One in three Indians between the age of 30-39 years suffers from metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions such as abdominal obesity (that cursed potbelly!
), insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia that directly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and all-cause mortality.
The researchers found that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome rose significantly with increase in age among Indians, with every second person aged 50 and above suffering from it.
When unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices are sustained over many years, people start showing symptoms of metabolic syndrome.
Since metabolic syndrome is multifactorial, Jain suggests adopting a holistic approach and dealing with it as early as possible.
Do you sometimes look at an old photograph and wistfully wonder how did the days of no medication or health check-ups, well defined chin, a much smaller waistline and that feeling of invincibility slip away from you? Well, you aren’t the only one.
One in three Indians between the age of 30-39 years suffers from metabolic syndrome, which includes conditions such as abdominal obesity (that cursed potbelly!), insulin resistance, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia that directly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and all-cause mortality. “With the increasing trend of sedentary lifestyle, we are seeing a lot of patients coming with fatty liver, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes and obesity, which are a part of metabolic disorders. Earlier, the incidence of these diseases were seen after people turned 40. However, nowadays we see people in their late 20s coming in with them," says Dr Ajay Agarwal, director of internal medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida.
Also read: The benefits of doing yoga everyday
A study, titledPrevalence of metabolic syndrome among adult population in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis, conducted by researchers at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Puducherry analysed data from 113 studies and more than 1,33,000 participants. The researchers found that the prevalence of metabolic syndrome rose significantly with increase in age among Indians, with every second person aged 50 and above suffering from it.
They also found that the prevalence of these lifestyle diseases is higher in urban India (32%) than rural, and women (35%) outnumber men (26%) in this regard. Agarwal says this is due to reduced outdoor activities, less exercise, increased stress levels and unhealthy dietary habits that are commonplace in modern life. “All of these contribute to weight gain and a vicious cycle of insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, thyroid disorders, polycystic ovarian diseases and hypertension," he says. Obesity is a progressive chronic disease which is caused by the accumulation of excessive adiposity in relation to lean body mass and is associated with many health problems, explains Dr. Manoj Jain, consultant for general surgery (gastrointestinal, laparoscopic, bariatric, metabolic and robotic surgery) at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. “Obesity can develop at any age but it is seen usually in the mid-30s," adds Jain.
Metabolic syndrome conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension do not develop overnight but over a span of 6 to 7 years, adds Dr. Parikshit Bhattacharyya, a lifestyle and functional medicine specialist in Kolkata. “One of the biggest reasons for developing lifestyle diseases today is that we eat a lot more today than we did in the past. On an average, an urban adult eats seven times a day compared to just twice a day in the 1960s," says Bhattacharyya. When unhealthy eating habits and poor lifestyle choices are sustained over many years, people start showing symptoms of metabolic syndrome. So, what we do and eat in our early 20s has a significant bearing on our health and how we turn out in our thirties.
Prepare for your future health now
Since a significant number of people prefer to eat their way to better health and fitness, one way of beating insulin resistance and other metabolic syndrome ailments is to eat foods that cause fewer glucose spikes in your blood.
Delhi-based food tech and sports nutrition entrepreneur Karan Sarin, 42, started testing how Indian foods impacted his blood glucose levels using a continuous glucose monitor. He began posting about it on Instagram as @Sweetreactions to help his friends eat better. Citing Peter Attia’s bestsellerOutlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, he says in order to live a healthy life, it is important to do things that would help prevent metabolic syndrome and age-related diseases instead of treating them. “What we eat and do over the long term plays a significant role in it, so it is important to know what foods work for you and what don’t," says Sarin, who is neither diabetic nor a medical professional. If you are in your 20s and reading this, it would be in your interest to do something about your future health now rather than wait till problems start appearing.
“If a patient is already in their 30s and has developed some kind of metabolic disease, the best bet to reverse the disease is lifestyle modification along with shedding at least 10% weight. It has been found that 10% weight reduction reduces the incidence of fatty liver substantially," says Agarwal.
Since metabolic syndrome is multifactorial, Jain suggests adopting a holistic approach and dealing with it as early as possible. Agarwal recommends early inculcation of yoga, exercise and other outdoor activities like swimming, sports in children and adolescents along with a healthy diet, no junk food and reduced screen time. “Adoption of healthy lifestyle practices such as regular yoga and exercise for at least 30 minutes daily, eliminating unhealthy fats, sugars, alcohol and smoking, regulated sleeping hours and meditation to tackle stress can reduce the progression of metabolic diseases," he says.
Along with switching to an active lifestyle, Bhattacharyya suggests improving your eating habits so that your body becomes insulin sensitive instead of insulin resistant. “Whenever you eat, it causes a spike in blood glucose levels. To counter that and return glucose levels to normal, the body produces insulin. When you eat frequently, there are more frequent and sustained glucose spikes and your body constantly produces insulin to counter this. Over time, due to overuse, the body’s capability to produce insulin blunts and insulin resistance sets in, which leads to type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Good eating habits and exercise can both reverse and prevent insulin resistance," explains Bhattacharyya.
Shrenik Avlani is a writer and editor and the co-author of The Shivfit Way, a book on functional fitness.
