Your guide to metabolic health

Metabolic health is your body’s ability to produce, store and use energy. It’s important for maintaining your physical and mental health. Why? Because it helps to keep you feeling energised and motivated.^1,2

There are five key markers for metabolic health. If you maintain them within a healthy range, you have good metabolic health.

The markers are:

• Waist circumference – The size of your waist is a good indicator of how fat is spread or distributed across your body. If you measure your waist and find that it is 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women, you could be at risk of developing a condition like insulin resistance.²
• Blood pressure – Your heart is responsible for pumping blood around your body and your blood pressure helps measure how much pressure it places on your arteries as it does this. High blood pressure places strain on your heart and can lead to a variety of cardiovascular conditions like heart disease and stroke.²
• Blood sugar (glucose) – Your blood contains glucose. It comes from the foods you eat. If your blood sugar is consistently high, it can lead to insulin resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes. It also contributes to feelings of tiredness and weight gain.²
• Triglycerides – Your blood also contains a variety of fats called triglycerides. High levels of triglycerides are linked with obesity and food choices like eating highly processed sugars (refined carbohydrates).²
• Cholesterol – Another important type of fat that is found in your blood is cholesterol. There are two main types – high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) and low-density lipoproteins (LDLs). Maintaining a healthy balance of both can help in protecting your heart health.²

Having high levels of two or more of these markers could be a sign of metabolic syndrome, which is a group of health challenges that can lead to more serious health conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.²

Weight loss and management

Maintaining a healthy range of all five markers of metabolic health can help support weight loss. This is because your body can make, store and produce better and promote effective calorie burning.³

Avoiding chronic diseases

When you live a healthy lifestyle your risk of developing the precursors to conditions like diabetes and heart disease is lower. So your risk of developing them is lower.

Mental and physical wellbeing

When your body can effectively use energy, you will notice that you feel physically and mentally well. You won’t feel extremely tired during the day and you probably won’t experience low mood or brain fog often.³

Diet

A healthy diet is essential for good metabolic health. You should:

• Eat regular meals
• Limit the amount of unhealthy fats and sugars you eat
• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables a day
• Choose nutrient-rich foods.⁴

Foods that are high in sugar or ultra-processed can lead to poorer metabolic health. This is because you are less likely to be in control of the markers that can lead to conditions like diabetes.

By reducing the amount of carbohydrates, and ultra-processed, fatty and sugary foods you eat, you can reduce body weight and your overall body fat percentage. This can lead to improved insulin sensitivity and a reduced risk of heart disease.⁴

Tip:

Make healthier food choices. Eating whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean proteins (chicken), whole grains (rice and barley), and healthy fats (avocados or nuts) and increasing your fibre intake supports digestion and prevents spikes in blood sugar throughout the day.⁴

Exercise

Exercise is a great way to improve the quality of your life. It can boost your mobility, strength and mental health and is known to reduce the risk of developing a disease.

A regular fitness routine can also help regulate your insulin sensitivity and reduce your risk of metabolic disease.

Tip:

Exercises like running, strength training and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) help burn calories, reduce waist circumference, improve blood pressure, oxygen uptake and fasting glucose levels.^5,6

Sleep and stress

Sleep is just as important as food or movement in maintaining good. We all need regular periods of restful sleep. If you’re struggling, then you will likely notice the impact throughout your day.

Feelings of tiredness and irritability as well as a lack of concentration are classic symptoms of poor sleep. So is stress.

Both stress and a lack of sleep can have knock-on effects on your metabolic health.

They trigger the release of the stress hormone called cortisol. It causes your body to demand more oxygen, energy and nutrients so that it can cope. It can also lead to craving foods that are high in salt, sugar and fat.⁷

Cortisol increases belly fat called central adiposity. This type of belly fat has been linked to increased insulin resistance and heart disease.⁷

Tip:

Aim for 7–9 hours of sleep each night to improve your energy levels and control your cortisol levels. Meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises can also help reduce stress.⁷

Age and genetics

Aging is a natural part of life that affects us all in different ways. As you lose muscle mass and your hormone levels change, your body may find it more challenging to maintain its energy balance, burn calories efficiently and manage your weight.

This is because you use different amounts of energy while resting than you would have at a younger age.

Your genetics can also influence your metabolism. Some genes can affect how efficiently you break down fats and sugars and lead to differences in body weight and the risk of metabolic diseases.⁸

Although genetics can set a baseline for how efficient your metabolism is, lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity still play a significant role in managing your health.⁸

Tip:

Be kind to yourself. As your body changes, challenge yourself to stay healthy with diet and exercise. But don’t overexert yourself as this could lead to injury or negatively impact your metabolic health.

Medications like metformin may be beneficial for your metabolic health. But you should only take them under the guidance of a qualified professional. If you think you need medicine to help improve your metabolism, discuss your options with your GP or local pharmacist.⁹

Maintaining good metabolic health is a general indicator of your wellbeing. You can monitor you’re the signs of it at home or with the support of a healthcare professional.

But if you have noticed the signs of poor metabolic health, making positive changes can be simple. Adding more movement to your week, staying conscious of your food choices or talking to your local pharmacist might be all you need to get back on track.