Concerned About Metabolic Syndrome? Take a Brisk Walk

Walking is free, can be done anywhere, can be done by anyone, and is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. Approximately 25 percent of all of the adults who live in the United States are estimated to have metabolic syndrome, or MetS. By simply walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, six days a week, researchers announced that Americans can cut their risk of developing metabolic syndrome and lead healthier lives.

Perhaps most important is the finding that taking a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day has a significant improvement on your health, even if someone doesn't change their diet. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center made this announcement in a recent press release.

Metabolic syndrome can cause a host of other medical problems. People who have metabolic syndrome, whether diagnosed or not, are at a higher risk for developing heart disease, having a stroke, and developing diabetes.

Exercise, even something as innocuous as a brisk walk, really does have health benefits. When they first began the study, nearly half, or 41 percent, of the participants had metabolic syndrome.

However, after taking a brisk, 30-minute walk at least six times a week, the number of people with MetS dropped dramatically. Only 27 percent of the participants had metabolic syndrome 8 months later.

This means that simply walking around the neighborhood after eating dinner has more health benefits than many people have thought. Walking is something that can be done regardless of the weather, but if you don't want to walk outside, you can go to a mall or store and walk there.

"The results of our study underscore what we have known for a long time. Some exercise is better than none; more exercise is generally better than less, and no exercise can be disastrous," said Duke cardiologist William Kraus.

Unlike a disease where physicians can find some type of medical collaboration to confirm a diagnosis, a syndrome is diagnosed if someone has the main symptoms of that illness. The symptoms surrounding metabolic syndrome are a cluster of conditions that are often found when someone lives a sedentary lifestyle and is obese.

To be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, patients must exhibit three of these five factors:

* Having high levels of triglycerides in the blood

* Having low amounts of healthy, or HDL, cholesterol in the blood

* Having a large waist measurement

* Having high blood pressure

* Having elevated levels of blood sugar

This study has been published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Source:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-12/dumc-mec120707.php