A disease that we typically associate with midlife and beyond is on the rise among people in their 20s and 30s. And it’s killing over 50,000 people every year in the U.S. alone.

Metabolic syndrome is a significant problem in the US. In fact, if you are a woman over the age of 50, you have a 50% chance to be diagnosed with this condition. High blood pressure, blood sugar, triglycerides, and cholesterol characterize this syndrome. And it raises your risk for a number of diseases.

Most of us have had the experience of  a minor health irritation that turned into a big problem. Perhaps you thought  you had a cold but ended up with pneumonia. Or a small splinter led to a nasty infection.  Urinary tract and bladder infections are similar. They might seem like a small  problem at first. But they can spread to the kidneys and cause further damage.  And doctors tend to treat them by throwing antibiotics at them, contributing to  the problem of antibiotic resistance.