Healing the Modern Metabolism

By Shannon Kasun, Neuroscience Specialist

Metabolic syndrome isn’t one disease—it’s a perfectly disastrous storm of conditions that erode health from the inside out. And like most modern health crises, it’s fueled by the way we live, move, and eat today.

What It Is

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of five risk factors that dramatically increase the likelihood of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

You only need three out of five to be diagnosed:

• Abdominal obesity: Waist over 40 inches for men or 35 for women

• High blood pressure: ≥130/80 mmHg

• High fasting glucose: ≥100 mg/dL

• High triglycerides: ≥150 mg/dL

• Low HDL cholesterol: <40 mg/dL for men or <50 mg/dL for women

  
  

Each of these markers signals stress in the body’s metabolic machinery. 

The Root Causes

How does this happen?

Our modern world promotes the very habits that drive metabolic syndrome. Diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates send blood glucose and insulin levels soaring throughout the day, forcing the pancreas into overdrive and gradually dulling the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Physical inactivity compounds the problem—when muscles aren’t regularly engaged, they lose their ability to efficiently absorb glucose and burn fat, leading to sluggish metabolism and increased fat storage. Meanwhile, chronic low-grade inflammation—fueled by poor sleep, elevated blood sugar, environmental exposures, and other stressors—keeps the immune system quietly activated, disrupting insulin signaling and metabolic balance. Add in excess calories, and the body begins storing fat deep within the abdomen. This visceral fat is metabolically active, releasing inflammatory molecules and hormones that further amplify insulin resistance and cardiovascular risk. Together, these forces create the perfect storm for metabolic dysfunction.

The Scale of the Problem

The numbers paint a grim picture.

Fewer than one-third of normal-weight adults in the U.S. are metabolically healthy. That drops to 8% of overweight individuals and just 0.5% of those classified as obese (Araújo et al., 2019).

When researchers adopted more stringent health cutoffs (e.g., optimal waist size, blood pressure under 120/80 mmHg, etc.) the proportion of metabolically healthy Americans dropped from 19.9% to 12.2% (Araújo et al., 2019).

Metabolic syndrome doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease and increases overall mortality by 50% (Mottillo et al., 2010). Those with both high blood pressure and elevated fasting glucose face an 82% higher risk of death compared to those without these abnormalities (Mozaffarian et al., 2008).

The brain is not immune to the widespread effects of metabolic dysfunction—recent findings show a 12% higher risk of dementia among individuals with metabolic syndrome (Qureshi wt al., 2025).

The Slow Burn

Metabolic syndrome doesn’t strike overnight—it builds slowly, meal by meal, day by day.

A sugary breakfast here, a sedentary afternoon there, a night of poor sleep—it all compounds into a metabolic environment the body was never designed for.

The Way Out

The same lifestyle that creates metabolic syndrome can reverse it.

• Cut out added sugars and refined carbohydrates.

• Prioritize whole foods—lean proteins, healthy fats, vegetables, and fiber-rich carbs.

• Move daily, especially with resistance or interval training to boost insulin sensitivity.

• Manage inflammation through restorative sleep, stress control, and nutrient-dense foods.

  
  

In Sum

Metabolic syndrome is fueled by the abundance and convenience of modern living, quietly wreaking chaos on our health and longevity. Yet through consistent nutrition, movement, and recovery, the very mechanisms that once erode our biology can be recalibrated—restoring metabolic flexibility, vitality, and long-term resilience.

References

Araújo, Joana et al. “Prevalence of Optimal Metabolic Health in American Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2016.” Metabolic syndrome and related disorders vol. 17,1 (2019): 46-52. doi:10.1089/met.2018.0105

Mottillo, Salvatore et al. “The metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk a systematic review and meta-analysis.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology vol. 56,14 (2010): 1113-32. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2010.05.034

Mozaffarian, Dariush et al. “Metabolic syndrome and mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study.” Archives of internal medicine vol. 168,9 (2008): 969-78. doi:10.1001/archinte.168.9.969

Qureshi, Danial et al. “Metabolic syndrome and risk of incident all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.” Alzheimer's research & therapy vol. 17,1 198. 23 Aug. 2025, doi:10.1186/s13195-025-01825-4