https://chiro.org/Conditions/Metabolic_Syndrome_Components.shtml

The question that invariably comes up when we sit down with patients to review films demonstrating significant levels of disc degeneration, especially in the lumbar and thoracic spine, is “what causes that?” Patients seem to already understand the correlation between age and degenerative disk disease (later referred to as DDD), and of obesity. Fewer patients grasp the correlation with trauma, acute and repetitive. And fewer yet understand a more nuanced reason: the disc is at the mercy of poor body chemistry. Spinal discs are soft tissue structures that have a limited blood supply to bring in nutrients needed for routine maintenance and injury repair. If the body “soup” is of poor quality (inflammation, nutrient deficit, free radicals) the disc is not going to meet needs for self repair and will deteriorate at a faster rate than one would expect for one of that age and cumulative trauma load.

Of special interest is the impact of impaired glucose tolerance (a.k.a., diabetes or pre-diabetes) on disc degeneration, even independent of excess weight. This is sobering news in the context of US health stats predicting a rate of adult diabetes close to 30% by 2030 if we do not reverse course on some of our health habits. I have seen this time and time again in practice. Metabolically driven DDD is quite real, and quite profoundly complicates treatment. Remember that diabetes is largely preventable and do your part.