Metabolic Syndrome

Back Clinic Metabolic Syndrome Functional Medicine Team. This is a group of conditions that include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. These occur together, increasing an individual’s risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions doesn’t mean an individual has metabolic syndrome. However, any of these conditions increase the risk of serious disease. Having more than one of these might increase the risk even more. Most of the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome have no symptoms.

However, a large waist circumference is a visible sign. In addition, if an individual’s blood sugar is very high, they might have signs and symptoms of diabetes, including increased thirst, urination, fatigue, and blurred vision. This syndrome is closely linked to overweight/obesity and inactivity. It’s also linked to a condition called insulin resistance. Normally, the digestive system breaks down foods into sugar (glucose). Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps sugar enter the cells to fuel. People with insulin resistance their cells don’t normally respond to insulin, and glucose can’t enter the cells as easily. As a result, glucose levels in the blood rise despite the body’s attempt to control the glucose by churning out more and more insulin.