Re: Fw: Three Foods to Fight Metabolic Syndrome

July 24, 2012

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Three Foods to Fight Metabolic Syndrome

The following is rather a long article, but I thought it was very revealing and

informative. I hope you find it helpful.

Three Foods to Fight Metabolic Syndrome

by Dr.

Abdominal fat accumulation is the most easily identifiable sign of metabolic

syndrome, but it's by no means the only one. Metabolic syndrome, also called

Syndrome X and " insulin resistance syndrome, " is loosely defined as having any

three of the following: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, high fasting

blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, or low HDL cholesterol.

Individually, these conditions are problematic, but even more troubling in

combination; you should be aware that in addition to an " early warning sign " of

diabetes, metabolic syndrome can also be an indication of impending heart

disease. In fact, many people discover they are diabetic only after they

experience a heart attack. One Swedish study revealed that as many as 40 percent

of those patients who were admitted with acute myocardial infarction (heart

attack) were diabetic but didn't know it.

Abdominal Fat Is Just the Beginning

It's been well documented that having a pear-shaped body (smaller waist but

larger hips) is healthier than having an apple-shaped body (more fat at the

waist). But what complicates matters slightly is that not all abdominal fat is

created equal.

Fat can develop in three different compartments of the abdominal region:

abdominal (stored between the skin and the abdominal wall), visceral (in and

around the internal organs), and retroperitoneal (the back and sides or what we

commonly refer to as " love handles " ). Fat in each of these areas has its own

metabolic reaction, as well as its own contribution to disease.

Researchers, however, have recently discovered that the amount of visceral fat

is probably the best indicator of your risk for diabetes and heart disease. The

relationship makes sense when you consider that the veins of the internal organs

drain into the liver and visceral fat is the only type that shares this

circulation.

The liver connection is what makes excess visceral fat so dangerous because it

can contribute to non-alcohol fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Obviously, much of

the fat accumulation problem originates in the diet (i.e., too much highly

refined sugar and carbohydrates and too little fiber and fresh produce).

When you eat sugar, flour, or other refined carbohydrates, some of the digested

sugars are used for your immediate energy needs. Any excess is converted to fat

or fatty molecules called triglycerides, which are stored in fat cells for later

use.

Excess triglycerides in the blood are transported by the " good " cholesterol, the

HDL form. HDL " attaches " to the triglycerides and tries to lower blood levels by

taking them back to the liver. If you have low levels of HDL cholesterol (below

40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women), if your diet is high in refined

carbohydrates, or if you're diabetic, you may experience abnormally high

triglyceride levels (equal to or greater than 150 mg/dL). While normal amounts

of triglycerides are essential for good health, elevated triglycerides and other

blood fats are associated with higher risk for diabetes and heart disease.

There are good fats and bad fats. In simple terms, the most harmful types of fat

are the tiny droplets that can accumulate in the liver, organs, and other

tissues in the abdominal area. They are responsible for creating a condition

called insulin resistance (which is when cells in the body become resistant to

the effects of insulin). In other words, insulin's effect is reduced and higher

levels are required for it to have any effect.

Resisting the Call

Insulin plays a key role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

It even helps regulate cell growth in the body. One of insulin's many jobs is to

" open " the walls of muscle and fat cells and cause them to remove glucose from

the blood. This process is one of the ways your body controls blood sugar

levels.

Insulin acts sort of like the policemen you see on the television show COPS. To

lower blood sugar levels, it knocks on the door of muscle and fat cells. When

the cells become more resistant to insulin, the body requires that the pancreas

send out more insulin to get the job done.

As resistance continues to build, more and more insulin is needed to knock

down the door. Eventually, when the pancreas can't produce enough insulin,

the blood sugar levels begin to rise. At first this increase in glucose happens

just after meals. Later, it stays high even during the fasting state-which is

when you have a diagnosis of diabetes.

The increase in insulin also triggers the constriction of blood vessels and

promotes clotting, leading to high blood pressure and restriction of blood flow

to the heart, which can trigger a heart attack. Basically, anything you can do

to increase the efficiency of insulin and/or decrease your body's need for the

hormone will improve your health and extend your life

Diet, Exercise, and Three Metabolic Syndrome Fighters

Unsurprisingly, the best places to start are cleaning up your diet and getting

regular exercise. At the very least, you should be getting around 25 grams of

fiber in your diet each day. This is best obtained through whole grains (bran

cereals are excellent fiber sources), berries, nuts, legumes, fruits with the

skin

and pulp, raw vegetables, et cetera. Avoid fried and processed foods, in favor

of whole foods, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and lean protein.

As important as diet is to controlling metabolic syndrome and reducing your

risk for disease in the future, high-intensity exercise seems to specifically

target that most-damaging visceral fat, according to researchers. Diet alone

helps reduce the subcutaneous fat (the fat between the skin and the abdominal

wall), but that fat is less harmful than that visceral fat within and

surrounding the internal organs.

As you focus on sticking to a healthy diet and keeping up with regular exercise,

try to up your consumption of the following three substances to aid in your

battle against metabolic syndrome (and the heart disease and diabetes waiting

for you down the road):

..Grapefruit

..Cinnamon

..Cayenne pepper

Grapefruit

Not long ago, many doctors were telling their patients on prescription

medications to curtail consumption of grapefruit and grapefruit juice. I thought

the idea was absurd at the time, and I still do. Instead, the focus should be on

helping these patients curtail their drug use. The problem is that eating

grapefruit or drinking the juice increases the absorption of certain drugs by as

much as 200 percent-particularly blood pressure-lowering medications and the

popular (but dangerous) statin drugs used to lower cholesterol levels.

Researchers have now discovered that the group of compounds called

furanocoumarins is responsible for this increase in absorption. Surely I'm not

the only one who sees the irony in eliminating a nutritious food such as

grapefruit-which could help reduce cholesterol oxidation, increase weight loss

subsequently lowering blood pressure, and help prevent diabetes-so one can

continue to utilize a pharmaceutical band-aid that, in the long term, may well

increase one's risk of dying. I realize that eating a grapefruit with every meal

won't solve all these health problems, but it can certainly be an integral part

of an overall program that will address the underlying causes and not just mask

symptoms with drugs.

At the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, researchers recently studied the

effects of grapefruit and grapefruit juice on body weight and metabolic

syndrome. A total of 91 obese patients received one of the following three times

a day before meals: half a grapefruit with a placebo capsule; 8 ounces of

grapefruit juice and a placebo capsule; grapefruit capsules and 7 ounces of

apple juice; or placebo capsules and 7 ounces of apple juice.

After 12 weeks the fresh grapefruit group lost a total of 3.52 pounds. The

grapefruit juice group lost 3.3 pounds. The grapefruit capsule group lost 2.42

pounds and the placebo group lost 0.35 pounds. Grapefruit is not only a

delicious way to help lose excess weight, it also appears to be a diabetic's (or

potential diabetic's) best friend. While the grapefruit users in the above study

saw significant weight loss, they experienced an additional benefit: a

substantial reduction in blood glucose (blood sugar) and insulin levels. So, if

you have signs of metabolic syndrome, ramp up your grapefruit intake (unless

you're taking a contraindicated medication).

Cinnamon

Research on cinnamon shows it can safely and effectively boost insulin

sensitivity. Cinnamon contains a group of flavonoids called Type A procyanidins,

which have been shown to mimic the effects of insulin. These

flavonoids not only help transport glucose into our cells, but they promote the

synthesis of glycogen as well.

Research has shown that one to three grams of whole powder can reduce fasting

glucose levels anywhere from 18 to 29 percent in type 2 diabetics.

Interestingly, cinnamon maintains its positive effects on blood sugar for at

least 12 hours. In one study when cinnamon was given to individuals up to 12

hours before a glucose tolerance test, levels of their blood glucose were 10 to

13 percent lower than in individuals given a placebo.

Ordinary cinnamon powder, just like you can buy in bulk at your local

supermarket, is by far one of the easiest and least expensive methods to help

control your blood sugar levels. (I'm aware that there's been some controversy

over the fact that what you buy in the grocery isn't " true " cinnamon, but

instead the bark of a plant called cassia. In fact, all the research showing

benefits for blood sugar has been done using cassia.)

Cayenne Pepper

Like cinnamon, cayenne pepper has also shown promise as another inexpensive

" poor man's insulin. " Researchers in Tasmania, Australia sent me details of

their work in which they tested the effects of combining cayenne pepper with

meals. The study revealed that even one meal with the pepper had an immediate

effect, but it only lasted for a short period. They compared several different

scenarios, but the most effective program by far at mitigating an insulin surge

following meals involved taking about 4 grams of cayenne pepper with each meal.

Individuals who followed this program produced about one-third less insulin. The

greatest benefits were seen in the obese participants.

I don't know how practical it is to take 4 grams of cayenne pepper with each

meal. Obviously, most people would need to take this in capsules (except for

those meals of boiled crawfish where the pepper flows rather freely over the

" bugs " ). However, by using cayenne pepper occasionally, and cinnamon or

grapefruit at other times, you might be able to help head off future health

problems associated with metabolic syndrome.

July 24, 2012