Longevity · Metabolic
Metabolic health and longevity
Metabolic health — blood pressure, blood sugar, lipids and waist size — is central to healthy ageing. What metabolic syndrome is and which markers to track.
Written by LON6EVITY Editorial Team · Last updated
What metabolic health means
Metabolic health is usually described through a cluster of measures: waist size, blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.
Metabolic syndrome
NHLBI defines metabolic syndrome as a group of risk factors that raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke. Having three or more of these — a large waistline, high triglycerides, low HDL, high blood pressure and high fasting blood sugar — meets the definition.
Why it matters for longevity
These risk factors drive the heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes that account for a large share of illness in later life. They respond to physical activity, diet, weight management, sleep and, where needed, treatment.
Factors that can affect the result
- Waist size
- Physical activity
- Diet
- Sleep
- Genetics
Questions people commonly ask
- Can you be metabolically unhealthy at a normal weight?
- Yes. Blood pressure, glucose and lipids can be abnormal at any weight, so measurement matters.
Related biomarkers
Related topics
Build your longevity profile
What does this mean for your own health data? Log your results, follow trends over time and bring an organised summary to your next doctor's appointment.
Sources
- Metabolic Syndrome. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH).
- Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH).