Page 6 - Saint Agnes Medical Center | healthlink | Winter 2013
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interrupted and cause chest pain or a
heart attack. If blood flow to the brain
is affected, it can lead to a stroke.
COULD I HAVE IT?
Perhaps even more startling is the rise
in metabolic syndrome cases. About
35 percent of adults have metabolic
syndrome, the AHA reports. There
may not be symptoms. “What we
look at is if individuals have any three
of five risk factors,” says cardiologist
John Nelson, MD, past-president
of the Pacific Lipid Association and
board-certified cholesterol expert.
FIVE RISK FACTORS
•
Waist size of more than 40 inches if
you’re a man or more than 35 inches
if you’re a woman.
•
Fasting triglyceride level in the
blood of 150 mg/dL or higher.
•
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)
level below 40 mg/dL if you’re a
man or below 50 mg/dL if you’re
a woman.
•
Blood pressure level of 130/85 mm
Hg or higher.
•
Fasting glucose level of 100 mg/dL
METABOLIC
SYNDROME
A hidden health problem
Continued from front page
or higher or taking medication for
high blood glucose.
Diane fit all five criteria, putting her
among the rising number of adults
facing metabolic syndrome. She was
also among another staggering trend
– the growing rate among women.
Research from the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Surveys re-
veals that among women, metabolic
syndrome incidences in the United
States increased by roughly 25 per-
cent within a six-year span.
“It’s a startling statistic,” Dr. Nelson
says. “I don’t think anyone really has an
answer why we’re seeing an increase
among women, but it’s absolutely
critical that we get to the root of
this disease.”
Experts are also seeing a growing
connection to trends in diabetes.
“About one-half to two-thirds of
diabetes patients have metabolic
syndrome,” endocrinologist Joseph
Hawkins Jr., MD, says. “It’s not just
about having high blood sugar. It’s
the ‘tip of an iceberg’ and another
reminder that we have to be aware
of their risk for heart disease.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Lifestyle changes – such as losing
weight, exercising and eating a heart-
healthy diet – are often the first line of
treatment for metabolic syndrome.
That was exactly Diane’s focus
after learning about her health scare.
Shortly after being discharged from
the hospital, Diane joined Saint
Agnes Medical Center’s Cardiac
Rehabilitation and Lifestyle Program.
There she began an EKG-monitored
exercise program overseen by a
team of registered nurses and exer-
cise physiologists.
“When I started, I was using a
walker and I couldn’t do anything for
longer than 10 minutes,” Diane says.
“But I stuck to it, and my blood pres-
sure began to drop and my weight
started to come off.”
Eating better is also critical to
Working toward
a healthier heart
For more than 30 years, Saint Agnes Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilita-
tion and Lifestyle Program has helped thousands of Valley residents. Once
reserved for heart patients, the program is open to anyone who wants to
improve his or her heart health.
Specially trained registered nurses and exercise special-
ists supervise and monitor each exercise session and offer
education about heart disease and risk factors.
To learn more about the program, visit
/
cardiac-rehab, scan this code with your smartphone,
or call
559-450-3762
.
seeing real change. Reach for fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, lean meats
and fish, and low-fat or fat-free dairy
products. Diane also met with a
diabetes educator, who helped her
learn to read food labels and stick to
a healthy diet.
“If you have a culture of eating
well and exercising, then it really
works,” Dr. Hawkins says.
Diane is living proof. After roughly a
year of focusing on exercise and eat-
ing habits, she lost nearly 120 pounds.
Now four years later, Diane has kept
her weight off and is able to manage
her diabetes and heart health with-
out medication.
By controlling factors that can lead
to metabolic syndrome, you can lessen
your chances of heart trouble, stroke,
diabetes and other health problems.
“It’s never too late!” Diane says.
