The Most Dangerous Disease You Have Not Heard Of

The Most Dangerous Disease You Have Not Heard Of

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Syndrome X

It affects nearly 1 out of every 6 Americans, yet very few people really know what it is.

It used to be called Syndrome X until it was officially given the name Metabolic Syndrome.

The American Heart Association says that nearly 47 million people have it, and it is a killer.

It’s not really a disease in the classic sense, but a cluster of conditions.  Abdominal fat, high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugars.

Any one of these conditions are potentially dangerous, but in combination it spells disaster.

It will ruin your blood vessels and arteries, lead to serious heart disease, and increase your risk of Type II diabetes by five times.

According to the American Heart Association, here are the biggest risk factors:

Waist Size – Over 40” for men, and 35” for women

High Triglycerides – 150 mg per ML

High Blood Pressure – blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or greater

High Blood Sugar – 100 mg/dL or higher fasted

Three or more of these puts you at very high risk.

WHAT CAUSES IT?

Because it’s a cluster of problems, it is usually not one thing that’s the problem.  Here are what scientists think may be the causes:

Insulin Resistance:

Insulin is the hormone released when we eat.  Carbohydrates increase the amount of insulin in your system.  It helps you use the glucose in your blood to be used for energy.  At some point though, the body quits utilizing it effectively especially as fat starts to be stored around the belly.

Obesity: 

Especially belly fat.

Processed foods: 

Especially processed carbohydrates which increase insulin.

Smoking: 

Increases the blood pressure and narrows the arteries.

Frequent eating:

Your body releases insulin every time you eat so many small meals and snacking may make the problem worse.

CAN IT BE STOPPED?

The good news is, yes you can stop it, but it is going to require lifestyle changes.

This is just not one of those things that you can take a pill for.

Some unconventional methods for taking care of this would be switching to a Ketogenic Diet and integrating fasting into your lifestyle.

According to Dr. Eric Westman of Duke University, there is no other diet program that will reverse Metabolic Syndrome as well as ketogenic eating.

Just getting rid of the carbs and eating high-fat foods will stop the insulin response and make you feel full longer which will tend to reduce meal frequency.

More and more studies are showing a low carb diet will reduce the sugar levels, triglyceride levels and reduce weight.

That will take you out of the high-risk group quickly.

After becoming “fat adaptive” (the point where your body is using ketones and not glucose for your body’s energy), you might want to start missing meals, also known as intermittent fasting.

Why would you want to skip meals?  Well every time you eat, your body secretes insulin.

So, by reducing the number of natural insulin infusions, you reduce inflammation, lower triglycerides, sugar levels and the other negative markers that put you at risk of Metabolic Syndrome.

If you have been diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome, think of it as a wake-up call.

While you have time, think about changing your lifestyle over to something that works for you and will give you many additional healthy years.