Metabolism is the chemical process your body uses to transform the food you eat into the fuel that keeps you alive.
Nutrition (food) consists of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. These substances are broken down by enzymes in your digestive system, and then carried to the cells where they can be used as fuel. Your body either uses these substances immediately, or stores them in the liver, body fat, and muscle tissues for future use.
A metabolic disorder occurs when the metabolism process fails and causes the body to have either too much or too little of the essential substances needed to stay healthy. Also, a metabolic disorder can happen when abnormal chemical reactions in the body alter the normal metabolic process.
Our bodies are very sensitive to errors in metabolism. The body must have amino acids and many types of proteins to perform all of its functions successfully. The brain needs calcium, potassium and sodium to generate electrical impulses, and lipids (fats and oils) are needed to maintain a healthy nervous system.
Metabolic disorders can take on many forms, including:
* a missing enzyme or vitamin that’s necessary for an important chemical reaction
* abnormal chemical reactions that hinder metabolic processes
* a disease in the liver, pancreas, endocrine glands, or other organs involved in metabolism
* nutritional deficiencies.
What causes metabolic disorders?
Metabolic disorders can lead to non-optimum conditions in the body, including diseases. Type 2 diabetes and obesity are the most common metabolic diseases.
You can develop a metabolic disease if certain organs – for instance, the pancreas or liver – stop functioning properly. These kinds of disorders can be a result of genetics, a deficiency in a certain hormone or enzyme, consuming too much of certain foods, or a number of other factors.
Also, there are hundreds of genetic metabolic disorders caused by mutations of single genes. These mutations can be passed down through generations of families. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), certain racial or ethnic groups are more likely to pass on mutated genes for particular inborn disorders, however most are very rare in occurrence.
Metabolic Syndrome is an example of a metabolic disorder. The functioning and health of the body has reduced to the point where a cluster of conditions occurs. These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Metabolic Syndrome and its associated conditions are very important to address as ignoring them can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and Type 2 Diabetes.
The people you know and see who have degenerative diseases are really suffering from long-term nutritional deficiencies which have led to metabolic disorder and disease.
There is something you can do to minimize the risk of metabolic disorders and diseases. You can ensure your body gets all the necessary vitamins, minerals and enzymes it needs to function at its optimum level. Ideally, this would happen through diet. Unfortunately, much of the food available today is not packed with nutrients due to how and where it was grown and produced.
The answer is to add high-quality, nutrient-dense, plant-based supplements to give the body everything it needs in a form it can use.
