Four Factors linked to Metabolic Dysfunction

-



When searching for information around what can be done to improve metabolic function, the solutions are elusive at best and impossible at worst.  The information shared on the internet is either too generic to be helpful - e.g. "Eat Less, Move More", too specific - "Eat almonds to reduce belly fat" or contradicting or even damaging. Even books authored by doctors and scientists offer conflicting advice on what actions to take.  

It is encouraging that there is a substantial level of attention on this topic. Scientific and medical research is obviously progressing. However, there does not yet seem to be a clear cut answer as to why millions of US adults and children are dealing with Metabolic Syndrome. Hopefully at some point the solution will be much more clear. 

In the meantime, there are many common themes in published scientific and medical research that may offer insights.  For instance, below are 4 factors that have commonly been associated to Metabolic Dysfunction:

1.  Not enough FIBER

Getting enough fiber is associated with reduced metabolic disease risk factors [1]. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, over 90% of women and men do not meet the recommended intake for fiber.  Nutritional Goals for fiber can vary from 25 to 31 grams a day for adults [2]. (see table A1-2)   

Processed carbohydrates like crackers and chips have often been stripped of their natural fiber.  

2. Too much ADDED SUGAR 

Per the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans a majority of Americans are currently exceeding guidelines on added sugar. 

We all know we are indulging on sugar when we eat an occasional treat like a cupcake or a donut.  However, added sugars have made their way into many foods - think salad dressing, salsa, spaghetti sauce, bread, juice. Commonly added sugars are listed on the CDC Website.    

Fortunately, it is much easier to read package labels to look for added sugar and monitor intake.  By 2021, food manufacturers were required to add 'Added Sugar' as a component to their nutrition labels [5]. Look for this label to find out if the product you are buying has sugar ingredients beyond the naturally occurring sugar.   

For example, the GoGo Squeeze Applesauce we buy for our kids has 13g Total Sugars listed on the label but 0g Added Sugars. This indicates that no additional sugar was added during processing.  

3. Too much STRESS

Stress is associated with obesity [4]. The stress can be physiological, phycological or physical.  For anyone suffering from metabolic dysfunction, it is worth looking into whether there are stressors that can be alleviated or reduced.  

Some stressors might be obvious while some are harder to identify. See this previous post on stress and obesity.

4. Not enough HYDRATION

We have all heard the advice to 'drink more water'. It turns out, it is very good advice.  Inadequate hydration has been associated with obesity in research [3].  

The amount of water an individual should be consuming is a bit elusive, partially because it is dependent on a lot of factors. The Mayo Clinic Website recommends 2.7 liters (women) to 3.7 liters (men) a day. 


REFERENCES

  1. Quagliani D, Felt-Gunderson P. Closing America's Fiber Intake Gap: Communication Strategies From a Food and Fiber Summit. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016 Jul 7;11(1):80-85. doi: 10.1177/1559827615588079. PMID: 30202317; PMCID: PMC6124841.
  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
  3. Chang T, Ravi N, Plegue MA, Sonneville KR, Davis MM. Inadequate Hydration, BMI, and Obesity Among US Adults: NHANES 2009-2012. Ann Fam Med. 2016 Jul;14(4):320-4. doi: 10.1370/afm.1951. Erratum in: Ann Fam Med. 2020 Nov;18(6):485. PMID: 27401419; PMCID: PMC4940461.
  4. Tomiyama AJ. Stress and Obesity. Annu Rev Psychol. 2019 Jan 4;70:703-718. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102936. Epub 2018 Jun 21. PMID: 29927688.
  5. Magnuson EA, Chan PS. Added Sugar Labeling. Circulation. 2019 Jun 4;139(23):2625-2627. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.040325. Epub 2019 Jun 3. PMID: 31157997.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My 2 Month Lumen Review

-
Image
One bright spot in the quest to solve Metabolic Syndrome is technology. Fortunately, we can get more data on what is really going on with our personal physiology than ever before through various devices and testing.   My friend asked me over the summer if I had tried the Lumen yet. She had one and was liking it.  It didn't take me long to grab one - I am a data geek so I get excited for any technology that provides  new, useful data on how to improve my metabolism. The concept behind the Lumen is intriguing. The Lumen website 'benefits' section claims that the Lumen device will help you to become more metabolically flexible .   An overly simplified description of  metabolic flexibility is to your body's ability to change from carb burning to fat burning (and vice versa) easily in the right scenarios. Metabolic inflexibility is the opposite and is the not desired state. If you are metabolically inflexible your body probabl...
Read more

Measuring Stress - Why it matters with Metabolic Syndrome

-
Image
It has been well known for a long time that that there can be a link between cortisol (the stress hormone) and abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity is one of the 5 factors of Metabolic Syndrome . When we think 'stress', it is easy to think of our psychological stressors. These are the ones we tend to be most aware of such as work stress, caregiver stress or financial stress. However, there can be a lot of stress to a body that is caused by things that are not as readily visible. For example, sleep stress, chronic dehydration [2,3] or even obesity itself.   There may be some individuals that are more susceptible to stress than others.  This research  goes in depth about susceptible individuals in stress and obesity .[1]       Fortunately there are a lot of advancements that can tell us more about the current state of our  health. In particular, tests and technologies are continually emerging where we can get some good clues regarding our current stress ...
Read more