Uncovering the Metabolic Health Risks

It’s time to be responsible for your future metabolic health

Poor metabolic health is often characterized by a cluster of symptoms that may seem unrelated but can be warning signs for more serious health consequences.

These symptoms include weight gain, fatigue, mood swings, and poor sleep quality.

At first glance, these symptoms may seem like a normal part of life or simply the result of poor habits.

However, they can also indicate an underlying issue.

Risks of Poor Metabolic Health

As we age, keeping our bodies in good metabolic health is essential to maintaining our well-being and overall quality of life.

Unfortunately, poor metabolic health can cause serious consequences for people over 50 years old, which can include:

These systemic imbalances become challenging to control, increasing the risk of chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

We are responsible for taking care of our metabolic health and avoiding developing metabolic syndrome.

Therefore, understanding the contributory factors to your metabolic health will encourage healthy lifestyle changes and decrease the chance of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, reverse metabolic syndrome and reduce the risk factor of coronary heart disease.

Eight main symptoms of poor metabolic health

Firstly, if you have been struggling to lose weight and have been managing various symptoms over two or more years with the use of over-the-counter medication or supplements, then your metabolic pathways are likely struggling to utilise the energy and nutrients from the food you eat and dispose of toxins properly.

Have you been suffering or managing anyone these symptoms most days in the last two years?

By reaching for a painkiller, antacid or an anti-inflammatory to help you get through the day, you are masking clues that your metabolic pathways are struggling to cope with your current food and lifestyle choices.

The eight symptoms listed above are your body’s way of giving you external signs of an internal problem.

We must pay attention to what we eat because it can significantly affect our metabolic health.

But it’s NOT about counting calories, points or syns, and calculating success based on the bathroom scales’ number. – it’s about the quality of the food you eat and how often you eat.

It is about learning how to create the ideal meal and lifestyle that is right for you.

In this article, I want to share the long-term consequences of the eight symptoms concerning your current metabolic health.

You’ll gain a deeper understanding of the importance of considering how you feel and what you can see when you look in the mirror, as recognising those clues as underlying systemic imbalances will help you enhance your future metabolic health and prevent the risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

You may think a few aches, pains, and bloating after dinner are signs you are just getting older or because of something you just ate.

I’m sorry to tell you that something quite serious is likely happening. It was something you ate, but it was weeks or even years ago.

I’m Jen Adams, my purpose is to help those who don’t lose weight by dieting, fasting and exercising to discover what they can do to move away from being frustrated, depressed and tired to feeling confident, and in control about what to eat and when so they can achieve and maintain their ideal weight.

If there is an underlying systemic imbalance, for example, if you’ve been suffering from low energy, fatigue, low mood or anxiety for more than two years, then the risk factors of metabolic syndrome increase as these are indications that you are at greater risk of insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a condition where your body’s cells become resistant to the hormone insulin, which is responsible for transporting blood glucose from the bloodstream into cells.

As a result, blood sugar levels remain high, which creates a sluggish metabolism and metabolic processes begin to fail which leads to type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, chronic inflammation in the body can also contribute to the development of obesity, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.

Improve poor metabolic health by focusing on energy delivery in the cells!

Our metabolic pathways are responsible for the delivery of energy into every cell in your body, the clearance of waste and toxins and the absorption of vitamins and nutrients from your food.

The most important metabolic pathway is the energy delivery from the food you eat into your cells for every function in your body.

At the core of most metabolic symptoms, any systemic imbalance in energy delivery into the cells results in insulin resistance syndrome.

This creates further concerns, as undiagnosed insulin resistance will impact the function of your liver, which plays a central role to play in the systemic regulation of blood sugars.

Take a moment to think more about other symptoms.

Do you currently have interrupted sleep patterns and the need to regularly take over-the-counter medications such as NSAIDs and painkillers to overcome aches and pains or headaches?

If so, this will impact your liver function because, in an attempt to metabolise the medication, the liver will be under pressure to regulate your blood sugar, metabolise and then excrete the medicines.

As a result, when your liver tries to get rid of the toxins from your body, you will wake up at 2 or 3 am for a drink of water or the need to go to the toilet and then can’t get back to sleep.

It’s a vicious cycle of events as your inability to sleep will also influence your ability to lose weight

The combination of undiagnosed insulin resistance can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which affects liver function and increases the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Furthermore, suppose you have stomach acid reflux, bloating after food, or skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, sensitive skin, or allergies.

In that case, your gut might be experiencing intestinal permeability or dysbiosis, affecting your ability to absorb the nutrients from your food, which creates a deficiency and other complications.

You can learn more about gut dysbiosis and your skin in this article – What Causes Sensitive Skin.

Intestinal permeability is when food particles leak through the gut lining, triggering an autoimmune reaction. Commonly created due to the over consumption of prescribe medicine and processed foods.

As a general overview, if low energy levels, cravings and mood swings are your main symptoms each day, then your blood sugars and digestive system are out of balance and dysfunctioning.

Your skin is another consequence, as you will begin to notice that when you look in the mirror, your skin starts to sag and look age; if so, your liver might struggle to manage your blood sugars and detoxify toxins and medications.

If you are bloated after meals, have irregular bowel movements, and various allergies influence your day-to-day activities, your gut lining integrity likely needs your attention.

As you are learning, your metabolic health is more complex than counting calories and eating foods labelled as low fat or healthy.

Fortunately, long-lasting solutions such as a healthy diet and managing metabolic syndrome symptoms with exercise can improve your metabolic health.

However, recognising the underlying systemic imbalances is crucial and addressing them through proper nutrition, stress management and sleep habits are essential steps towards maintaining a healthy metabolism for life.

Moreover, understanding the connection between gut health and skin condition is also important in promoting overall metabolic health. Studies have shown that imbalances in gut bacteria can lead to skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

By addressing gut health through proper nutrition and lifestyle habits, individuals can improve their overall skin health and prevent potential metabolic issues.

Additionally, incorporating stress management techniques such as meditation or yoga can also aid in reducing inflammation and improving metabolic health.

Adequate sleep is also crucial for maintaining a healthy metabolism as sleep deprivation can lead to insulin resistance and weight gain.

Overall, a holistic approach is necessary for improving metabolic health and preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

By focusing on energy delivery in the cells, addressing underlying imbalances, and practising healthy habits, individuals can achieve long-lasting improvements in their metabolic health and overall well-being. So take care of your body from the inside out and prioritize your metabolic health for a healthier, happier life.

The long-term risks of poor metabolic health is metabolic syndrome

So, before you contact a healthcare provider or nutritional therapist for a lifelong commitment to lifestyle changes and reducing body weight by losing weight and decreasing physical inactivity, let’s discuss what happens when you are diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.

It may be that you’ve got insulin resistance and have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which means it’s more likely that you’ve got gut dysbiosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar levels and excess weight – especially around the middle.

If you only treat these systemic imbalances with medicine alone for more than ten years, without any nutritional lifestyle intervention, your metabolic pathways will begin to fail, and your symptoms develop into disease.

Metabolic syndrome symptoms will often lead to further health problems and disease. You won’t usually get just one condition, as they all manifest general ill health and disease.

The FOUR most common long term risks of poor metabolic health

Cardiovascular Disease is associated with a build-up of fatty deposits inside the arteries (atherosclerosis) and an increased risk of blood clots.

The result is a reduced flow of blood through the arteries and a greater risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking and excess alcohol intake increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Metabolic Syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

These include high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels.You are more likely to have metabolic syndrome if you:

Are overweight or obese and have abdominal obesity
Have a family history of diabetes mellitus and/ or coronary heart disease
Have a lack of physical activity
Drink too much alcohol

Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease that comes from chronic inflammation (painful swelling) in the afflicted regions of your body due to an attack on your immune system. It mainly affects the joints, although other areas may be affected.

Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid can not release enough thyroid hormone into your bloodstream.

This results in a slow metabolism, as the thyroid becomes underactive and, as a result, will make you feel tired, depressed, and gain weight uncontrollably due to lack of blood sugar control.

In summary, weight gain, low energy and cravings are signs that the risk of metabolic syndrome increases with age.

If the symptoms are overlooked and not addressed, the consequence could be much worse than predicted.

If insulin resistance, fatty liver and gut dysbiosis is left untreated for more than two years, it can cause metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is part of a collection of diseases that come from chronic inflammation and increases your risk of autoimmune issues such as, rheumatoid arthritis and hypothyroidism.

It is therefore important to make lifestyle nutrition changes rather than manage your symptoms with just over-the-counter medications or prescribed medicine to protect you from long-term health implications in the future.

Want to take the next step in improving metabolic health? Be sure to read the next article to find out how balancing blood sugars can create a healthier body overall and increase your delivery of energy into your cells.

To conclude it is essential to prioritize your metabolic health and take a functional approach to improve your overall well-being and prevent chronic diseases.

Remember, small changes in lifestyle habits can make a significant impact on your metabolic health in the long run.

Educating yourself about what goes into your body is an important step towards making better food choices.

Learn the basics about nutrition – CLICK HERE

Take the Healthy Eating Quiz to discover your knowledge of nutrition – CLICK HERE

What’s next? What is your metabolic health age – use the online Metabolic Age Calculator and answer a few simple health and lifestyle questions. It takes a few minutes, but it could help you change how you manage your energy levels forever.

If your Metabolic Health Age is equivalent to or lower than your actual age, then that is great news! This means your blood sugar levels, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, (HDL) cholesterol, blood pressure and waist circumference are potentially all within an ideal range.

However if your Metabolic Health Age is more than 10 years of your actual age, and you are struggling with low energy and fatigue you could be prone to some or all of these conditions as these are all markers that directly relate to your risk of insulin resistance, fatty liver, dysbiosis, high cholesterol and blood pressure.

TAKE METABOLIC AGE TEST – CLICK HERE

In the following article, we will look long term consequences of these clues to metabolic dysfunction and the effect of treating the symptom without making lifestyle changes to address the underlying cause.