How to Safeguard your Metabolic Health | eMedEvents

 Several factors come into play when discussing one's metabolic health, including blood sugar levels, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and waist circumference. Similar to a rotten apple, your metabolism can be deceptive: while you may look like the perfect picture of health on the outside, a peek beneath the surface might reveal that your body is not actually functioning well. Metabolic syndrome (or "insulin resistance syndrome") is the name for a cluster of conditions that negatively affect the aforementioned factors, and together they greatly increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. While there is no comparable worldwide data on metabolic syndrome just yet, it is estimated that % of the global population is affected, making it roughly three times more common than diabetes. That's over 1 billion people around the world who suffer from metabolic syndrome. What Does "Metabolism" Mean, and How Does One Keep It Healthy? "Metabolism" is a holistic term that encompasses all chemical reactions that contribute to keeping an organism alive. The primary ingredient for your metabolism is a substance called glucose. It functions as the body's fuel, but consuming too much of it risks giving your cells a sugar rush that sends everything into overdrive. Maintaininga healthy metabolism involves practicing a healthy lifestyle, including at least 30 minutes of regular exercise, a nutritious diet, monitoring your saturated fat and sodium intake, and avoiding smoking. The ultimate goal is to maintain a weight in which your blood sugar, HDL, and blood pressure levels are all within healthy parameters.

Public health officials found that one of the best and easiest ways to improve metabolic health is to monitor and control your glucose levels. So what is a good glucose level, and how can you keep yours in check? It's normal for your blood sugar to change throughout the day. It rises and falls depending on your mood, what you eat, if you've gotten a good night's sleep, or if you've just physically exerted yourself. This fluctuation is called "glucose variability" If your glucose variability swings up and down too dramatically, you could be at risk for metabolic dysfunction, diabetes, insulin resistance, and even heart disease. Your best bet is to keep that variability under 129% of your baseline glucose level. Controlling your glucOse levels means staying informed and regularly discussing your health with your doctor. 7 Tips for Warding Off Metabolic Syndrome There is no "simple fix" for good metabolic health; however, here are some good practices that will establish the groundwork you need to safeguard your metabolism. 1. Know your resting metabolic rate (RMR). To begin boosting your metabolic health, you need to know where the starting line is. Your RMR is one of three pieces of the metabolic health puzzle. An RMR test will tell you how many calories your body burns while at rest, which makes up about 709% of your body's daily energy expenditure.

This information is vital when it comes to creating an effective food plan with your dietitian to bring your weight into a healthy range, though it can also help you better understand how to maintain your current weight-after all, good metabolic health hinges on achieving a healthy equilibrium within your body. 2. Avoid skipping meals-especially breakfast. It is a common misconception that skipping meals contributes to accelerated weight loss, but it actualy does more harm than good. When you fail to eat regularly, your body assumes food is not readily available and goes into survival mode, which leads to an increase in fat reserves. Knowing your RMR comes into play here, regardless of whether you need to lose, maintain, or gain weight. As for the importance of breakfast? Eating after waking helps you stay energized throughout the day, and you'll feel fuller for longer while avoiding cravings for high-calorie foods. 3. Take breaks for teatime. Green tea is rich in catechins that have been shown to enhance fat oxidation, decrease your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and boost thermogenesis-which is the number of calories your body burns as it digests. It also provides a healthy amount of caffeine that can serve as a pick-me-up duringa long day.