New research shows that an “alarmingly low” number of American adults are achieving optimal metabolic health. Just 1 in 8 adults in the United States have optimal metabolic health.
Metabolic health is having ideal levels of blood sugar, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, blood pressure, and waist circumference, without using medications.
Waist circumference can be considered a surrogate marker for someone’s metabolic health. It implies there’s visceral fat, a dangerous type of fat that gathers around the organs and increases a person’s risk for heart disease and heart attacks.
Even though only 0.5 percent of people who are obese achieve optimal metabolic health, less than half of those who are underweight and less than a third of those with normal weights have optimal metabolic health.
23 percent of adults have metabolic syndrome also known as insulin resistance and are at risk of developing type II diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of obesity, high blood pressure, high blood glucose and low HDL.
Regulating glucose levels and managing insulin resistance is the first step in achieving metabolic health. The marker HbA1c is the main indicator of long term glucose management. Levels of HbA1c greater than 5.7 indicate poor insulin and glucose management.
4 Herbs that Lower Glucose and HbA1C are:
- Black Cumin (Nigella) – shown to lower fasting glucose, HbA1C and insulin resistance in Type II Diabetics
- Bitter-Melon (Mormordica Charantia) – reduces glucose levels in 8 weeks
- Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum) – proven to lower fasting glucose and HbA1C
- Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) – improves glycemic control, fasting glucose, insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance
