Most conversations surrounding metabolic health are filled with technical jargon. This is well and good for the medical community, but it’s not helpful for those of us looking to reclaim our health.
I firmly believe that education is the solution to America’s metabolic health crisis — starting with a solid foundation of common terms and phrases.
This glossary discusses common metabolic health terms in a sensible and accessible way. Each entry is defined with connections in mind so you can quickly understand their interplay — including how they affect your wellbeing.
Important terms you need to know when talking about metabolic health
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the medical lingo surrounding metabolic health. Thankfully, you don’t need a degree to understand how it works — just a curiosity to learn more.
Here’s what you need to know about metabolic health, starting with the most important term:
Metabolic health
Metabolic health refers to how your body uses energy from food. It’s different from regular definitions of health, as a person who looks healthy can still be metabolically unhealthy.
People can be metabolically unhealthy regardless of their weight or physical appearance. It’s often a ‘silent killer’ that worsens over time, leading to heart problems, type 2 diabetes, chronic diseases, and more.
There are five factors needed to measure metabolic health: waist circumference, blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels.
Waist circumference
Your waist circumference is the size of your middle (in inches) starting at the bottom of your belly button. Unlike BMI, this doesn’t measure body fat, but instead the amount of fat around your middle. Men should have waist circumferences under 40 inches. In contrast, women should have circumferences under 35 inches.
Hypertension
Hypertension is the clinical term for high blood pressure. Research shows blood pressure may increase as metabolic health decreases, and is especially impacted by excess sugar, salt, and stress. A reading of less than 130/85 is considered healthy for average adults.
Lipids
Lipids are types of fat created by the body. They are an essential component of all living things and are either consumed in our food or created by our bodies. There are several major types, including cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the blood that heals damaged organs and tissue. There are two major types: HDL and LDL.
LDL is responsible for carrying cholesterol to cells and restoring the body. HDL carries LDL to the liver for expulsion.
Although statins are sometimes used to control high cholesterol, it is not the most effective method of restoring metabolic health. Instead of allowing cholesterol to heal the body, medication limits the production of cholesterol. Therefore, it’s important to treat the root cause of bad cholesterol first, which usually points back to poor diet.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the bloodstream. Your body makes some of what it needs and gets the rest from food (especially butters and oils). An elevated triglyceride level points to metabolic instability. Readings for healthy adults should be less than 150 mg/dL.
Hyperlipidemia
Like hypertension is high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia is the medical diagnosis for high cholesterol. Men should have an HDL greater than 40 mg/dL, and women should have a level >50 mg/dL.
Blood glucose
Blood glucose means the same thing as blood sugar. The more sugar is in your blood, the harder the body has to work to control it. Too much increases the production of insulin and dampens the body’s ability to respond to future spikes. For this reason, blood glucose readings over 100mg/dL often lead to insulin resistance.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood. Eating food triggers the production of insulin to redirect glucose out of the blood stream. However, eating too many sugary foods on a regular basis can spike insulin over and over, reducing your cells’ ability to respond to its signals. This ultimately leads to insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body no longer responds to insulin. This increases blood sugar, blood pressure, and waist circumference, which are critical components in metabolic health. Too much sugar left uncontrolled in the body damages organs, arteries, and tissue, eventually leading to chronic inflammation.
Inflammation
Inflammation is the body’s swelling response to traumatic damage. When tissue is damaged, the body dispatches cholesterol to heal it. However, long-term damage from the consumption of processed foods (think donuts, French fries, and seed oils) can put the body into a chronic state of inflammation. This could lead to obesity or type 2 diabetes, and ultimately increase all-cause mortality.
SAD diet
SAD is an acronym for ‘Standard American Diet.’ It refers to North America’s largely processed palate of boxed goods, sugary foods, and carbohydrates, and is strongly linked to the destruction of metabolic heath.
The SAD was dramatically shaped by poorly researched food pyramids and dietary guidelines. In fact, many conflicts of interest (such as research funded by corporate brands) have contributed to SAD’s development.
Whole, real food
Whole real food is anything that comes from the ground or is raised on the ground. Unlike processed meals or boxed products, whole real food is only marginally changed from its original form and doesn’t come with an ingredient list — think a cooked chicken breast versus chicken nuggets. Fish, steak, tomatoes, and broccoli are all examples of whole real foods.
Ruminant animal
A type of animal that chews its cud and ferments food in multiple stomachs. Cows, bison, deer, and sheep are all examples of ruminant animals. Research finds ruminant animal protein to be one of the most nutrient-dense foods available, and an excellent contributor to good metabolic health. They are also a staple food for those following the carnivore diet.
Next steps on your metabolic health journey
There’s a lot of metabolic information to absorb from this list, and dozens of new developments that improve what we know. However, this is still just the tip of the iceberg.
If there’s a term you want to learn about that isn’t listed in the glossary, you’re welcome to get in touch and ask for an update. I’d be happy to share what I know and offer resources to guide your next steps.