Is your Waist Circumference Telling you Something?

Is your Waist Circumference Telling you Something? Take a Quick Look

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of certain increased parameters a doctor sees during a routine check-up rather than the specific symptoms or specific complaints from a patient.

The earlier it is noticed, the earlier we can definitely and effectively prevent the rising incidence of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and cardiovascular disease in the community. Metabolic syndrome is a silent ailment with few obvious symptoms, but studies have shown that in the past 30 years, there has been a high incidence of people falling into this category, with women exceeding men. Studies show that the adolescent age group is highly vulnerable to this condition and can get lifestyle diseases much earlier in life.

Most of the patients show no outward signs of the ailment, so they continue to neglect their health. The global COVID-19 pandemic, which we are still witnessing, has shown a high incidence of mortality in patients with metabolic syndrome.

What Is Metabolic Syndrome:

It consists of either one or all of the contributing factors:

• Central obesity
• Raised blood pressure
• Impaired fasting glucose
• Raised triglycerides
• Low levels of HDL cholesterol

When patients have any one or all of the above conditions, they have signs of metabolic syndrome and they need to change their lifestyle at the earliest.

Central Obesity:

The first and foremost sign of the start of metabolic syndrome is central obesity – an increase in waist circumference.

When unhealthy eating habits are coupled with sedentary lifestyle, it triggers a set of imbalances in our metabolism; in simple words there is a major imbalance in the breakdown of carbohydrates, protein and fats. The derangement causes metabolic syndrome.

When patients are advised to be careful in their diet or advised regular walking, it is often ignored as the patients will be having a big excuse – “No time doctor.”, and since there will be no major health issues, they will take the advice lightly. But proper lifestyle changes need to be emphasised at this point to the patient, so that they can prevent the onset of insulin resistance which is the 1st predisposing silent condition.

Patients may complain of constant fatigue, irritability, anxiety and rarely seizures; parents complain of concentration issues especially in children who are obese.

What Is Insulin Resistance:

The insulin level in the blood increases as a result of increased production of insulin from the pancreas due to unhealthy eating habits.

The patient experiences:

• Sugar craving
• Weight gain
• Hunger pangs
• Low levels of concentrators (with sudden low sugars)
• Feelings of anxiety
• Extreme fatigue

The main reason behind all the above being unhealthy lifestyle.

Access to food at any time has made it even easier for obesity to develop. The constant food intake causes insulin release, but a sedentary lifestyle causes obesity. When obesity occurs, even more insulin is released due to the constant need for it to digest glucose but unfortunately, due to insulin resistance, it is not used up by the liver. This results in increased insulin in the blood but patients will initially complain of anxiety/extreme fatigue/inability to concentrate, weight gain/hunger pangs and overeating.

Most of the time, the signs go unnoticed. In the end, the pancreas is unable to secrete any more insulin and this leads to type II diabetes mellitus.

Complications of Metabolic Syndrome:

• Hardening of arteries leading to increase in blood pressure
• Diabetes mellitus
• Ischemic heart disease
• Medical renal disease
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis
• Depression
• Insomnia

All combine and lead to financial burden as monthly expenditure increases with medications; mental disturbances lead to a poor quality of life.

Dietary Advice:

The best news is that metabolic syndrome can be reversed with a healthy diet and regular exercise. The primary reasons for metabolic syndrome are a sedentary lifestyle and poor unhealthy eating habits. Make sure your diet has whole grains. Consume wholesome portions of vegetables, healthy fats and lean meat, avoid foods high in sugar and simple carbohydrates and also avoid salted and preserved food. Avoid aerated beverages and fast food. Walk a minimum of half an hour daily.

Conclusion:

The number of patients falling into this syndrome has dramatically increased in 3 decades.

My humble request is that we should educate our children about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and build a healthy society.

Also, it is very important to do an annual health check and seek proper medical advice.