How To Learn About Metabolic Syndrome

There is a metabolic disorder called “Metabolic Syndrome” that causes people to be at higher risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease. The steps in this article help us to better understand this common health disorder that affects an estimated 47 million adults.

1. Metabolic Syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome is believed to be caused from being overweight, lack of physical activity and diets high in fats and refined sugars. When people become overweight, they store excessive amounts of fat in their bodies. This in turn causes their bad cholesterol to elevate and their good cholesterol, which counterbalances the bad, to decrease. Metabolic Syndrome also causes a person to become insulin resistant, meaning their bodies do not regulate their glucose levels properly (blood sugar), so that glucose levels in the body become too high.

   The symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome are similar to those of pre-diabetes and include high cholesterol, hypertension and insulin resistance. A person with this disorder will often not experience physical symptoms and diagnostic medical tests are the most accurate method for diagnosing patients who may suffer from it.

2. Fatty Liver Disease. In addition to increasing risk for developing diabetes and heart disease, Metabolic Syndrome is also a common cause of non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (the most common cause of fatty liver is excessive alcohol consumption). Fatty Liver Disease is what it sounds like--when fats infiltrate the liver. When organs of the body begin to store excessive amounts of fat (due to weight gain and inadequate exercise) one of the organs affected is the liver. Once the fat infiltration in the liver becomes abnormally high, the liver becomes less able to regulate glucose levels and filter out substances in the body that it needs to rid itself of (toxins). While most cases of Fatty Liver Disease that develop from Metabolic Syndrome do not cause serious health problems, there are a percentage of patients with it who do go on to experience liver damage (sclerosis). Most patients with Metabolic Syndrome are found to have liver involvement when their liver enzymes (blood tests of liver function) are elevated. If these abnormal liver tests are found, fatty infiltration of the liver can be positively diagnosed via liver ultrasound imaging. 
3. Diagnosis. There are tests to diagnose Metabolic Syndrome. When a patient is suspected of having this disorder, a doctor will usually order a lipid panel, which is a test of blood cholesterol levels. The lipid panel will also test for triglycerides, which helps determine how well the body is metabolizing cholesterol (blood fats) into energy. The blood glucose level is also tested (blood sugar) to see if the patient has glucose regulation problems due to the body beginning to resist insulin (the hormone most responsible for glucose being converted into energy). Abnormally high results on these tests, plus the presence of hypertension (elevated blood pressure) and weight gain, can all point to a patient having Metabolic Syndrome.
4. Treatment. The treatment for Metabolic Syndrome is to lose weight, improve diet and exercise. Most people with this disorder only need weight loss and increased physical activity as their treatment. It is also recommended that patients decrease consumption of sugars and fatty foods. If insulin resistance has reached the level of borderline diabetes, some doctors will start patients on medication to help regulate glucose levels. Some patients will be able to wean off the medication for insulin resistance once they have lost weight and are exercising regularly. This may not be true, however, if the patient has already developed diabetes.

It is important to treat Metabolic Syndrome before it seriously affects glucose regulation in the body, which can result in diabetes and before it causes fatty infiltration of the liver, leading to Fatty Liver Disease. Treatment for Metabolic Syndrome also decreases the risk for heart disease, by lowering the elevated cholesterol level that leads to build up of plaque in the arteries.