Unhealthy Lifestyle? Beware of Threatening Metabolic Syndrome!

What is Metabolic Syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of symptoms or health problems that occur together. This syndrome is a risk factor for cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases such as coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Metabolic Syndrome Diagnostic Criteria

• Abdominal/Central Obesity, i.e. male abdominal circumference ≥ 90cm and female ≥ 80 cm
• Hypertriglyceridemia ≥ 150mg/dl
• Hypertension or systolic blood pressure ≥130mmHg and diastolic blood pressure ≥85mmHg
• High blood glucose levels, namely GDP ≥100mg/dl
• Micro-albuminuri i.e. Urinary albumin and creatinine ratio of 30mg/g or albumin excretion rate of 20mcg/minute

Someone is said to suffer from metabolic syndrome if they experience at least three of the five conditions/criteria for metabolic syndrome.

Causes and Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome

Several factors that can increase a person's risk of developing metabolic syndrome are:

• Bad eating patterns and consuming too many fatty or sweet foods and often eating after 8 pm
• Alcohol consumption
• Have a smoking habit
• Rarely do physical activities such as cardiovascular exercise
• Often experience stress
• Genetic factors due to having a family affected by metabolic syndrome
• Impact of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome can cause health problems such as:

• Coronary heart disease
• Blockage Stroke
• Heart failure
• Cancer
• Risky pregnancy

Efforts to prevent metabolic syndrome

By knowing the causes or risk factors for metabolic syndrome, what can be done is to reduce and minimize these risk factors through:

• Manage a healthy diet by increasing consumption of vegetables and fruit, consuming carbohydrates according to the needs of 40-60% of the ideal total calorie intake, and limiting sucrose consumption, which is 5% of total calorie intake
• Avoid eating late at night and time your meal well from breakfast to dinner under 7pm
• If necessary, consult with a clinical nutritionist to check your body's health condition and appropriate food intake
• Avoid consuming alcohol, because alcohol can increase the incidence of Metabolic Syndrome and complications of Metabolic Syndrome
• Avoid smoking. Smoking accelerates the occurrence of Metabolic Syndrome
• Do physical activity. Do cardiovascular exercise at least 3x a week for at least 30 minutes. Target heart rate: [220-age]x64-74%
• Avoid stress and control the body's mental health condition. adjust work to ability, adequate rest, draw closer to the Creator
• More discipline in managing lifestyle and health

Lifestyle and daily habits can affect our health condition, so, let's adopt a healthy lifestyle so that the body is maintained and protected from the threat of disease, especially diseases that arise due to metabolic syndrome. And don't be afraid to make early detection or consult a doctor if you experience problems or symptoms that are unusual in your body condition, so that they can be treated quickly and get the right treatment.