Metabolic syndrome: symptoms, causes and treatments

Metabolic syndrome is a constellation of related medical symptoms that, together, affect how the body metabolizes and stores energy. Here's what you need to know about the syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome can be dangerous, increasing an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart attack and stroke, but thankfully, it's manageable. With so many individuals suffering (one out of five Canadians, to be exact), there are calls to treat it as a significant public health problem.

The criteria for metabolic syndrome have changed over time, but researchers agree that a few main symptoms characterize the condition. The most important one is central obesity, or too much fat around the abdominal area.

Other symptoms include high blood pressure, low HDL and high LDL cholesterol, insulin resistance and impaired fasting glucose (also known as prediabetes). Any combination of these signs may be an indication of metabolic syndrome.

Doctors suspect metabolic syndrome arises through a combination of factors. Some doctors suggest obesity and insulin resistance are causes of metabolic syndrome rather than effects. Other factors include stress, disturbed sleep cycles or lack of sleep, lack of exercise, poor diet, aging and genetics.

While not causes per se, there are a number of conditions that are comorbid with metabolic syndrome and may affect it. These include polycystic ovarian syndrome, mood disorders, schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, fatty liver, hyperuricemia, psoriasis and arthritis. People with these health conditions are generally more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those without.

The best way to prevent metabolic syndrome is to create positive lifestyle changes. These include a healthy amount of physical activity each day (30 minutes of light aerobic exercise is a great example), quitting smoking and eating a diet that's low in sugar, unhealthy fats and calories.

However, many researchers note that these techniques may not be wholly effective since many patients reporter that making significant changes to diet and exercise too difficult to maintain over the course of their lifetime.

If these changes don't resolve the symptoms in a reasonable amount of time, doctors may begin to treat the condition with a series of medications instead. They are usually most concerned with resolving hypertension, imbalanced cholesterol and obesity.