Metabolic Health

February 7, 2024

Metabolic health.

What does this mean?

Metabolic health seems to be a popular topic nowadays.  You may see poor metabolic health referred to as metabolic dysfunction.  Decreased metabolic health can increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and cancer.

Although there is no set definition of the parameters for metabolic health, there are broad concepts.

The basic metrics used to indicate poor metabolic health are:

·        High triglycerides above 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dl or higher)

·        High fasting blood glucose levels 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dl or higher)

·        High blood pressure (Greater than 130/85)

·        Low HDL levels (40 mg/dl or less in men, 50 mg/dl or less in women)

·        Excess abdominal fat (waist circumference of 40 inches or more in men and 35 inches more in women)

Keep in mind that those are for the Caucasian population.  Certain ethnic groups may have different values associated with those metrics.

It is important to note that although metabolic health is tied to metabolism, they are not the same thing.

Metabolism refers to the bodily processes that convert the food we eat into energy.

Metabolic health is measured by evaluating the state of various organ systems. The five metrics above show the efficiency of how energy is broken down, used and stored in the body.  That’s metabolic health.

In a 2019 study, only about 12% of the American population was found to be metabolically healthy. 

With that statistic in mind, one can see that there should be more focus on ways to improve one’s metabolic health. Quality of life is dependent on it.

How can you improve your metabolic health?

It comes down to the same “boring” advice:  nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

Here's how I would expand on that advice:

1.       More veggies.  Vegetables are relatively low in calories and are high in fiber. Dark, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies are great.  Veggies should cover half of your plate. Your fiber intake should be at least 25 grams/day. You can use an app like Cronometer to show how much fiber you are getting. The free version works well. You may be surprised how low on the recommended fiber amount you are once you start logging it.

2.      Keep your blood sugar stable.  Your goal is to limit or eliminate large spikes and drops in your blood sugar.  This is done by making sure each meal has protein, fat and fiber in them.  Many carbs, especially processed foods, cause your blood sugar to spike.  Some more than others.  The glycemic index of the food indicates how quickly the sugar hits your system.  A lower glycemic index is more desirable. To help keep you full, which helps curb your impulse to snack on carbs, try to eat around 0.8 to 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight each day, throughout the day. This is very general. It is important to pay attention to how you feel. Cronometer works well for your protein amount as well and will help you gauge your protein intake. Adequate daily protein is a game-changer for health.

3.      Get good quality sleep.  Not sleeping well affects your blood sugar through the hormonal changes in your body’s circadian rhythm. I wrote about this in last month's blog.

4.      Move.  Regular physical activity, such as walking is great.  Weight training/resistance training is also key because muscle mass is more metabolically active than fat.

5.      Mitigate stress.  Find ways to deal with stressful situations.  This can be talking to a trusted source, physical activity, yoga, meditation, or praying.  Prolonged cortisol from stress results in weight gain, decrease in muscle mass and higher blood pressure.  Controlling your stress helps your hormones which in turn affects your metabolic health. Your mental and emotional health participates in your physical health. I wrote about this in the November 2023 blog.

6.      Some research indicates that intermittent fasting(IF) is a useful method of controlling some of the metrics of metabolic health.  IF benefits are not the same for everyone so it is important to consider what this looks like for you.  For example, longer-term fasting is not as beneficial for menopausal women as it is for men.  A woman still experiencing her menstrual cycle shouldn’t fast during certain stages of her cycle.  Fasting is NOT a one-size-fits-all all approach, there are variables to be aware of.

Know that the body is a complex group of systems that are interconnected.  For example, for women, cholesterol levels will change as their estrogen levels change as they enter menopause.  In Western healthcare systems, these women are put on statin drugs which affect things such as their GI system and their brains.  Instead of statin drugs, perhaps there is a better way to address cholesterol increases in menopausal women. Knowing this, maybe when you see your cholesterol high, it's not really due to metabolic dysfunction. Find a practitioner who looks at you as a complete Being.

Metabolic health is a web of concepts that paint a picture of your health. Keeping an eye on things such as your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as your blood sugar and weight allows you to monitor your metabolic health.  When you see things are not as they should be, this allows you to make changes to your lifestyle.  These lifestyle changes will help you address your health concerns.

I hope you can see that health is not the absence of disease or symptoms.  I think that is a large flaw in our system.  So many equate having no pain or “problem” to meaning they are healthy.  That is not the case as problems can take a long while to present with something noticeable.  Our healthcare system doesn’t promote that viewpoint and instead is usually waiting for a problem before any suggestion or treatment is given. In this way, treatment, often in the form of medication, is more often than not, a bandaid.

I believe if we can change our understanding of what health is and how to assess it, we are going to be better equipped to make better choices for ourselves.

It's unrealistic to think that you will be perfect with your lifestyle choices, day in and day out. The key is to have less "not perfect" days overall.

One last thing, be aware of informed consent when you are presented with options for a condition. I wrote about informed consent in the June 2021 blog. Working in a profession where we do informed consent on the regular, I can say that informed consent is sadly lacking in the traditional medical system and its approach to health.

You should be your best advocate. Big Pharma is not. While not inclusive, the ideas presented above for improved metabolic health can be powerful steps for change.

Okay, there you go.  A short and sweet look at metabolic health.