Fully
85-90% of all health problems are self-induced, and can
be easily avoided if you understand how. By avoiding
the most common diseases that affect modern Americans, you
can delay having to take money out of your HSA, and take
great advantage of the tax-deferred growth. Over a
20 year period, tax-deferred growth and tax-free use of
your money to pay medical expenses during retirement could
yield a 30% better return than a taxable investment.
Metabolic
Syndrome: The Diseases That Almost Everyone Gets
One
out of every five Americans, 45% of those in their 60's,
and two-thirds of overweight people have metabolic syndrome.
An astounding 70% of Americans have at least one symptom.
Yet the diseases of metabolic syndrome are almost
entirely preventable.
Do so,
and you avoid paying for the medications that everyone else
is taking - blood pressure pills, cholesterol-lowering medications,
blood thinners, insulin sensitizers, and more. Even
more importantly, you avoid surgery, hospitalization, rehab,
and all the other expenses that come with a heart attack,
stroke, colon cancer, and other related health problems.
As a bonus, you may just avoid premature death.
Individuals
are considered to have metabolic syndrome (formerly known
as Syndrome X) if they have at least three of the following,
before medication:
-
Fasting blood sugar of 110 or more
-
Waist circumference of 34 inches or more
-
Triglycerides levels greater than or equal to 150
-
HDL cholesterol less than or equal to 40
-
Blood pressure over 130/85
Why
should metabolic syndrome be a concern? Three of
the top five causes of death - diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular
disease - are all related to metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome could also be thought of as "pre-diabetes".
Of the cancers, prostate and breast cancer are particularly
correlated with metabolic syndrome. And metabolic
syndrome will soon overtake cigarette smoking as the number
one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The
fundamental metabolic disturbance that seems to be common
in almost all people who have metabolic syndrome is insulin
resistance. Insulin is a hormone that your
body uses to move the carbohydrate that you eat into your
cells. If you are insulin resistant, your cells don't
respond well to insulin, and your pancreas has to produce
higher amounts in order to keep your blood sugar from going
too high. (Once your pancreas is no longer able to
keep up with this increased demand, you become diabetic.)
If you are insulin sensitive, your body is responding well
to smaller amounts of insulin.
How
To Avoid Metabolic Syndrome
Fortunately,
metabolic syndrome is almost entirely preventable.
Though all the mechanisms behind the metabolic syndrome
have not been worked out, the evidence is strong that a
combination of several lifestyle strategies are very effective
in preventing this condition.
Exercise
Exercise
does more than just burn calories or build muscle.
One of the most profound benefits of exercise is its
effect on insulin sensitivity. When insulin is
released in response to carbohydrate ingestion, glucose
transporters come to the surface of the cell in order to
carry the glucose into the cell. In muscles and fat
cells this transporter is called Glut-4. Exercise
itself helps Glut-4 to move through the cell membrane to
the surface of your muscle cell, causing these cells to
be much more insulin sensitive. Even a single bout
of exercise will cause your muscles to respond more effectively
to insulin.
Eat
Low-Glycemic Foods
The
glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a food raises
our blood sugar. The high-glycemic carbohydrates in
the American diet are primarily the "white foods"
(bread, pasta, rice, white potatoes, and sugar). These
foods cause many of the changes associated with metabolic
syndrome, including lower HDL levels, and higher triglycerides.
When a person eats these foods year after year, insulin
levels remain chronically high. The result is that
eventually the cells become less responsive to the insulin,
in turn leading to increased risk of obesity, hypertension,
heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. Low-glycemic
carbohydrates include most fruits and vegetables.
Eating a diet that limits or avoids high-glycemic grains,
potatoes, and sugars, and includes more low-glycemic fruits
and vegetables, fish, and lean meat can dramatically improve
your insulin sensitivity.
Eat
the Right Fat
We've
talked in previous issues about the seemingly miraculous
health benefits of fish oil. Fish oil improves
insulin sensitivity. Eskimos, who consume high
quantities of fish oil, rarely experience diabetes, even
though they are often overweight. Though the mechanism
by which fish oil works isn't yet understood, many researchers
believe that fish oil makes the cell membrane more "fluid",
enabling the Glut-4 transporters to more easily move to
the surface of the cell in response to insulin. Everyone
who does not eat fish on a regular basis should consider
taking a high-quality fish oil.
Saturated
fats and trans-fats, in contrast, make the cell membrane
more stiff and inflexible, and also reduce insulin sensitivity.
Saturated fats are found primarily in beef, pork, and dairy
products and trans-fats are found in processed foods.
Saturated fats should be minimized, and trans-fats should
ideally be completely eliminated from the diet.
Eat
Enough Protein
If you're
avoiding starches, you'll need to replace those calories
with something else - that should be lean protein.
Protein satisfies your appetite more than any other macronutrient,
it increases metabolism, and it will contribute to weight
loss. The best proteins are lean meats like turkey
breast and chicken breast, lean beef, fish, and eggs.
And if you are overweight, nothing will improve your insulin
sensitivity faster than losing some weight. In fact,
weight loss significantly improves all aspects of metabolic
syndrome. Eat the right foods, and your body will
tend to normalize at the right weight without you having
to count calories or starve yourself.
Take
Action
Remember,
just reading a newsletter has never made anyone healthier.
Though there are drugs available to treat some of the symptoms,
doctors have no pharmaceutical cure for metabolic syndrome,
and almost all individuals become more insulin resistant
as they age. It is the lifestyle choices and the actions
that you take today to improve your insulin sensitivity
that will have a powerful impact on the length and quality
of your life.
The
reason I am so passionate about Health Savings Accounts is that they reward
those who take responsibility for themselves. By putting
aside money to pay for future medical expenses, you are
being a responsible citizen, and deserve the tax benefits
that an HSA offers. Make the same investment in your
health, and you'll not only have the good health to enjoy
your retirement, but you'll also have plenty of money in
the bank as well.
If you
still don't have an HSA, you have missed out on most of
the tax benefits for 2006. Don't make the same mistake
in 2007 - get signed up for an HSA-qualified plan today.
