Broadly speaking, Metabolic Health is how well our bodies process blood sugar. When we eat something, our blood sugar rises quickly, and our body produces insulin to help drive that sugar into our cells so the body can use that energy to function. When metabolic health is not good, your body has trouble processing blood sugar and requires more insulin to move the glucose into your blood cells.
This state is called insulin resistance and leads to the development of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and excess fat in your liver that can cause cirrhosis, and increase the risk of cancers, including breast, colon, and pancreatic cancer. Excess weight around your waist is the biggest risk factor for metabolic syndrome; however, your genetics, sex, ethnicity, bacteria in your colon, also called the microbiome, and age can all increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. When your metabolic health worsens, we develop high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and low levels of good cholesterol, and our waistlines start to increase. These factors all increase the risk of heart attacks, which is the most common way people with metabolic syndrome die prematurely. Sadly, it appears only 12% of the US population is metabolically healthy.
The good news is that your metabolic health can be improved by improving your nutrition by eating more high-fiber foods like fruits and vegetables, sleeping for at least 7 hours daily, being physically active, and learning to control your stress. These concepts are extremely easy to understand but incredibly difficult to consistently do, given our complicated lives.
With the MNGI Health 360 program, we have developed a comprehensive program to help improve your metabolic health. Our team of dietitians, navigators, and clinicians will help improve your metabolic health by teaching you practical lifestyle changes that you can incorporate into your life. In a subset of patients, we will also use weight loss drugs as needed when lifestyle changes alone are not effective in improving their metabolic health.
By adopting the lifestyle habits we recommend, we can more consistently improve our metabolic health. Our goal in the program is to improve metabolic health and to reverse diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and decrease your risk of cancer. Simply said, our goal is to improve the quality and length of life and allow you to enjoy life to the fullest. Through the Health 360 program at MNGI Digestive Health, you have the support and tools needed to make lasting changes. Learn more about the Health 360 program today!
