Metabolic syndrome

Hi Everyone!

Hope you're all well and enjoying a relaxing weekend.

As you know, we had the monthly Spark Session yesterday, and our resident pharmacist, told us about metabolic syndrome, which is sometimes also called pre-diabetes, and is considered the tipping point between health and all-out disease.

So what is metabolic syndrome?

It's a combination of 3 or more of the following conditions:

• obesity (with high amounts of abdominal fat)
• elevated blood pressure
• elevated fasting blood glucose (above the normal range of 4-6)
• high serum lipids (triglicerides)
• low HDL cholesterol (the good type of cholesterol)

Metabolic syndrome puts people at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which manifests as

• essential hypertension
• heart failure (heart function is insufficient to support normal body functions)
• coronary heart disease (blood supply to heart muscle is compromised due to blocked blood vessels)
• ischaemic stroke (decrease in blood flow to the brain, which has the highest demand for energy and oxygen of all the body's organs)
• haemorrhagic stroke (blood vessels fail)
• heart attack

and increased risk of diabetes:

• elevated blood glucose
• reduced insulin sensitivity (body's tissues fail to respond to insulin)
• increased blood pressure
• increased risk of end organ damage (kidneys, lung, brain, heart suffer damage due to lack of nutrients, inability to get rid of waste products, and blood entering organs under increased pressure)
• nerve tissue damage

Causes of metabolic syndrome:

• still under investigation
• thought to be caused by underlying disorder of energy utilisation and storage (normally, glycogen is stored in the liver and converted into glucose when energy is required)
• poor nutrition is a factor (Western diet with fast foods is high in calories but low in nutrients, eg. meat patty in hamburger is full of protein which is good, but the bun is empty calories and the fries are prepared in trans fats, the detrimental effect of which becomes worse the more the chip oil is re-used)
• sedentary lifestyle is a major contributor, i.e. lack of exercise (the sum of most people's daily exercise is walking between the home/office and their car)

Signs & symptoms of metabolic syndrome:

• waist circumference of 37 inches or more (European men) OR 31.5 inches or more (European and South-Asian women) OR 35.5 inches or more (South-Asian women) (pesticides & toxins from food production accumulate in body fat, especially abdominal fat when excess fat is present - remove excess fat from meats as it'll decrease amount of toxins one ingests; the antibiotics one ingests via meat from antibiotics given to animals affect gut flora in the body, which has serious effects on health - minimise effect by taking acidophillus tablets)
• blood pressure consistently equal to or above 140/90 mm mercury
• polycystic ovarian syndrome (the body manufactures & stores more oestrogen, which leads to an increase in percentage body fat, irregular periods and potential infertility)
• erectile disfunction (high blood glucose thickens blood more than usual, which increases resistance to flow)
• acanthosis nigricans (darkened areas in skin folds)

What can we do about it?

• eat healthily, watch our diet and limit bad foods (follow GNLD lifestyle pyramid: exercise and weight management most important, abundant whole grains in the diet, followed by fresh fruit & vegetables, limited protein and very little fat)
• lose weight (BMI of 18.5 - 24.9 is ideal)
• quit smoking (it'll decrease risk of cardiovascular disease)
• cut down on alcohol consumption (use in moderation, as it is empty calories)
• Louis Smith's six best doctors: sunshine, air (breathe deeply), water (fresh, purified), exercise, sleep enough, healthy diet
• supplement your diet (most people are 40-60% deficient in nutrients)

Key supplements to reverse metabolic syndrome:

• NeoLife shakes (calorie-controlled, full spectrum nutrients, control of glycemic response) - 6 weeks of shake reverses insulin sensitivity
• fibre (NeoLife appetite reducer (decrease rate of absorption of glucose)
• ProVitality+ (may need extra Omega-3 Salmon Oil Plus - prevents the liver from producing bad fats/triglicerides; Carotenoid Complex reduces cholesterol oxidation by 500%)
• NeoLife protein bars & NeoLife Tea (help regulate blood sugar levels)
• Kal-Mag plus D (vitamin D regulates metabolism & blood glucose; vit D deficiency may lead to depression)
• Aloe Vera juice (boosts metabolism, helps muscle recovery in athletes, helps cells repair themselves)
• wheatgerm oil plus vitamin E (helps to normalise hormone levels, improves circulation problems, vit E helps oestrogen levels)

Cancer cells feed off sugar as they need a constant supply of energy due to high metabolic rate of tumours - eliminate all sugar if you have cancer.