Metabolic syndrome checklist: five numbers in one visit
Five numbers, two of which can be obtained at home in a minute and three in a laboratory with one blood draw. Three out of five are outside the limit — metabolic syndrome: a condition in which the risk of diabetes increases fivefold and the risk of a heart attack two- to threefold. Weight is not on the list. Check whether you are among the 12% in whom all five are normal. Section — metabolic flexibility.
Checklist for women
| Criterion | Threshold | Where to get it | What is behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waist | 80 cm or higher | tape measure at the navel, at home | visceral fat |
| Blood pressure | 130/85 or higher or medication | blood pressure monitor in the morning, at home | insulin retains sodium and water |
| Fasting glucose | 5.6 mmol/L or higher or medication | laboratory | insulin resistance |
| Triglycerides | 1.7 mmol/L or higher | laboratory | sugar and fructose in the liver |
| HDL | below 1.3 mmol/L | laboratory | little fat, lots of carbohydrates |
One lever for all five
The five criteria look like five different problems — for a cardiologist, endocrinologist, and dietitian. In reality, they have one mechanism behind them: high insulin. It retains sodium — blood pressure; stores fat in the abdomen — waist; makes the liver turn sugar into fat — triglycerides; displaces HDL; and eventually can no longer cope — glucose. One lever — and one treatment: whatever lowers insulin. The flexibility it restores is metabolic flexibility.
3 out of 5
— syndrome
×5
risk of diabetes
12%
of adults — all five are normal
0-1
criteria after 6 months of the method
What happens month by month
Weeks 1-4: blood pressure down 5-10 — water leaves; waist down 2-4 cm. Month 3: triglycerides down by a third, fasting glucose approaching normal, waist down 5-8. Month 6: HDL up 10-20%, waist below 80 in most people whose starting measurement was up to 95. Retesting schedule: before starting, after 3 months, after 6 months. And one visit to a doctor with the test forms — instead of three visits to different specialists. About sugar — HbA1c and prediabetes, about lipids — triglycerides and HDL, about blood pressure — blood pressure on a low-carb diet.
Check yourself in one week
Day 1: waist
At the navel, in the morning, without pulling your stomach in. Write it down.
Days 1-3: blood pressure
In the morning, before coffee, sitting down, the average of two readings. Three days.
Day 4: laboratory
Glucose, triglycerides, HDL — fasting for 12 hours. Plus insulin and HbA1c, if possible.
Day 7: count
How many of the five are outside the limit. Three or more — syndrome. One or two — warning.
Next
Sugar and flour out of the house, a time window, walking, strength training. Retest after 3 months.
Mistakes
- Assume that with a normal weight this does not concern you
- Test only glucose — it rises last
- See each criterion with a separate doctor and treat five criteria with five pills
- Measure your waist with your stomach pulled in
- Do not retest after 3 months — you will not see what works
Frequently asked questions
Two out of five criteria — can I relax?
No. This is a warning 3-5 years before the syndrome, and now everything can be reversed in months through food. Three is already more difficult.
Are the thresholds the same for men?
Waist — 94 cm, HDL — below 1.0. Everything else is the same.
Is the syndrome a diagnosis forever?
No. The criteria disappear when insulin decreases; in most people, after 6 months of the method there are 0-1 left. This is a condition, not a sentence.
- Blood Sugar
- Cholesterol and Heart
- Metabolic Flexibility
Reviewed by Anastasia Zhukova, Fitness Trainer • Author of a Nutrition and Training System • Creator of an AI Personal Support Platform
A human has reviewed this material against the method and real client practice.