Metabolic Syndrome

The fattest nation on Earth!

Australia is now officially the fattest nation in the world, with more than nine million adults classified as obese or overweight.

Four million Australians are considered obese (26% of the adult population) and five million are considered overweight (33% of the adult population). Being obese or overweight is extremely unhealthy and has been shown to increase your risk of many chronic illnesses, including metabolic syndrome.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a condition often seen in people who are obese or overweight. This condition can affect your blood sugar control, your cholesterol levels, your blood pressure and long term can significantly increase your risk of developing heart disease and/or diabetes.

Metabolic syndrome is now recognised as a major contributing factor behind the two major causes of death in our society: heart disease and cancer. In fact, if you have metabolic syndrome, this increases your risk of heart attack and stroke by around 500%!

 1 in 4 Australian adults have metabolic syndrome – could this be you?

It is estimated that 19-29% of Australian adults aged 25 and above have metabolic syndrome. If you have been diagnosed with one or more of the following conditions, you may have metabolic syndrome:

• High blood pressure.

• Diabetes or at risk of diabetes.

• Problems with your triglycerides or cholesterol.

• Carrying extra weight around your waist.

What causes metabolic syndrome?

Many factors contribute to the development of metabolic syndrome, including:

• Lack of exercise.

• Poorly managed stress.

• A high calorie diet.

• A diet high in processed foods and sugar.

• Toxicity.

These factors can throw your body out of balance so you lose the ability to regulate the levels of fat and sugar in your blood. This can cause cardiovascular problems, like high blood pressure, and increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes – affecting your long-term health.

 The “beer belly” is bad news

Keeping your weight under control is the first step to addressing metabolic syndrome. Being obese or overweight is a major risk factor for metabolic syndrome and where the fat is stored actually has a major influence on the risk of metabolic syndrome. Abdominal fat (i.e. fat around your mid-section) increases your risk far more than general body fat (i.e. fat on hips and thighs). The preferred waist measurement for men is below 94 cm, and for women it’s below 80 cm. A measurement of above 102 cm for men or above 88 cm for women puts you at risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The good news…

If you think you may already have metabolic syndrome, it’s not all bad news. Metabolic syndrome is largely caused by diet and lifestyle, so there is a lot that can be done to remedy the condition, providing you address it early enough. The bad news is that if you do not address the causes of metabolic syndrome, it can lead to irreversible damage to your heart and arteries, kidneys, liver and nervous system.

Take the first step today!

Along with a healthy lifestyle and diet, there are many nutritional and herbal supplements that have been shown to be very effective at addressing metabolic syndrome. If you suspect you may have metabolic syndrome, come in today and see me to help address this condition and get you on the way to wellness!

8 Jul 2011

Marisa Camilleri - MELBOURNE NATUROPATHIC WELLNESS Profile | Email | Website Naturopath - Herbalist - Homoeopath - Nutrition - Iridology - Ear Candling - Detoxification - Candida & Coeliac testing - Infertility - Anxiety - Womens Health - Stress - Depression - Chronic pain - Migraines - High blood pressure - Irritable bowel - Coeliac disease - Constipation & diarrhoea - Skin conditions - Glandular fever - CFS - Hypo/hyperthyroidism - Childhood diseases - ADHD Melbourne & Newport Clinics. Suite 15/12 Collins St Melbourne VIC Australia 3000 9663 5940