A core tenet of the HolSpan approach is to seek out the root causes of conditions. Often the deeper connections are not apparent to most people. Metabolic health is a term that will show up throughout this outreach and is worthy of deeper exploration. It is very important to identify and define this enemy.

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Metabolic syndrome refers to a constellation of metabolic abnormalities that include:

• Central obesity (belly fat)
• Insulin resistance
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Dyslipidemia (elevated triglycerides and low high-density lipoprotein)

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Metabolic syndrome is related to risk factors including:

• weight gain (particularly central obesity/belly fat)
• insulin resistance
• sedentary lifestyle
• advancing age
• hormonal imbalance

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Diagnostic criteria used to define metabolic syndrome (at least 3 factors must be met):

• Abdominal obesity: waist circumference ≥88 cm in women and ≥102 cm in men
• Elevated blood glucose: fasting plasma glucose ≥100 mg/dL or drug treatment for elevated blood glucose
• Elevated blood pressure: blood pressure ≥130/85 mm/Hg or drug treatment for elevated blood pressure
• Elevated triglycerides: serum triglycerides ≥150 mg/dL or drug treatment for elevated triglycerides
• Decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: serum HDL cholesterol <50 mg/dL in women and <40 mg/dL in men or drug treatment for decreased HDL cholesterol

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Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in the U.S.: About 33% of adults aged 20 and above have metabolic syndrome. Among women, the rate is 35.6%, and among men, it's 30.3%. Racially, Hispanics have the highest prevalence, followed by non-Hispanic whites and African Americans. As people get older, the prevalence increases, reaching 46.7% among adults aged 60 or older.

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The HolSpan approach emphasizes optimization. Optimized metabolic health within the population is alarmingly low.

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Using strict criteria from data derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016, only 17% of those studied were metabolically healthy.

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Poor metabolic health will be a recurring theme in many of the foundational conditions that HolSpan prioritizes. It is imperative to recognize this fact as we establish tools and tactics to address it and its downstream manifestations. HolSpan seeks to bring awareness to these concerns while allowing you to see these deeper connections. From that expanded awareness, informed changes can be made that address the upfront concerns and broader concerns lurking beneath the surface. 

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Sources:

• Grundy, S. M., Cleeman, J. I., Daniels, S. R., et al. (2005). Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome: an American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement. Circulation 2005; 112: 2735. [Online]. Available at: Link to the article
• Aguilar, M., Bhuket, T., Torres, S., et al. (2015). Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the United States, 2003-2012. JAMA 2015; 313: 1973. [Online]. Available at: Link to the article‍
• Araújo, J., Cai, J., & Stevens, J. (2019). Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2016. [Online]. Available at: Link to the article