Stress May Lead to Metabolic Syndrome. Here's How to Overcome It

Stress May Lead to Metabolic Syndrome.

Here's How to Overcome It March 2, 2024 Share Share Link Close share Copy link 5 min read March 1, 2024 – High blood pressure.

High triglycerides.

An expanding waistline .

High fasting blood sugar.

Abnormal cholesterol .

If you have three or more of these ailments, you may have metabolic syndrome – a common, yet often overlooked condition.

Metabolic syndrome, also known as insulin resistance syndrome, raises your risk of type 2 diabetes , heart disease, and stroke.

But now researchers are finding that stress plays a critical role, and managing that stress could help reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome, as well as treat diseases linked to it.

While managing psychological distress can be complicated at times, there are easy, affordable ways to lower stress levels, along with your risk of metabolic syndrome.

Why that’s important: New research published in the journal Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health found that stress can lead to increased inflammation, and inflammation raises your risk of metabolic syndrome.

Stress can lead to decreases in HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), and increases in obesity levels, insulin resistance, and triglycerides – all of which can damage your inflammatory pathways.

Thus, stress is indirectly tied to metabolic syndrome through the harmful effects of inflammation.

If your levels of triglyceride – a type of fat in the blood – are 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or more, you also have a higher risk of metabolic syndrome.

Other risk factors include a fasting blood sugar above 100 mg/dL and a blood pressure higher than 130/85.

What You Should Know About Metabolic Syndrome 1 / 12 What Is Metabolic Syndrome?

It’s not a single disease, but a group of related health problems: too much belly fat, high triglycerides, cholesterol trouble, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.

When you have at least three of these issues, your chances for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke are higher than they’d be with any of those health problems on their own.

2 / 12 Large Waistline When you’re larger around the middle -- you have an apple or pear shape to your body -- that can lead to metabolic syndrome.

In general, this means a waist size of 35 inches or more for women and 40 inches or more for men, but your doctor can tell you if that rule applies to you.

It’s not just the fat itself that’s the problem, it’s the location: belly fat is more dangerous for heart disease and other conditions .

3 / 12 High Triglycerides It’s a type of fat in the blood that your body makes from extra calories.

If you can’t keep your level below 150 mg/dL, you could be more likely to get metabolic syndrome.

You can take medicine to lower your triglyceride levels, but the best way is to lose weight, exercise, and cut back on calories.

4 / 12 Too Little HDL Cholesterol HDL is “good” cholesterol that may help remove LDL, the “bad” kind, from your arteries.

If your HDL is less than 50 mg/dL for a woman, or less than 40 mg/dL for a man, that can set you up for metabolic syndrome.

You may be able to raise your HDL levels with weight loss, a better diet, and other lifestyle changes.

5 / 12 High Fasting Blood Sugar When you don’t eat for 8 hours or so, your body begins to run out of blood sugar from food and it starts to break down the stored form.

Your body uses the hormone insulin to keep levels in a healthy range.

But sometimes it can’t manage this balancing act and your “fasting” blood sugar gets too high.

Anything over 100 mg/dL could lead to metabolic syndrome.

6 / 12 High Blood Pressure Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your arteries as your heart pumps and rests.

If yours is higher than 130/85, you could get metabolic syndrome.

But you may be able to cut your numbers naturally if you lose just 5% of your body weight.

Exercise, quitting smoking, and a healthy, low-salt diet can also help.

7 / 12 What Causes Metabolic Syndrome?

You’re more likely to get it as you get older, and you also may have some genes that raise your odds.

There’s not much you can do about that.

But you can make other changes to prevent the condition and lower the chances you’ll get coronary heart disease, heart attacks, and type 2 diabetes.

8 / 12 Stay Active People who don’t get enough physical activity are more likely to get metabolic syndrome.

You should get about 30 minutes of exercise a day, at least 5 days a week.

But don’t stop there.

The more you get up and move around throughout the day, the better your health will be.

Even 10 minutes of exercise at a time can make a big difference.

9 / 12 Watch Your Weight Too much body fat is another possible cause of metabolic syndrome.

It’s strongly linked to all of the health problems that make up the condition.

It also can make your body stop responding to insulin, the hormone that keeps blood sugar levels stable.

That’s called insulin resistance, and it’s another common reason that people get metabolic syndrome.

10 / 12 Other Possible Causes Inflammation throughout the body and having blood that clots too easily may be conditions of metabolic syndrome or may be factors in its development.

Other conditions that may play a role are: A fatty liver: Too many triglycerides and other fats in the liver Polycystic ovarian syndrome: When women get cysts on their ovaries Gallstones: Hard pieces made from digestive fluid in the gallbladder Sleep apnea: You stop breathing over and over during sleep, which means you don’t get enough oxygen 11 / 12 Change Your Habits This is the first thing your doctor will suggest to treat metabolic syndrome.

Cut back on sugar, salt, saturated fat, and processed foods, and eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

Get more exercise.

If you smoke, talk to your doctor about quitting.

All of these habits can help you lower your blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides, as well as raise your good cholesterol and trim your waistline -- the five things that add up to metabolic syndrome.

12 / 12 Medication May Help If lifestyle changes don’t control your metabolic syndrome, your doctor may suggest medicine.

It won’t replace lifestyle changes, but it can help.

You may get a drug called a statin to lower your cholesterol.

Other medicines may: Lower your chance of a heart attack Lower your blood pressure Prevent blood clots Fight coronary heart disease One of the ways to lower your stress is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

ACT highlights the benefits of mindfulness – the art of being “in the moment,” along with paying close attention to how your body communicates (for example, acknowledging the severe anxiety you often feel during the holidays or major family gatherings).

Another ACT technique is the practice of both recognizing and acting on personal values you have identified.

Having self as context – meaning “being aware of thoughts, feelings, etc., without being attached to them” – is another ACT practice.

Along with managing your stress levels, there are other practical ways to monitor, or lower, your risk of metabolic syndrome.

These include helpful tracking tools like an inexpensive blood pressure cuff and glucometer (around $20) according to Easton Bryant, PharmD, owner of North Century Pharmacy in Columbia, KY.

A body composition analyzer can also be extremely helpful to monitor metabolic syndrome risk.

While these machines are quite pricey, there are health facilities across the country that will allow you to use the machine for a low cost.

A body composition analyzer allows you to take note of the amount of fat you have on your limbs and extremities, as well as your muscle mass.

Building your muscle mass is an often overlooked part of lowering your risk of metabolic syndrome, says Michelle Ponder, MD, an obesity board-certified endocrinologist and diabetes and metabolism specialist for Duke Health in Durham, NC.

Experts suggest at least 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise (dancing, taking a brisk walk, biking) or 75 minutes of high-intensity activity (running, swimming laps, climbing stairs).

“People miss out on trying to make sure that at least two of those activity sessions per week are resistance exercise,” Ponder said.

“So, whether it's body weight or weightlifting , that really plays a large role in preventing the development of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.” Novelli has been in the wellness industry for 30 years and maintains a healthy lifestyle of clean eating and regular exercise.

Despite this, she began to notice her waistline expanding.

A metabolic syndrome diagnosis took her by surprise.

Using her health and wellness background, she learned just how a health-conscious person could have developed this condition and what she could do to regain her health.

Because metabolic syndrome is based on insulin resistance – or too much sugar in your bloodstream – eating the wrong foods for our specific bodies can increase the risk of conditions that lead to metabolic syndrome, she said.

Novelli offers clients a customized food plan based on their metabolic blood panel (blood sugar levels), as well as their age, gender, medical conditions, and food preferences, among other things.

Novelli went from a size 10 (34-inch waist) back to a size 2 (27-inch waist) using this method of tracking.

“When you're getting the insulin and the blood sugar system to work correctly, you start to lose the symptomatology of metabolic syndrome – and that's the waistline.” Metabolic syndrome is often not a “hot topic,” as many people focus on the aesthetic side of weight loss and health, like whittling your waistline in time for the summer, Bryant said.

Diagnosable or not, metabolic syndrome awareness is critical, as the risk for severe outcomes like stroke or heart disease is far greater when you have a cluster of cardiovascular diseases vs.

a singular one.

But metabolic syndrome and the conditions that go along with it are commonplace across the country, and doctors often simply prescribe medication vs.

major diet and lifestyle changes, Bryant said.

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