Metabolic health describes how well our body produces and uses energy. Every one of the trillions of cells in our bodies is a small power plant that converts fuel, usually glucose or fat, to energy the body can use (typically ATP).
When our cells cannot run those processes efficiently, it can lead to any number of conditions.
In the brain, poor metabolic health can contribute to decreased mental acuity (brain fog), anxiety or Alzheimer’s disease. In the blood vessels, it can contribute to microvascular disease, like erectile dysfunction and retinopathy, and kidney disease; and cardiovascular disease, like heart attacks and strokes. In the liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
In many cells, cancer, which is linked to poor metabolic health. Metabolic dysfunction can lead to obesity by interfering with our body’s fat storage and burning capabilities.
But poor metabolic health doesn’t always manifest in overt cardio-metabolic diseases. We can also feel it in pain points and symptoms of everyday life: fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, lack of exercise endurance, infertility, balding, acne, chronic pain, increased appetite, hormonal imbalances, digestive problems, etc.
Here are a couple of scary stats:
•More than a third of North American adults have pre-diabetes. Of those, more than 84 per cent don’t know they have it. However, pre-diabetes alone increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
•There are 73.6 per cent of North Americans who are overweight or obese. That is pretty much three-quarters of us, a dreadful stat. Rates of obesity have tripled since the 1970s. Researchers are still studying the underlying mechanisms. But we know that obesity is linked to insulin resistance, likely by way of excess fat that inhibits proper signalling as well as fat tissue producing inflammatory responses.
There are several contributing factors, but the inspiring (and frustrating) fact is that all of them are within our control.
Why is this happening?
•Chronic over-nutrition or over-eating broadly refers to the standard hypercaloric (and often, high-carbohydrate) diets many people now eat. Those can coexist with the double burden of malnutrition. In other words, someone can be obese or overweight but still not get proper nutrition. We are overfed and undernourished.
•We eat nearly 10 times more sugar per day than we did 100 years ago. Sugar stimulates the pancreas to make insulin (the hormone that aids cells in glucose uptake). But cells can eventually become unresponsive to insulin. Insulin resistance is at the core of many chronic diseases.
Are you depressed yet? Not to worry as I will be covering so many lifestyle, diet and supplements hacks in my 21-Day sugar detox program. By the end of the three weeks you will have learned how to eat a metabolically healthy diet, understand how certain dietary, lifestyle and supplements can help or hinder your progress and I promise you’ll feel better.
