Poor nutrition and inactive lifestyles are taking a toll on our health. Experts say that unhealthy habits are largely responsible for a newly recognized condition called metabolic syndrome, which threatens the health of one in four Americans.

"There's growing evidence that high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels and excess weight around the waist aren't separate problems," says Uma Nair, MD, PhD, an internal medicine physician with an office on the Valley Hospital campus. "The link among these metabolic disorders, the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes, and heart disease is much closer than previously thought."

Know your numbers
People who have metabolic syndrome have some of these symptoms:

• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• High triglyceride levels
• Low HDL, or "good," cholesterol levels
• Excess weight in the abdominal region

Those who have even one of these metabolic conditions may be more likely to develop other metabolic disorders. And people who have a cluster of metabolic disorders are at greater risk for life-threatening conditions, including heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Take action now
"People who have any symptoms of metabolic syndrome should work aggressively to improve their health," says Dr. Nair. "But since our blood pressure, cholesterol and weight tend to creep higher as we age, we all should make healthy lifestyle changes now to head off or reverse this dangerous trend."

To improve your health or to stay healthy, experts recommend the following:

• Monitor your blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure levels.
• Eat healthy, nutritious foods.
• Exercise regularly.
• Lose excess weight or maintain a healthy weight.
• Quit smoking.

If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes, work with your doctor to control these conditions. Take any medications your doctor prescribes as directed.

For more information about high cholesterol, diabetes and heart disease, visit www.valleyhospital.net and click on Health Information in the left column. Under Look It Up on the left side of the next page, click Chronic Conditions and scroll down to the topic that interests you. To learn more about high blood pressure and weight control, look under Dealing With, and click on High Blood Pressure or Weight.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106