A healthy metabolic system is necessary to reduce the chances or progress of many diseases including brain disorders, liver disease, obesity, cancer and effects of aging on the body. Eating a metabolically healthy diet, exercise, stress management and high quality sleep are some of the most important lifestyle medicine choices that one can make to enjoy a better metabolic health.
What is metabolic health?
Metabolic health is the ability of our body to produce and use energy. Every cell 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 depending on what cells are suffering.
Conditions due to poor metabolic health:
- In the brain, poor metabolic health can contribute to decreased mental acuity (brain fog), anxiety, or Alzheimer’s.
- 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 even lead to obesity by interfering with our body’s fat storage and burning capabilities.
- We can also feel it in pain points and symptoms of everyday life: fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, lack of exercise endurance, infertility, balding, erectile dysfunction, acne, chronic pain, increased appetite, and more.
One of the most direct measures we have for metabolic health is glucose, or blood sugar, since that constitutes much of the fuel for your cells, as well as insulin, the hormone that helps our cells take in glucose. Consistently high blood sugar and insulin resistance are responsible for several conditions arising from poor metabolic health, including, most directly, diabetes and prediabetes.
So increases in diabetes and other metabolic-related chronic conditions mean that our metabolic health is getting worse.
Essential Methods to Improve Metabolic Health:
- Eat a metabolically healthy diet. Eating in a way that regulates your blood glucose levels rather than causing spikes and dips can help mitigate or reverse insulin resistance. And it can even help control cravings and boost weight loss if that’s your goal. Focus on whole foods (not processed). Avoid added sugar, and eat low glycemic index foods. Pair carbohydrates with fat, fiber, or protein. This method can head off a blood sugar spike and slow energy absorption, staving off hunger.
- Get exercise. Movement matters, so find something you love to do and keep doing it regularly. While the CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, more is great. Low-intensity movement is powerful enough to help improve the way the body processes glucose. And a post-meal walk can help mitigate a spike.
- Reduce stress. Our stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine) signal the liver to create or release glucose to fuel our body so we can respond in fight-or-flight mode. But nowadays, we’re unlikely to be running from a predatory animal. Instead, our triggers are often professional or social, leading to an elevated blood sugar level while we sit and stress. Repeated stress makes the liver more insulin resistant. Research shows that mindfulness practices, like twice-weekly meditations or 20-minute daily breathing, can reduce glucose levels and improve glucose processing. Plus, these habits can help your body better cope when worry or tension arise.
- Get healthy sleep. Aim for eight hours of sleep each night, seven at the minimum. Less than six hours of sleep is associated with metabolic syndrome and higher waist circumference.
- Take the #21dayimmunity course! Even though dietary habits are a key contributor to health outcomes, nutrition education is lacking in medical training around the globe, according to research published in The Lancet Planetary Health. Therefore, it’s important to spend a few days learning how to optimize your nutrition and lifestyle to boost metabolic wellness.
