In the survey, 48 percent of U.S. adults had heard the term “metabolic health” but weren’t sure what it meant, and 32 percent said the term was new to them. Knowledge gaps about the pillars of metabolic health exist, including:62 percent didn’t correctly link low HDL (“good”) cholesterol's possible connection to poor metabolic health. 48 percent didn’t realize that metabolic health isn’t only about body weight. Arthi Thirumalai, MD, an endocrinologist with UW Medicine in Seattle, says her patients also incorrectly believe they’re in “good metabolic health” if they’re thin and in “bad metabolic health” if they’re overweight. “Metabolic health is critical for a long and healthy life,” says Thyfault, and improving metabolic health can happen at any age and have long-term health effects, such as lowering your risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.