Metabolic syndrome increases infection severity and mortality! Experts reveal the consequences of eating too much "starchy" food
The risk of diabetes is 6 times higher and metabolic syndrome is more likely to occur in obese men?
Is your waist getting thicker every year? Is BMI rising silently? Don’t think that you just get fat from sitting for a long time, be careful of “metabolic syndrome” and various diseases that will follow. According to the National Nutrition and Health Status Change Survey from 2013 to 2016 by the National Health Administration, more than 50% of Taiwanese over the age of 40 have a thick waist and suffer from metabolic syndrome. If not treated early, the number of patients with metabolic syndrome will be 6 times higher than the general population. risk of diabetes, 4 times the risk of high blood pressure, 3 times the risk of high blood pressure, and more than 2 times the risk of heart disease and stroke.
There are five major criteria for judging metabolic syndrome:
Abdominal obesity, waist circumference ≧90cm (35 inches) for men and ≧80cm (31 inches) for women;
High blood pressure, systolic blood pressure ≧130mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≧85mmHg, or taking drugs Blood pressure medications;
High fasting blood sugar, ≧100 mg/dL, or taking diabetes medications prescribed by a physician;
High fasting triglycerides: ≧150 mg/dL, or taking triglyceride-lowering medications prescribed by a physician Ester drugs;
Low HDL cholesterol: <40mg/dL for men and <50mg/dL for women. If more than three of the above five criteria are met, it can be determined to be metabolic syndrome.
The prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Taiwanese people increases with age. There are more male patients than females when they are young, but the risk increases rapidly for women over the age of 45, even surpassing that of men. The problem of metabolic syndrome is related to the problem of overweight and obesity. Up to 32% of adult males in Taiwan are overweight, 13% are mildly obese, and 6% are moderately and severely obese. 19.3% of females are overweight, 10.5% are mildly obese, and 6.4% are moderately and severely obese. The proportion of overweight people not only increases with age, but is also generally higher in men than in women.
Is metabolic syndrome related to diet? Expert: Eat too much starchy food
Professor Pan Wenhan, a public health nutrition expert in Taiwan and a distinguished researcher at Taiwan Academia Sinica, said in an interview that the most important problem of Taiwanese people with metabolic syndrome is “obesity”, which is reflected in the proportion of six major food categories, especially “starchy” multigrain rice. Too little intake or too much white rice and white flour will affect the control of blood sugar and blood pressure.
Professor Pan Wenhan pointed out that in addition to eating white rice, Taiwanese people also like high-starch foods such as desserts, cakes, and sugary drinks. After these foods enter the body, they will soon be converted into fat and accumulated in the abdomen, causing visceral fat. The problem of increased abdominal girth and excessive abdominal circumference.
On the other hand, excessive intake of starchy foods in the daily diet also means that the intake of beans, fish, eggs, meat, vegetables and fruits will be relatively reduced, reducing the body’s anti-inflammatory ability.
Does metabolic syndrome increase the rate of severe disease? 2 dietary methods to help improve
Harvard Medical School points out that each indicator of metabolic syndrome may independently cause health problems, and having more than one metabolic syndrome factor will increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver and kidney function, and sleep apnea. Not only that, diagnostic indicators of metabolic syndrome such as obesity and hypertension are related to higher COVID-19 severity rates, hospitalization rates, and mortality rates.
Harvard Medical School reminds that the fundamental way to prevent metabolic syndrome is to maintain a healthy weight and control blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood lipids within normal ranges. Once metabolic syndrome occurs, you should appropriately control your weight and improve your diet. You can adopt the dietary principles of the Mediterranean diet or the DESH diet. If necessary, you should be diagnosed by a doctor and prescribed relevant drugs for treatment.
Higher compliance with DESH diet reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome
A review study published in 2020 showed that higher compliance with the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet can reduce waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides and other physical conditions related to metabolic syndrome. The characteristics of the Mediterranean diet are a large intake of vegetables and fruits, increased antioxidant vitamins (C, E, B carotene, etc.) and polyphenols and other nutrients. Fats are mainly monounsaturated fatty acids.
The Deshu diet is mainly vegetables, water, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, beans, and nuts, reducing sodium and increasing the intake of fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, etc. Epidemiological evidence also shows that higher compliance with the DESH diet can reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome by 64%, and is negatively correlated with high fasting blood sugar, abdominal obesity and other phenomena.
Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, Health Promotion Administration reminds that the prevention of metabolic syndrome can be divided into five major principles: You should pay attention to “three lows and one high” in diet, and choose more low-oil, low-sugar, low-salt and high-fiber foods; daily Exercise for 30 minutes to reduce sedentary time; do not smoke and drink less alcohol; vent appropriately such as exercising, chatting, reading, and singing to relieve worries and stress; make good use of adult preventive health examinations to detect metabolic syndrome problems early.
Source:
Metabolic syndrome - Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, Health Promotion Administration
To stay away from metabolic syndrome, start by measuring your waist circumference
Survey on Changes in Nutritional and Health Status in Taiwan, Status of Metabolic Syndrome in Taiwanese People from 2005 to 2008.
Metabolic syndrome is on the rise: What it is and why it matters
Dietary Strategies for Metabolic Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review
Further reading:
