7 Signs You Might Have Metabolic Syndrome

Your pants are oversized

Look at the tag in your jeans—if it says a number greater than 40 inches, you’re in trouble. Central obesity, where the weight settles around your midsection, is the most important sign that metabolic syndrome could be in your future, says Haitham Ahmed, MD, MPH, a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. “A waist circumference of more than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women is the biggest predictor,” he says. Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors (abdominal obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, high levels of blood triglycerides, and low levels of HDL cholesterol) that raises the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other serious health problems. If you have three or more, you have metabolic syndrome. A large waist can also be one of the seven telltale signs of insulin resistance.

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