In addition to being overweight, there are a number of other factors that can put you at risk for becoming diabetic. Together, these conditions are known as metabolic syndrome. Metabolic Syndrome is defined as having three or more of the following five conditions:

1. High waist circumference (abdominal fat).
2. High fasting glucose levels (over 100 mg/dL).
3. High blood pressure (130/85 mm Hg or higher).
4. High triglycerides (150 mg/dL or higher).
5. Low “good” cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dL HDL for men and 50 mg/dL HDL for women).

Like I mentioned, you need to have four of the five checked by a doctor.

You can see how Diabetes and heart disease are related by that list. Those who experience high triglycerides, high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol are developing potentially fatal heart disease. Indeed, it could be said that the same lifestyle problems are involved in diabetes and heart disease.

Diabetes researchers are uncomfortable grouping these symptoms together as metabolic syndrome, as many see heart disease and diabetes as distinctly different diseases. However, correlations between symptoms are high enough that studying them together may yield information on how each of them develop over time.

One breakthrough hypothesis deals with the autonomic nervous system. In [Autonomic] Unbalance and the Metabolic Syndrome, the authors argue that a degradation of the nervous sytem can lead to both heart disease and diabetes. So, nervous system inbalance may cause diabetes and heart disease, not just be correlated with it. Metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and depression are all highly correlated with nervous system dysfunction.

Additionally, all of these diseases are aided by lifestyle interventions that improve nervous system function. Further research is necessary to firmly establish how heart disease and metabolic disorders evolve.