CONCLUSION

Metabolic syndrome is the combination of:

  • Insulin resistance
  • Excess intra-abdominal fat
  • Unhealthy levels of fats in the blood (too much triglyceride and too little HDL cholesterol)
  • High blood pressure

Having metabolic syndrome makes a person more likely to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease, especially men over 45 years of age and women over 55 years of age. Metabolic syndrome is a common health problem, especially in those parts of the world where obesity is on the rise.

Treatment of metabolic syndrome begins with therapeutic lifestyle changes. Weight loss, improved diet, and regular physical exercise are the elements of the initial treatment program. Medications may be recommended to treat those components of metabolic syndrome (e.g., high blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia) that do not improve sufficiently with therapeutic lifestyle changes alone.

RESOURCES

IDF Worldwide Definition of the Metabolic Syndrome (International Diabetes Federation)

Metabolic syndrome (American Heart Association)

Metabolic syndrome (Mayo Clinic)

Metabolic syndrome (MedicineNet.com)

Metabolic syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

What is metabolic syndrome? (National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute)

REFERENCES

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