Food is a major contributor to poor metabolic health.
But it’s not the only thing disrupting healthy metabolic function.
Certain habits, behaviors, chemicals, and medications also impact our metabolic health.
Here are five common metabolic health disrupters you won’t hear about often, but still need to consider.
These 5 things damage your metabolic health
As much as I want you to avoid eating ultra-processed food, you can still have metabolic syndrome even after converting to whole, real foods.
Why? Because your metabolic health is a delicate system of interconnected parts.
This means you need to be careful of:
1. Cosmetics
The two largest organs in the human body are the skin and the alimentary canal (also called the digestive system). These are connected on a cellular level in a system known as the ‘gut-brain axis.’
Said differently: what you put in your stomach will show up on your skin. So it stands to reason that what you put on your skin will show up in your stomach.
Acne, psoriasis, and dermatitis, for example, can result from chronic gut inflammation. This could make you more likely to use cosmetics as a cover up — which may contain chemicals encouraging more inflammation.
This includes substances like:
- Phthalates
- Parabans
- Methylene glycol
- PFAS
- Formaldehyde/paraformaldehyde
There’s nothing wrong with using makeup, but low-quality products are best avoided if possible.
And don’t just assume the fancy packaging is telling the truth — words like ‘healthy,’ ‘vegan,’ or ‘green’ don’t always mean the product is ‘metabolically safe.’
2. Sleep
We live in an increasingly sleep-deprived culture. Some individuals are even proud to admit it.
But this isn’t a bragging point. Lack of sleep isn’t an achievement — it’s a detriment to your metabolic health.
Around one-third of Americans would classify as ‘sleep deprived.’ This increases their factors for chronic disease, including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and clinical depression.
The worst side effect is an increased risk of heart attacks. As a heart surgeon, believe me when I say there’s no easy way to recover from a cardiovascular event.
I always advise my patients to:
- Practice excellent sleep hygiene such as avoiding screens before bed
- Establish a nighttime routine
- Avoid eating food before bed
You don’t have to follow a perfect schedule overnight. But making a concerted effort to avoid sleep deprivation means you’re doing yourself (and your metabolic health) a great service.
3. Medication
Medicine, in my opinion, is the eighth wonder of the world. But only when truly necessary.
In a study of doctors in the United States, nearly a fourth of all prescription medications were found to be unnecessary. And with 50% of American adults on at least one prescription medication, this begs the question: how dangerous is overtreatment?
We can learn a lot from modern research:
- Statins may increase muscular inflammation and prevent your body from using insulin correctly. This ultimately leads to diabetes, which significantly worsens your metabolic health.
- Beta blockers can lead to dizziness, weight gain, exhaustion, and weaker circulation. They’re not always associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes, especially for patients recovering from heart attacks.
- Since medications rarely (if ever) address the root of the problem, it isn’t the best way to treat chronic disease. They’re not miracle pills that make problems go away. You still need to invest in lifestyle changes to make a difference.
I’m not telling you to avoid prescription medications, but to be careful about the amounts and types you need.
I’d talk to your doctor (or at least find a better physician) to chat about options for removing unnecessary meds.
4. Stress
Stress and metabolic health are linked at the hip. The more stressed you are, the higher your blood sugar will be.
Chronic stress can lead to an assortment of physical symptoms, from chest pain and arrhythmia to an increased risk of heart attack. It can also lead to high blood pressure, which can result in your doctor prescribing beta-blockers (as we covered previously)
I’ll be the first to admit you can’t entirely avoid stress. You can, however, adopt better coping patterns.
First, start evaluating the stress triggers in your life. Is work a major part of this? What about family life?
Next, track your responses to specific stress triggers. Do you find yourself eating unhealthy snacks, or indulging in smoking or drinking?
Remember: an additive approach is the most effective way to set new habits. Instead of going cold turkey and inevitably failing, try throwing deep breathing, exercise, and meaningful community into the mix.
It won’t be long until you feel old patterns shift.
5. How you eat
What you eat is foundational to metabolic health.
But when and how quickly you eat can also have an impact.
Studies show that eating too quickly can make you 115% more likely to be obese. On the flip side, individuals eating outside ‘active hours’ tend to gain more weight and retain more body fat.
I realize some people work graveyard shifts or balance specific health conditions by eating more frequently. That said, there’s no need to snack at night ‘just because,’ or eat in front of a TV and miss the all-important satiety signal.
I suggest:
- Slowing down mealtimes to 30 minutes (if possible). Don’t eat in front of a moving screen — you’ll be far more likely to miss or ignore satiety markers.
- Try eating meals during your active hours. If you can, space these meals four hours apart to encourage healthier digestion.
- Eating during a feeding window. This doesn’t have to be extremely restrictive — between eight and 12 hours is sufficient for most fasting purposes.
Beginning your health journey holistically
Good metabolic health is about more than just food. Everything in your life — from sleep and stress to medications — requires careful balance so you can reach your healthiest potential.
That said, I know it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the perils and pitfalls. I want you to know it doesn’t have to be difficult.
If you’d like to learn more about the seven principles of metabolic health, check out my self-paced online course here.
