Beer
Bellys Triple Death Rate for Men with Type 2 Diabetes
The death rate was higher among those who had
the metabolic syndrome, despite the absence of
cardiovascular disease or diabetes at the beginning
of the study.
A middle-aged
man with a “beerbelly,” unhealthy
cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and elevated
blood glucose is 3 times more likely to die from
cardiovascular problems and twice as likely to
die from other causes as a man who doesn’t
have this metabolic syndrome.
The
metabolic syndrome is characterized as insulin
resistance, elevated blood glucose, excess weight
with fat distribution in the abdominal area, abnormal
lipid levels and high blood pressure.
In
the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor
Study, researchers studied 1,209 Finnish men ages
42 to 60 who were symptom-free at the beginning
for the 11 year study. The death rate was higher
among those who had the metabolic syndrome, despite
the absence of cardiovascular disease or diabetes
at the beginning of the study.
“By
themselves, these risk factors are often considered
unimportant and may be overlooked,” says
the study’s author, Hanna-Maaria Lakka,
“but together they pose serious risk and
increase the risk of having heart disease, stroke
and even dying from these diseases.”
She
added that doctors can prescribe drugs to control
blood glucose, lipids and blood pressure; and
people with the metabolic syndrome can exercise
and attempt to lose weight. Journal of American
Medical Association, Dec. 4, 2002
