A sedentary life and unbalanced diet bring along many diseases. One of them is the “metabolic syndrome”.
Metabolic syndrome, which has increased rapidly in recent years, triggers especially diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure.
Metabolic syndrome; It is a serious health problem that is increasing all over the world with the improvement of socioeconomic conditions. Increasing socioeconomic level has brought with it the consumption of ready-made foods and a more sedentary life. Thus, the frequency of co-occurrence of a number of metabolic problems began to increase. These problems are in the form of sugar metabolism, fat metabolism disorders and elevation in blood pressure and are defined as “metabolic syndrome”.
This is a simple and widely adopted definition recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the USA is 21.8% in general, and this rate reaches up to 43.5% with increasing age. Although there are differences according to regions in our society, the frequency of metabolic syndrome is especially high in women.
The most common features of metabolic syndrome can be listed as follows;
1- There is an increase with age, there are increasing rates in the middle-aged and elderly population.
2- Compared to those who do not have metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and death rates are considerably higher.
3- The risk of developing diabetes mellitus has increased 3-6 times, and the risk of having high blood pressure is added to this increase.
4- In women of reproductive age, disorders such as infertility, menstrual irregularity, and increased hair growth are frequently seen together. Naturally, due to these disorders, many organs such as the heart, brain, kidney and liver are adversely affected.
According to the World Health Organization data; It is stated that 30% (approximately 17.500.000 deaths) of 58 million deaths in 2005 were caused by cardiovascular system and accompanying diseases. It is predicted that this rate will reach 36% in 2020. In this case, early detection and treatment of the disease is very meaningful for the future
.
Metabolic syndrome is a group of diseases formed by a combination of several parameters;
Diabetes or impaired fasting sugar,
Presence of insulin resistance,
Imbalance in blood lipids (triglyceride>150 mg/dl, HDL-C <40 mg/ in men dl, women <50 mg/dl),
Blood pressure >130/85 mmHg or taking antihypertensive therapy,
Waist circumference >94 cm in men and >80cm in women, or body mass index is >30kg/m2.
For the definition of metabolic syndrome, it is sufficient for two of these values to be side by side.
Weight loss with low-calorie diets and exercise is recommended as the first and main treatment strategy in patients with metabolic syndrome. While providing weight loss, it is a realistic and correct approach to reduce the current body weight by 7-10% in 6-12 months and to maintain the weight in the long term. Proper diet and exercise can reduce the rate of diabetes by 60% in studies.
On the other hand, treatment of additional problems such as high blood pressure is mandatory.
In conclusion, metabolic syndrome is a serious health problem with an increasing frequency. However, it can be regressed and stopped with early detection. Therefore, regular follow-up and healthy lifestyle changes are necessary.
