for keeping the blood pressure under control. Some of these medicines can worsen the symptoms of the syndrome.
Apart from taking specific medicines, it is also imperative for a patient of this disease to increase the amounts of physical activity. The doctors suggest the victims of this disease to try walking for 30 minutes on a daily basis. The diet of the person also needs to be monitored.
The foods consumed by a patient of this malady should not have high calorie value. Since the fats and proteins can increase the level of cholesterol a victim should avoid foods rich in them. It would be advisable for him to consult a dietician to get a proper and balanced diet.
