The Role of Healthy Lifestyle in the Primordial Prevention of Metabolic Syndrome Throughout Lifetime: What We Know and What We Need to Know Publisher



Assadi F¹ ; Mazaheri M² ; Kelishadi R³ Show Affiliations
Source: Integrated Science Published:2022

Abstract

The incidence of metabolic syndrome including obesity, elevated blood pressure, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood glucose, has reached epidemic proportions in both pediatric and adult populations worldwide. The cost of treatment of metabolic-related diseases is a major concern to health care community. Suboptimal lifestyle behaviors, including poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and smoking habits as well as environmental exposures leading causes of preventable metabolic-related diseases. The process of metabolic syndrome begins in childhood and tracks for decades, leading to hypertension, cardiovascular events, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, stroke and sudden death during adulthood. Population-based and clinical studies have shown that healthy lifestyle from early childhood including healthy maternal diet, reducing salt intake, avoiding tobacco use, regular physical exercise, reducing the exposure to endocrine disruptor, as well as diet rich in vegetables and fruits and low in animal fats can prevent or retard the progression of metabolic syndrome later in life. Cost effective analyses suggest that public policy, community efforts and lifestyle modifications are likely to be cost-effective comparing with pharmacological treatment of risk factors. Early primordial prevention strategies of metabolic syndrome will provide great value in developing a healthier society and improved quality of life in older age. This article summarizes the rational and available data that support a healthy lifestyle approach to primordial prevention throughout life course and emphasis on the development of healthy lifestyle behaviors to reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and its adverse heath consequences. Graphical Abstract © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.