Pritikin Longevity Centre have long been gurus of good health and recently I read a worrying report that they had posted.

The report said that experts believe that in the next decade roughly 80% of all heart attacks will be due to the Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, or both. And that is not all Metabolic Syndrome and pre-diabetes, the pre-cursors of Type 2 diabetes, increase our risk of heart disease almost as much as Type 2 diabetes does. And these pre-cursors are so widespread in 21st century America that scientists now estimate that the majority of the current U.S. population over the age of 65 has them. They put people at dangerously high risk of developing full-flown Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and dying prematurely.

And the U.S. is hardly alone. Type 2 diabetes is now a global crisis, affecting more than 100 million adults. Here in the Uk figures are rising at an alarming rate. And considering that Type 2 diabetes frequently goes undiagnosed for up to five years, and that millions more are affected by pre-diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome, the numbers worldwide at risk of early cardiac death likely range in the hundreds of millions. All this suffering, all this early death, is preventable. All this suffering, all this early death, is the direct result of the way we live – by our sedentary habits and our Western-style diets, bereft of whole, fiber-rich foods and full of fast foods and other calorie-dense junk.

Strangely and sadly, it could be argued that you’re lucky if you get to the Type 2 diabetes stage. Far too many people succumb to cardiovascular disease in the earlier stages of diabetes – when they have Metabolic Syndrome or pre-diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome is really the defining term for the group of risk factors linked to obesity and beign overweight. It is the combination of these factors that lead to elevated potential of having heart disease and other illness such as diabetes and stroke. In this instance 'metabolic' refers to the biochemical components of normal body function. Risk factors are the aspects, habits, or traits that potentiate probability of getting a disease.

When we talk about 'heart disease' this refers to Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). CHD refers to plaque (fatty substance) building up inside the coronary arteries. This plaque obstructs and constricts arteries and thereby reducing the flow of blood to the vital heart muscles. This is what can lead to chest pain (angina), Myocardial infarct (heart attack), heart damage, or even death.


Metabolic Risk Factors:
The conditions mentioned below are metabolic risk factors. These risk factors can develop unilaterally; however, there is a tendency for them to develop together. The Diagnosis of 'metabolic syndrome' is confirmed if you have at least 3 of these metabolic risk factors:

1) Abnormal/Large Waistline. This is termed as abdominal obesity or 'having an apple shape'. An enlarged abdomina area due to excess fat is a greater risk factor for heart disease than having excess fat on other parts of the body, such as buttocks or hips.

2) Elevated triglyceride levels (or if you are taking pharmacological treatment for High triglycerides). Triglycerides are a type of fat.

3) Lower than target HDL Cholesterol (or if you are taking pharmacological treatment for Low HDL). HDL is referred to as 'good' cholesterol since it helps remove cholesterol from arteries. Hence, a low HDL level raises the risk of heart disease.

4) Elevated Blood Pressure (or if you are taking pharmacological treatment for high blood pressure). The force of blood pushing against the arteries as your the heart pumps blood is known as blood pressure. Chronic increase of this pressure can damage the heart and also lead to plaque build up.

5) Elevated Fasting Blood Glucose/Sugar levels (or if you are taking pharmacological treatment for High Blood Glucose levels). Even mildly elevated blood glucose can be considered as an early indicator of diabetes.


Summary:

Risk of heart diseas, diabetes, and stroke is elevated by the number of potential metabolic risk factors. As a general rule, individuals with defined 'metabolic syndrome' are twice as likely to develop heart disease and five times as likely to be afflicted by diabetes versus an individual who does not have metablic syndrome.


There are other risk factors, in addition to those above, that can also elevate risk of heart disease. High LDL cholesterol and smoking are other such major risk factors. Every single risk factor can raise risk of heart disease. One should try to control each risk factor to reduce risk.

The chance of developing metabolic syndrome is closely linked to overweight and obesity and a lack of physical activity. Insulin resistance also may increase your risk of metabolic syndrome. This is a condition where the body is not able to use the insulin produced by the pancreas properly. Insulin is produced by the pancrease to help convert glucose into energy. Insulin resistance can lead to increased blood glucose levels and is closely linked to obesity.


Genetics (ethnic background and family history) and older age are other significant underlying components that can potentiate metabolic syndrome.

Prospective
About 47 million adults in the United States have metabolic syndrome, and the number continues to grow.

It is possible to delay or prevent metabolic syndrome. Lifestyle changes are the key component in doing so. This reqiures a healthy lifestyle and a lifelong commitment on the part of the individual and the assistance/teamwork of your healthcare providers.

I do agree with you Amo, with a lot of the problems like metabolic syndrome, that we face the answer is in our own hands to a certain extent, careful diet and sufficient exercise are what we all know are the answers to the best chance of a long and healthy life. It really amazes me that we cannot take these things more seriously. The human survival instinct is strong, we know that, people have clung to life in the most hopeless of situations yet it seems that this survival instinct only kicks in when the chips are down and the situation desperate! Shame we cannot be frightened or doggedly determined like that before we find ourselves at deaths door!

Glucophage is only available by prescription. If you know someone who thinks they may be diabetic, they should see a doctor and discuss with them and get appropriate blood tests done.

They can also diagnose pre-diabetes this way.

That is quite right Dreamer. Great info. My husband takes Glucophage or rather he used to before his GP changed him to Metformin again (it is cheaper!) Diabetes is never anything that you should try to tackle alone, it needs very careful management. Pre diabetes is the run up to full blown diabetes and at that stage you can still reverse the trend by changes to lifestyle and diet.