What is "Metabolic Syndrome"?
What is "Metabolic Syndrome?"
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors that dramatically increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, depression, stroke, cancer, and a number of other unpleasant medical conditions. These five questions can tell you if you are at risk:
1. Blood pressure: Is yours 130/85 or higher?
2. HDL (good) cholesterol: Is your level less than 40 mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) for men; less than 50 mg/dl for women?
3. Fasting blood glucose: Is your glucose level 100 mg/dl or higher?
4. Triglycerides: Is yours 150 mg/dl or higher?
5. Waistline: Does yours measure 40" or more for men; 35" or more for women (when measured across the belly button)?
If you answered "yes" to three or more, you may have metabolic syndrome. People with metabolic syndrome have a significantly higher chance of developing a medical condition in the next several years.
How the Program Works
Naturally Slim focuses on the issue of metabolic syndrome and offers methods to help you create changes in your behavior. More specifically, it:
- Fights metabolic syndrome by focusing on weight loss and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- Enables you to develop a lifestyle of eating your favorite foods while still improving health and losing weight.
- Teaches you to identify personal eating habits, recognize the difference between true hunger and psychological hunger, understand how hydration habits influence hunger, and practice ways to minimize fat storage.
- Addresses how exercise, stress, and your environment affect weight loss.
- Includes 10 self-paced, online video sessions, as well as frequent correspondence and positive guidance from a personal health counselor over a 10-week period
Participation Basics
- To participate, you must complete the enrollment application by April 8, agree to the program requirements, and be accepted.
- Applicants will be notified via email if they have been accepted into the program on April 13.
- The online program will begin on May 2.
- Pre- and post-program biometric screenings are required. You will receive more information about the screenings once accepted into the program.
No Cost to You!
For chosen participants, the pilot program will be provided at no cost (a $500 value). Your participation will help determine the future rollout of this program.
If you agree to participate and do not complete the program as defined above, you will be responsible for any costs of the program paid on your behalf.
A Note About Confidentiality...
The information that you provide to any program professional on behalf of this program will be considered confidential and will be available only to you and those professionals. Swarthmore College will have no access to the personal health information that you include in the online application. Furthermore, each of our program partners cannot sell or otherwise divulge any participant information to any unauthorized party.
Important Dates to Remember!
- April 8 - Deadline to complete online enrollment application.
- April 13 - All applicants will be notified if they were accepted into the program.
- May 2 - Online program begins for accepted applicants.
