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Metabolic Syndrome Responds to Regular Exercise

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Insulin Resistance related image Photo: Getty Images

Metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance. These terms may be unfamiliar but according to wisegeek.com, one out of every six people may have metabolic syndrome.

This condition is characterized by high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and fat that collects in the mid-section.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), metabolic syndrome is also called insulin resistance syndrome. It was formerly called syndrome X.

How would you know if you have metabolic syndrome?

If you're a woman with a waist size of 35 inches or more, or a man with a waist of 40 inches or more, you could have metabolic syndrome.

If you're a woman whose HDL (good cholesterol) is under 50 mg/dL or a man whose HDL is under 40 mg/dL, or if you're on medication for such a condition, you are potentially a candidate.

Are your triglyceride levels 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher? Are you taking medication for high triglycerides?

Is your blood pressure over 130/85 or are you taking medication for high blood pressure?

Is your fasting blood glucose level at or over 100 mg/dL or are you taking medication for this type of situation?

If you have three or more of those conditions you qualify.

Fortunately metabolic syndrome is reversible by making lifestyle changes. One of the most effective of those changes is regular exercise.

Canadianliving.com explained that with metabolic syndrome your body isn't processing insulin as it should. This is where the name insulin resistance come from. And unfortunately insulin resistance increases your risk for diabetes and coronary heart disease.

A study from the Coopers Institute in Dallas, Texas, indicated that physical fitness can make great inroads in a case of metabolic syndrome, or can help to prevent it from occurring in the first place.

This study made the recommendation that people at risk should be active for an hour a day.

Regular exercise reduces insulin, regulates blood glucose levels, according to Ei-resource.org and this contributes to the reduction of fat and increase of muscle. Moderation is key so that you don't overdo it and stress your adrenals, which will reverse any benefit.

It's best to start with small changes. Just going for a brief walk can increase your circulation. This enables your insulin to more effectively get glucose to your cells.

As you slowly increase your activity level, your muscle mass will increase and that will have a significant regulating effect on your blood glucose and insulin. As more muscle development occurs, your glucose storage and your insulin production will become more normalized.

Metabolic syndrome is a fairly direct route to increasingly poor health. Stirring yourself up to take action against it can put you on a superior path to greater well-being.

Resources:

What Is the Best Metabolic Syndrome Treatment?
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-best-metabolic-syndrome-treatment.htm

Insulin Resistance and Pre-diabetes
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/insulinresistance

Metabolic syndrome and physical fitness
http://www.canadianliving.com/health/prevention/metabolic_syndrome_and_physical_fitness.php

Hypoglycemia and Insulin Resistance
http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-conditions/hypoglycemia-&-insulin-resistance

Diet, fitness and metabolic syndrome - The DR's EXTRA Study.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21186108

Reviewed July 14, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg R.N.
Edited by Alison Stanton

Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

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