Low Body Temperature & Metabolic Syndrome

Cardiovascular problems and other medical conditions that affect your blood flow, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism, can provoke metabolic syndrome and low body temperature. Both are very serious medical conditions that can be life-threatening. If you experience confusion, dizziness, lack of coordination, nausea or vomiting, get medical help immediately.

Metabolic Syndrome

Medical professionals use the term metabolic syndrome to describe a group of conditions that affect your metabolism. If you have three or more of the following conditions, you might have metabolic syndrome: high blood pressure; elevated blood fat levels; insulin resistance; obesity in your abdominal region; abnormally high levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 or fibrinogen in your blood; or unusually high levels of C-reactive protein. These combined factors put you at greater risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Doctors disagree, however, on the precise definition of metabolic syndrome and whether it is a distinct medical condition. Alternate names for the condition are insulin resistance syndrome and syndrome x.

Low Body Temperature

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The normal human body temperature is 98.6 degrees F. When your body temperature dips below 95 degrees, you experience low body temperature, or hypothermia. Although there is no direct link between low body temperature and metabolic syndrome, there is an indirect relationship. Any condition that restricts blood flow might lead to low body temperature. For example, the plaque buildup that results from high blood fat and high blood pressure -- two metabolic syndrome components -- can make it difficult for your body to regulate your temperature. Similarly, diabetes and stroke, which are possible consequences of metabolic syndrome, impact your body's temperature control mechanism.

Causes

Your genetic makeup can make you prone to insulin resistance, but lifestyle factors such as lack of physical activity and excess weight are significant contributing factors to metabolic syndrome. Age also is a factor; 40 percent of people over 60 experience metabolic syndrome, according to MayoClinic.com. People with a body mass index over 25 or excess weight in the abdominal area are more likely to experience metabolic syndrome. If you have heart disease, chronic high blood pressure or polycystic ovary syndrome, you are at greater risk of metabolic syndrome.

Treatment

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Lifestyle changes can improve the medical conditions that make up metabolic syndrome and contribute to the reduced blood flow that affects low body temperature. Such changes might reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to MayoClinic.com. Daily exercise and a healthy diet including fiber-rich foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meat and low-fat foods can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. A loss of 5 percent to 10 percent of your body weight might reduce your blood pressure and insulin production, which decreases your risk of diabetes. Quitting smoking might reduce your body’s insulin resistance. In addition, your doctor might prescribe medication to help control the the conditions contributing to your metabolic syndrome.