What is Metabolic Health?
Perhaps you’ve been hearing the term metabolic health recently? Maybe you’ve connected the dots about what this term means and the implications poor metabolic health can mean for you. If the term is new to you, or if you would like some clarification about this topic, we hope this article helps you out.
Although there is no official definition of “metabolic health”, the term has been described as having ideal levels of blood sugar, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference without using medications to regulate these processes. Basically, it’s the absence of Metabolic Syndrome. If you’re not familiar with metabolic syndrome, it is when a person exhibits three or more specific traits such as having blood sugar dysregulation, hypercholesterolemia, obesity, hypertension, and elevated triglycerides. Specifically, metabolic syndrome would be having three or more of the following:
- A waistline of 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men
- Fasting glucose above 100 mg/dL
- Triglycerides above 150 mg/dL
- HDL cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL
- High Blood Pressure (130/85 or higher)
Having optimal metabolic health lessens your risk of having heart disease, stroke, type II diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, and non-alcoholic liver disease. Unfortunately, having suboptimal metabolic health is also associated with poor mood, poor brain function, decreased energy, issues with skin health and fertility, and increased risks for the chronic diseases listed above. The way that we digest, process, metabolize, and respond to the food we eat can determine how metabolically healthy we are. Although some factors affecting metabolic health are set, such as your age, sex, and genetics, you can often correct and improve your metabolic health with dietary and lifestyle factors.
For those people that are paying attention to their metabolic health, it’s becoming more and more mainstream to wear a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, in order to track your blood sugar levels and how your body responds to foods. These monitors were originally designed for people diagnosed with diabetes, however they are rising in popularity for those trying to improve their overall health by improving their metabolism. So, the next question might be, how does glucose affect your metabolic health? When we eat carbohydrates they are broken down into glucose, a simple sugar. Glucose can then enter the bloodstream where it signals the pancreas to secrete insulin. Insulin is a hormone released to tell cells to absorb the circulating glucose. Some of the glucose is then used by cells to create energy, however excess glucose ends up being stored in your liver and/or muscles in the form of glycogen. It can also be stored in fat cells in the form of triglycerides. Normally, this process is very efficient as long as you’re not bombarding your system with excess glucose. However, when our bodies are having to process elevated levels of glucose regularly, over time this system can begin to break down and lead to problems. These problems begin on a cellular level, so you may not notice them until they manifest into physical symptoms. Initially, your body is trying to keep up with the excess glucose by releasing insulin. The more your body has to release insulin, the less responsive your cells become to the insulin, and the circulating levels of glucose rise. This is called insulin resistance. The effects of elevated glucose can cause oxidative stress and inflammation, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, dementia and other chronic diseases. This is why wearing a continuous glucose monitor is becoming more popular…people are trying to learn what foods cause a spike in glucose, because we all respond differently to different foods.
Aside from monitoring our blood sugar levels, what else can we do to improve our metabolic health? Eating less processed or refined foods and being conscious of balanced meals that include more fiber, protein, and fats combined with carbohydrates will help slow digestion and therefore the amount of glucose entering your system at one time. Exercise helps by increasing the rate of glucose uptake in your muscles and improves insulin sensitivity (cells are more responsive to insulin). Sleep and stress will also impact your metabolic health. Finally, making sure you’re getting restful sleep and practicing mindfulness for stress-relief can help regulate your body’s response to the damage that can be caused by chronic stress and sleeplessness.