Bulk Up to Fight the Metabolic Syndrome

Everyone by now knows about the metabolic syndrome – the combination of increased waist size, raised blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol levels – and they probably know what it portends: an increased risk of having a heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, or developing type 2 diabetes. Do you think you might have the metabolic syndrome?

So what should one do about it? First, make sure your doctor is involved with your plans. Second, change what you eat to help control your weight, blood sugar and cholesterol. And third, if necessary, take antihypertensive and antidiabetic medication. These changes in your lifestyle will help enormously.

There’s another thing you should do: exercise! In a recently reported study, over 3,000 men of average age 43 had their muscular strength measured, and were then followed for 6½ years. During this time, 480 of them developed the metabolic syndrome. Men in the strongest group were half as likely to develop the metabolic syndrome as those in the weakest group, with the moderately strong group between the two. The association was independent of age, body size, smoking, and alcohol use.

This means that regular workouts with resistance exercise training should be considered as part of your healthy lifestyle. Aerobic fitness is most important, but muscular fitness runs it a close second . . .