After reviewing these numbers, I decided to investigate another phenomenon and was again surprised by what I found. Wouldn't you think it would be newsworthy if you had a certain condition that meant you would have a 728 percent higher risk of developing adult onset diabetes? What about if the same condition gave you a 171 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease? What if this condition was present in one out of every four Americans?

For comparison, the Black Plague killed about 23 percent of the world's population in the 1300s. This is beginning to sound like something out of a science fiction movie. However, it's not like something in a movie. It is a real condition called metabolic syndrome (METs).

METs is not something you can see with your eyes. It doesn't reveal itself in the form of physical impairment, mental incapacitation or any other terrible affliction that you can specifically put your finger on. It is simply defined as having any "three of the following five" risk factors out of range:                                                                                                                                             

• HDL Cholesterol
• Triglycerides
• Blood Pressure
• Waist Measurement
• Glucose

So how do you know if you have METs? It's as simple as receiving an annual preventive screening to check your standard measurements. And, what can you do if you get this terrible condition? Well, studies have shown that you can reduce prevalence of METs by about 50 percent if you lose 8-10 lbs. And that's not all.

Because METs is such a "gray area", it doesn't seem to get any play in the mainstream media. How do you make this condition terrifying when the actual diagnosis of having it can change from one day to the next? If you ate well and didn't consume alcoholic beverages for a weekend, your triglycerides may be down and you may not have it on Monday. But, if you travel all week for work, eat fast food, have a few beers in the evening with your co-workers, by Friday you can have METs.

Just because it's hard to define, or because the medical community has not yet created a sufficient way of connecting to the definition, it doesn't mean the condition should be ignored. I recently wrote that METs is the gateway condition. This is the step between obesity and heart disease or diabetes. It is your warning sign that you are developing serious chronic medical conditions; somewhat like a yellow light for your body warning you to slow down before you shut down.

This condition is twice as costly to your medical plan as being obese is alone. People walk down the street and judge others for being obese, but they don't realize that the obese individuals may be in an even worse state of health and not know it because they can't physically see METs.

We stand here with a condition that is truly the next medical epidemic and the only thing keeping the American population from eradicating it is awareness and about 8 lbs each. Like many other wellness directives, I believe the only way we can make this condition a major focus, is to bring it into the mainstream of Corporate America and make it a focus of their wellness efforts. If companies go the route of the dinosaur with their health care programs, we may be doomed, because I can't see any other organization being able to hold them accountable for their health, while offering the consistent information needed to make conditions like METs a priority.

Sure, everyone can go to their doctor for testing, but what happens then? Doctors tell you that you have a few pounds to lose, may or may not run all of the tests that should be standard operating procedure, wish you luck, and ask to see you in 12 months. All of that in 7-10 minutes and they are gone. That is not working. We need to make it a priority to provide education to our employees, helping them to prioritize the risks to their health so that they don't have to wade through the murky waters of studies reporting what they hear on the news each night.