What is Cardio Metabolic Syndrome?
- Having heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, and/or diabetes or any of their precursors in combination is called metabolic syndrome.
- It begins with high cholesterol starting as early as the 20s, being increasingly overweight, especially around the middle, having high blood pressure, showing symptoms of insulin resistance, followed by having a heart attack or a stroke.
- In Georgia, between one in three and one in two adults are at risk of or have metabolic syndrome:
- Obesity rose 9% in adults between 2011 and 2013 in Georgia.
- Heart disease and diabetes together are the leading cause of premature death in Georgia.
- Together they cause more than 23,000 deaths a year in our state and more than 150,000 years of potential life are lost per year as a result of these two diseases.
- Costing us as a state billions of dollars a year—close to nine billion, and 600 million in missed days at work.
Risks Associated With Having All Three Diseases
- You are at risk if you are overweight, use tobacco, have uncontrolled high blood pressure, or have ever had abnormal blood sugars.
- If you can get to age 50 without any of these risk factors, your lifetime risk of a heart attack or stroke for men is about 5%, and for women it’s 8%.
- But, if you have two or more of these risk factors at age 50—
- For men, your chances of dying of a heart attack or stroke are almost 14 times higher than someone who has no risk factors. So for men, behavior makes a huge difference.
- For women, your risk is about 8 times higher than a woman who makes it to age 50 without any of the risk factors, which is still a lot.
- Even just one of these risk factors increases your risk:
- Men with one risk factor are 10 times as likely to die of a heart attack or stroke.
- Women with one risk factor are about 5 times as likely as someone with none to die of a heart attack or stroke.
- Persons with diabetes at age 50 have the greatest risk of dying of a heart attack.
- Smoking alone doubles your risk of dying of a heart attack, although smokers are more likely to die of cancers before they have a heart attack or stroke.
What Can People Do To Reduce the Likelihood of Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Stroke?
- Remember the ABCDE’S:
- A—Asprin
- If you don’t have any other risk factors and you are over 40, talk with your doctor about the benefits of taking a daily asprin.
- B—Blood pressure
- Know your numbers.
- Have your blood pressure checked regularly.
- There are a lot of places where you can have it checked—fire departments, community centers, churches, pharmacies and sometimes even grocery stores. High blood pressure is a silent killer.
- If you have two or more readings of 140/90, you have uncontrolled high blood pressure and need to see a doctor regularly.
- C—Cholesterol
- Have your cholesterol checked. If it isn’t normal, talk with your doctor about starting on a statin.
- Although there are differences for men and women and important considerations for diabetics, the research says you get the most benefit from that initial placement on a drug that can help protect your blood vessels.
- D—Diabetes and pre-diabetes
- Have your blood sugar checked, and if you have diabetes or are at risk, check your A1C.
- Pre-diabetes is a condition before you need insulin where you have abnormal blood sugars. If this is you, you can slow or stop the progression to diabetes with diet and physical activity.
- If you have diabetes or abnormal blood sugar, enroll in a self-management program, like the Diabetes Prevention Program or Diabetes Self-Management Education programs. Some insurance companies, including Medicare, cover some of these programs.
- E— Eat Right and Be Active
- Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and reduce the amount of sugar and salt you consume.
- Most people get more than the daily allowance of salt just through processed foods. Just never pick up the salt shaker.
- And, there is sugar hidden in almost everything. Sugar leads to inflammation and challenges your pancreas, which causes diabetes.
- The easy way to cut out the junk is to fill half your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables.
- S—Smoking
- Along with causing cancers, smoking is hard on your heart, hardens your blood vessels and makes your pancreas work too hard.
- A—Asprin
If you use tobacco products, Quit Now. Call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line: 1-877-270-STOP.
Risk Calculators
Cardiovascular Risk Assessment Tool for Your 10-Year Risk of Having a Heart Attack or Stroke
Heart Attack and Stroke Risk Calculator