Metabolic Syndrome

In addition to being the driving force behind type-2 diabetes, insulin resistance is also part and parcel of a condition known as metabolic syndrome.

Identified in the mid-1980s by Stanford University researcher Gerald Reaven, MD, metabolic syndrome, initially called  syndrome X, is a cluster of disorders that includes obesity, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol (often referred to as “good” cholesterol since it ushers excess cholesterol out of the body), and increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Reaven, observing that these seemingly unrelated disorders cropped up so often in the same individuals, determined that the one underlying constant was insulin resistance. In addition to insulin resistance, here are some of the other risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome:

• Abdominal obesity: an accumulation of excess fat around the waist
• Age: the older you are, the higher your risk
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Hormone imbalances
• Poor diet: a diet high in saturated and trans fats and sugar

Fortunately, by following the alternative treatments for diabetes that we’ll be sharing here, you will not only protect yourself from diabetes, but also lower your risk of metabolic syndrome.