Metabolic Syndrome is not one individual disease that can be cured with a pill or a surgery. Good diet and nutrition help because the syndrome has a lot to do with weight and physical fitness. It is really a combination of conditions that work together to increase the risk for serious medical problems like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The cluster of conditions that occur together in different combinations for different people include high insulin levels, high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, and an apple-shaped body with excess fat around the middle. One of these conditions is serious enough, but when more than one occurs, it is metabolic disorder. Major changes need to be made in lifestyle, exercise, diet and nutrition.

To really fit the description of metabolic disorder, you would have 3 or more of the associated conditions during the same time frame. Symptoms of metabolic syndrome are based on the symptoms of these conditions.

Obesity and fat around the waist are easy enough to spot. A blood pressure test will determine if you are within reasonable limits of 120 or below for the top number and 80 or below for the bottom number. A blood test will reveal whether your triglycerides are too high or your HDL, good cholesterol is too low. Figuring out whether you have developed insulin resistance is a little more complex, but your doctor should be able to tell you that information as well.

One thing to remember about metabolic syndrome is that it may not come on all at once. If you have one of the conditions, there is a higher likelihood that you will develop some of the others. As soon as you discover that your blood pressure, insulin levels, cholesterol levels or weight is too high, it is time to immediately work on lifestyle changes like diet and nutrition to reduce your chances of progressing on to some of the other conditions.

Without the right intervention, any of these conditions is likely to lead to full-blown metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is not a disease, but a grouping of conditions that occur together to present a very high risk for disease. Therefore, it is important to think of the possibility of getting heart disease, diabetes, or stroke when you consider the long-term effects of metabolic syndrome. Paying a little extra attention to your diet and nutrition seems a small price to pay for avoiding such dire consequences.

The biggest problem with metabolic syndrome is that the name does not sound as big and scary as the meaning really denotes. When people say the word "cancer" it strikes fear in the hearts of even the most rough and rugged of individuals. Yet, metabolic syndrome is such a boring, uninteresting sounding name. It does not have the history behind it so far to give it that major shock value that other medical words deliver. Nevertheless, it is a very serious syndrome. It should be addressed immediately with lifestyle changes to prevent the risk factors from leading to major disease and physical harm.