As modern people’s eating habits become westernized and the obese population increases, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Korea has been steadily increasing for the past 12 years. Metabolic syndrome, which is also called the root of all diseases, is a disease that needs attention because it has a high risk of causing various complications such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and fatty liver in the future. Hear from a cardiologist on the right practice for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome.
What is metabolic syndrome
Metabolic syndrome refers to a condition in which several diseases that increase the risk of health problems such as high blood sugar, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and obesity appear at once in an individual.
Although there are various diagnostic criteria, central obesity (waist circumference: 90 cm for men, 80 cm for women), hypertriglyceridemia (150 mg/dL or more triglycerides), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lowering (40 mg/dL for men, 50 mg/dL for women) If three or more of the following), fasting blood sugar 100 mg/dL or higher, and hypertension (systolic blood pressure 130 mmHg or higher or diastolic blood pressure 85 mmHg or higher) apply, the condition is diagnosed as metabolic syndrome.
Although the exact cause of metabolic syndrome is not known, it is assumed that the underlying cause is insulin resistance, which is caused by a combination of environmental factors such as diet, lack of exercise, and excessive stress that induce obesity.
Risk of metabolic syndrome
Although metabolic syndrome does not show any specific symptoms after the onset, it has a risk that various complications may occur depending on each component of the metabolic syndrome. Hypertension and dyslipidemia are the representative risk factors for cardiovascular disease by themselves, and if blood sugar and blood pressure continue to rise due to obesity, the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as cerebral infarction, angina, and myocardial infarction increases more than twice. In particular, insulin resistance, which is closely related to the onset of metabolic syndrome, is known to increase the risk of diabetes by up to five times because it causes excessive insulin secretion in the body.
Management method to prevent metabolic syndrome
Weight gain is known to be a factor closely related to the development of metabolic syndrome. According to the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, only 5% of subjects of normal weight had metabolic syndrome, but more than half (60%) of obese subjects were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. In addition, since there is no single treatment method that can completely cure metabolic syndrome so far, it can be said that maintaining an appropriate weight through lifestyle improvement including diet and exercise is the most important for prevention.
1) Improve your eating habits
Improving eating habits plays a very important part in preventing metabolic syndrome. As Koreans’ eating habits are westernized, the intake of saturated fat, which is animal oil, is also steadily increasing. In addition, trans fats contained in processed foods such as bread and sweets are also a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Another study found that eating 2% or more of your total daily calories as trans fats could increase your risk of cardiovascular disease by up to 23%. Therefore, it is helpful to prevent metabolic syndrome by minimizing the intake of saturated fat or trans fat and increasing the intake of unsaturated fatty acids, which are vegetable fats.
In addition, Koreans have a particularly high proportion of carbohydrates in their total intake. If carbohydrates are consumed excessively, glucose cannot be used as an energy source but is converted to fat, which increases triglycerides in the body and reduces HDL cholesterol, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, it is better to reduce carbohydrates to an appropriate level, and configure the diet in a way that increases fresh vegetables and high-protein foods instead.
2) Get enough exercise
Exercise is essential for weight loss along with diet control. High-intensity exercise helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, so it is recommended to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, such as brisk walking and biking, and 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise, such as running or swimming, per week. Strength training as well as aerobic exercise can improve physical function and reduce blood sugar and blood pressure.
In addition, maintaining a diet and exercising only reduces the effect of weight loss, so it is very helpful to prevent metabolic syndrome and maintain overall health.
3) Be sure to smoke and drink only in small amounts
Although the smoking rate in Korea is on the decline, it still shows a high smoking rate among OECD countries. Toxic substances such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, and oxidizing gas that accumulate in the body during smoking cause abnormal lipoprotein metabolism and dysfunction of endothelial cells, and stimulate adrenaline to increase blood pressure and heart rate. In particular, smoking is a risk factor for insulin resistance, which greatly increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. According to one meta-analysis, smoking increases the risk of metabolic syndrome by 1.26 times, so it is necessary to try to quit smoking for health.
Excessive drinking also increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, so be careful. As the amount of alcohol increases, blood pressure rises along with the level of triglycerides in the blood, which can lead to various metabolic diseases. However, drinking less than 4 glasses of soju is known to help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity. It is important to prevent metabolic syndrome by cultivating a habit of moderate alcohol intake (40 g or less for men, 20 g or less for women) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) per day, but to refrain from excessive drinking frequently.
▲Reference thesis: Lifestyle Modification in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: Statement From Korean Society of CardioMetabolic Syndrome