What??
Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, TOFI what?
Have you been hearing or seeing the terms insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, type two diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity all tangled up with ‘mortality risk’?
Maybe you haven’t but if you’re on social media, at all I suspect you’ve run across one or all of these terms.
The next question is, do you know what any of this means and if it’s at all important to YOU?
Get my Health Markers Infographic so you know which health markers to watch:
Yes It’s Important
As for whether you need to know what any of this means, yes, yes you do. If you have any interest in your personal health and your ability to age WELL without the degenerative diseases we commonly associate with aging then you want to know if you could be defined by any of these terms.
What They Mean
Insulin Resistance
Insulin is a metabolic hormone that has a lot to do with how well your body functions particularly when it comes to using and storing energy. Insulin resistance is when your body stops reacting to what insulin is telling it to do. Thing of the boy who cried wolf. When your body is insulin resistant it pumps out more and more insulin to get its message heard. This creates chronically high levels of circulating insulin. A few negative side effects of chronically high insulin:
- Fasting Blood Sugar Is High (doctor is not happy)
- The body hangs onto and stores MORE body fat
- Blood Sugar Drops Too Low (dizzy, headaches, sugar cravings)
Pre-Diabetes
This is exactly what it sounds like, a step before full blown type 2 diabetes. Think of it as a RED FLAG that things need to change because your bodies health is headed in a very bad direction. This is typically discovered through a blood lab test called Hemoglobin A1c or HbA1c. A result of 5.7% – 6.4% mmol/l (102 – 115 mg/dl) would be considered pre-diabetes.
Metabolic Syndrome
This is defined as a cluster of biochemical and physiological abnormalities associated with the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Not good. Here are 5 signs of metabolic syndrome:
- Large Waist Circumference: ≥ 35″ for women, ≥ 40″ for men
- High Triglycerides over 100 (find this on your cholesterol panel)
- Low HDL (find this on your cholesterol panel)
- Increased Blood Pressure
- High Fasting Blood Sugar Level
TOFI
This stands for Thin on the Outside Fat on the Inside. This person looks good. They’re not over weight, they appear healthy. They’re also less likely to get their blood work checked unless they have a standing yearly physical. Unfortunately, while this person appears healthy they are NOT. Their blood work would show metabolic syndrome, fatty liver and more.
Understanding TOFI is a bigger discussion and one I won’t go into here. Just know it has a lot to do with your personal fat threshold (your bodies ability to make new fat cells).
You Are Responsible for YOU
I’m a nutritionist, health and body coach. My goal is to help you truly understand that you have control over how you feel and look at any age.
You know you best. You have control over your health. This post is a quick peak at some of the ways your body throws up RED FLAGS in the hope of getting your attention. Please don’t ignore these red flags. It’s not too late, you can reclaim your health and feel amazing.
Print the above info. graphic and put it in your bathroom or kitchen cabinet. Keep it handy so you know what health markers to keep your eye on.
I’m Amy a board certified holistic nutritionist, certified functional nutritionist and lifestyle practitioner and certified Life Coach. I help women in midlife understand the changing needs of their body so that they can stop dieting and lose weight permanently. At 56 I live what I teach. Don’t believe the story that your best years are behind you. They are not. Your best years are just starting!