Till you get regular blood testing done, you may not know if you have a problem with your blood sugar or lipids
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that can increase your risk of life-threatening conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. It can also cause other health issues like serious organ damage. According to experts, there are many risk factors that you can manage with lifestyle changes, such as being sedentary, an unhealthy diet, consuming excess calories, inadequate sleep, smoking, and alcohol intake, all of which increase the likelihood of developing this group of conditions.
Also, till you get regular blood testing done, you may not know if you have a problem with your blood sugar or lipand so you may have no clue you have metabolic syndrome at all. While these are used to diagnose metabolic disease, there are sneakier signs that there is a problem. A few of these include:
You are always thirsty
Doctors say the biggest criteria of metabolic syndrome are excessive thirst and an increased need to urinate all the time. It is also a sign of insulin resistance, which means your blood sugar may be hanging out above the normal range.
So, if you frequently feel parched and are not able to quench your thirst, it is important to visit your doctor to have your blood sugar tested.
You are always tired
If you feel consistently drained but are not sure of the reason why, there can be an underlying health issue at play.
According to experts, a few reasons you might be tired include poor sleep, not consuming a balanced diet, and heightened stress, but if you are always fatigued, it could be a symptom of high blood sugar, which is a signal that your body’s energy regulation needs attention.
Changes in your skin
Have you noticed some major changes to your skin—like the sudden appearance of skin tags? Doctors say it could be a sneaky sign you have metabolic syndrome. Even though skin tags are harmless growths, these—also known as acrochordons—can develop as a result of either ageing or diabetes and insulin resistance.
Another sign of metabolic syndrome is dark, velvety patches of skin known as acanthosis nigricans, which develop in the back of the neck, armpits, and groin.
Numbness and tingling in your legs and feet
One of the sneakiest signs of metabolic syndrome is too much pain, burning, tingling, and numbness in your feet. Doctors say it can happen either due to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, or abnormal cholesterol levels—all of which damage the nerves and vessels of the lower extremities, leading to peripheral neuropathy and vascular disease.
Frequent and deadly headaches
While there can be many causes of headaches—dehydration, inadequate sleep, stress, or even screen overuse it is surprising to know that severe headaches and migraines are also associated with hypertension or high blood pressure levels.
Both conditions may have similar underlying causes, and so they may occur together. Doctors say typically, hypertension does not cause a headache unless blood pressure becomes extremely elevated.
Ways to diagnose metabolic syndrome
To diagnose metabolic syndrome, your doctor would order routine blood work, take your blood pressure reading, and measure your waist circumference. According to experts, three of the following indicate metabolic syndrome:
- Blood pressure that is 130/85 mmHg or higher
- Fasting blood sugar level that is 100 mg/dL or higher
- HDL cholesterol levels lower than 50 mg/dL (women) or 40 mg/dL (men)
- Triglyceride levels higher than 150 mg/dL
- Waist circumference is more than 35 inches (women) or 40 inches (men)
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