Overview
Metabolic syndrome is not a single disease but a cluster of risk factors that often occur together — a large waist, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and abnormal cholesterol. Indians tend to develop it at lower body weights than other populations, often with a pot belly. Together these greatly raise the risk of diabetes, heart attack and stroke. The reassuring part is that the same steps — losing belly fat, activity and a better diet — improve all of them at once.
Symptoms
- A large waist or pot belly
- Higher-than-normal blood sugar
- Raised blood pressure
- Abnormal cholesterol and triglycerides
- Often no obvious symptoms until diabetes or heart disease appears
When to see a doctor
See a doctor to check blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol if you carry excess weight around the middle, so risks can be lowered early.
Causes
Excess belly fat and insulin resistance, driven by inactivity, a diet high in refined carbohydrates and fats, and a genetic tendency.