Metabolic Syndrome
From mild to severe, the collection of symptoms that make up Metabolic Syndrome may be all or most of the following:
High levels of cholesterol in the blood
Insulin resistance, or abnormally high levels of insulin in the blood
High glucose levels
Sugar intolerance
Low HDL ("good" cholesterol)
High triglycerides (components of fat found in the blood)
High blood pressure
Obesity around the middle of the body
Overstimulation of testosterone
Adult acne
Heart disease, coronary artery disease
Elevated testosterone levels
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While you may not have heard of Metabolic Syndrome, or by it's original name, Syndrome X, it's likely you've heard of or maybe even experienced its symptoms.
Dr. Gerald Reaven, an endocrinologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine, coined the term Syndrome X to describe a cluster of symptoms that currently affect about 20 to 25 percent of men and women in the United States today.
These numbers may grow rapidly unless immediate dietary and lifestyle changes are made in American society. A key part of Metabolic Syndrome is "Insulin Resistance".
Insulin Resistance is epidemic in the United States today.
The Western diet, filled with processed foods and with refined sugars and carbohydrates that are immediately converted to sugar, is creating insulin resistance in women, men, and even children.
So what is insulin resistance?
Every cell in the body needs glucose for energy. Insulin is the hormone that drives glucose into the cells.
Years of ingesting highly refined, high-carbohydrate foods causes our cells to become saturated with glucose.
Insulin's job is to carry the glucose from a recent meal and put it into cells and out of the bloodstream. If the appropriate cells are already full of glucose, the insulin can't force more into them.
Since the glucose can't go into these saturated cells, it stays circulating in the blood longer than it should. This causes the body to produce even more insulin to drive the glucose out of the blood.
At this point, insulin begins shoving glucose into the fat cells. (The fat cells around the midsection of the body seem to be most receptive to this process, creating the dreaded fat in the midsection.)
Once these cells are filled, insulin can remain only in the bloodstream, creating Type II Diabetes.
Although this process takes years to develop in many people, it is occurring in younger and younger women and men in Western society.
To heal Insulin Resistance and Metabolic Syndrome, it is vital that you change your diet and begin an aerobic exercise program.
This is a treatable condition, and you do not have to follow the path to Type II Diabetes even if your family history indicates such. Don't buy into that myth!
What you've inherited is not a medical condition but rather ways of eating, ways of comforting yourself, your inner dialogue about food, exercise and your body, and other changeable habits.
Over several generations of these patterns, however, body types do begin to develop a propensity for blood-sugar handling dysfunction.
Some body types — typically the “apple” body shape woman, or people who tend to gain weight through their rib cage area — are more easily predisposed to Type II Diabetes.
How can you treat Metabolic Syndrome at home?
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Eliminate simple, processed, and concentrated carbohydrates and sugars, such as candy, most breads, white potatoes, white rice, corn, cooked carrots, instant oatmeal and other refined foods.
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Increase complex-carbohydrate, high-fiber foods, such as legumes. Some whole grains, in very limited amounts, can be included. Most breads, even if they are labeled “Whole Wheat” are not truly whole grain.
The wheat has still been refined and often mixed with bleached, refined flour, to make a lighter, more Americanized bread. The darker and more course textured the bread, the more likely it has been made with true whole grains.
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Eat foods that have a low glycemic index. The blood-sugar-raising effect of a food is called its glycemic index.
The higher the food rates on the glycemic index, the more rapidly its carbohydrate is absorbed. Foods high on the glycemic index quickly convert to sugar and will elicit an insulin response much more quickly.
Bread, cookies, crackers and white flour products are high glycemic index foods.
Beans and fruit have a lower glycemic index even though they have a high carbohydrate content. The fiber in these foods helps lower the glycemic index and slows down absorption
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High-fiber supplements such as psyllium, pectin, and guar gum have improved glucose tolerance in some studies. Add fiber to your diet. Some people don’t respond well to psyllium, but many other choices are available.
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Consume fresh garlic and onions liberally.
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Increase omega-3 essential fatty acids (flaxseed oil or fish oil) to more than 1 tablespoon daily. There are even flavored forms available for children to increase brain function and development.
When you purchase a fatty-acid or fish oil supplement, the manufacturing processes of the maker are VITAL. Many oils are rancid soon after processing if not handled carefully, or they become rancid from not taking care with shipping. Oils, if not pure, can carry a lot of chemicals, odors and toxic contamination.
See my Brand Name Vitamin and supplement Product Reviews for the purest oils on the market today!
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Use olive oil or grapeseed oil in cooking. Peanut oil may also be used when a higher temperature cooking is desired.
Grapeseed oil is a wonderful oil to cook with. It has a higher safe cooking temperature than olive oil, and it is tasteless.
Despite its good advertising, canola oil is not completely free of trans fats. I do not recommend it.
Do not overheat your oil. If your oil smokes, throw it away and start over. This means the oil has burned and become rancid.
A good way to cook with it is to pan sauté your vegetables in a little organic broth or even water, then once they are lightly cooked, add the healthy oil on the hot vegetables. This will enhance the taste of both the vegetables and oil without creating rancid oil and oxidation.
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Adding hormone-free proteins with every meal and eating healthy fats such as olive oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil, some dairy foods, and goat cheese is essential.
(Let go of the outdated and incorrect "low-fat" theory that has caused Americans to become the largest people in the world, and the most obese. Good fats are essential.)
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Decrease intake of common vegetable oils (corn, safflower, sunflower), which are high in omega-6 fatty acids. These oils have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.
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Avoid partially hydrogenated fats and oils (such as margarine, vegetable shortening, lard substitutes) and processed foods containing these artificial fats. Watch your labels and avoid trans fats. These are the killer fats.
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Add hormone-free and antibiotic-free fish to your diet. Be aware of the best and worst fish. Avoid Atlantic Salmon, but eat plenty of Alaskan and wild caught Pacific coast Salmon. Tilapia and Halibut are good if it is from the USA, otherwise it may contain harmful chemicals.
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Children may want to avoid cow’s milk, especially if they have a body type or familial tendency towards diabetes. Several studies have linked the consumption of cow’s milk to the development of diabetes. It is suggested that some children produce antibodies to milk that may cross-react and damage the beta-cells of the pancreas.
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Avoid alcohol and smoking. Alcohol decreases glucose tolerance.
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Lose weight if necessary. Excess weight decreases insulin sensitivity.
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Exercise regularly. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity. Exercise is essential in healing Metabolic Syndrome. All the correct nutrition in the world may not help insomnia, high blood pressure, and obesity if exercise is not included in the protocol. Walking (I suggest using a heart rate monitor) , swimming, cycling, low impact aerobics, rebounding (mini-trampoline) and rowing are all extremely good for weight loss and health regeneration.Consult with your health care practitioner before starting any exercise program.
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Drink one-half your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, a 150 pound person should consume 75 fluid ounces (about 10 eight-ounce cups) of pure water daily.
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Restore health to your adrenal glands. This can be done through a comprehensive treatment program with herbal supplements and stress-lowering activities such as yoga and meditation.