Syndrom X

I am reading a book titled "What your Doctor doesn't know about Nutritional Medicine May be Killing you" by Mr. Ray D. Strand, M.D. It is very interesting as well as informative. Some portion of it needs to be known to all the young people who are not diabetic and hence thought to reproduce it as quote for information and knowledge of all "

What is the Cause of Insulin Resistance?


Several theories suggest reasons why we become less and less sensitive to our insulin over the years. But I truly believe insulin resistance is the result of the Western diet. Though we focus heavily on cutting back on fats, our love affair with carbohydrates continues. What many don't fully realise is that carbohydrates are simply long chains of sugar that the body absorbs at various rates. Did you know white bread, white flour , pasta, rice and potatoes release their sugars into the bloodstream even faster than table sugar? It's true. This is why such foods are called high-glycemic.


On the other hand foods such as green beans, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, apples, and oranges release their sugars into the bloodstream much more slowly and are therefore considered low-glycemic foods.


Our people tends to eat far too many high-glycemic foods,m which in turn causes blood sugars to rise very rapidly and stimulates the release of insulin. When our blood sugar drops, we feel hungry. So we grab a snack or eat a big meal, and the whole process starts all over again. After a period of time, the release of insulin has been overstimulated so often that our bodies simply become less and less sensitive to it. In order for the body to control the blood sugar levels, the pancreas needs to put out higher levels of insulin. It is these elevated levels of insulin that cvause the destructive metabolic changes associated with Syndrome X.


How Do you Know If You Have Syndrome X?


Most physicians do not routinely request blood insulin levels for their patients. But there is a simple (although indirect) way to see if you may be developing Syndrom X or insulin resistance. When your blood is tested you will routinely get a lipid profile, which includes the levels of total cholesterol, HDL(good) cholesterol, the LDL (bad) cholesterol, and triglycerides (the other fat in the blood). Most everyone is familiar with the ratio you obtain by dividing the Total cholesterol by the HDL cholesterol. But if you divide the triglyceride level by the HDL cholesterol, the ratio you get is an indication of whether you are developing the syndrome. If this ratio is greater than two, you may be starting to develop Syndrome X.


Here's an example of how to do this simple test. Let's say your triglyceride level is 210 and your HDL cholesterol level is 30. Dividing 210 by 30 equals a ratio of 7. Since this is definitely greater than a ratio of 2, you would conclude you have early signs of insulin resistance or Syndrome X.


As soon as a person begins developing insulin resistance, one should follow lifestyle changes, because, this is when cardiovascular damage really begins. Therefore we need to be readily aware of the early signs of developing insulin resistance via the triglycerides/HDL cholesterol ratio. Insuline resistance is totally reversible at this point. We must never be content to wait until we become fully diabetic before being treated.


When a patient treats his insulin resistance with simple but effective lifestyle changes, not only does he prevent accelerated damage to the arteries, but he also avoids diabetes itself. This is true preventive medicine. A healthier lifestyle, not the drugs, will make the difference.


All of us have heard the media and physicians claim that the reason diabetes is becoming epidemic is because so many people are developing obesity. This is really not the case. The media has put the cart before the horse, so to speak. Insulin resistance (Syndrome X) leads to Central obesity, not the other way round. Infact obesity is a major aspect of this syndrome.


What do I mean by Central obesity. This has to do with how your weight is distributed in your body. If it is evgenly dispersed all over or you are heavy in the bottom(pear-shaped), you may need to drop some weight, but in relation to Syndrome X, you are find. But if you have gained substantial weight around your waistline (are apple-shaped), you may be in trouble.


Many patients in their late twenties or early thirties complain that they are gaining a significant amount of weight. What bothers them is the fact that their eating habits and activity level have not changed, but they've put on thirty to forty pounds in the past two to three years. Why are they gaining so much? Typically it is because they have developed a resistance to insulin.  They have begun various diet programms but were not able to lose much weight. Such diets are essentially high-carbohydrate, low fat; this makes the insulin resistance only worse. If these people do not correct the underlying problem for their weight gain-insulin resistance- they will not lose weight. 


I encourage all of my patients to begin balancing their diet by eating low glycemic carbohydrates with good protein and good fat(vegetables and vegetable oils, olive oil, nut beans, soy and so on are great sources of protein and contain fats that will actually lower your cholesterol.) The best carbohydrates come from fresh whole fruits and vegetables. Avoid all processed foods. An apple is better than apple juice. When this diet is combined with a modest exercise programme, the underline insulin resistance may be corrected. The weight will then start coming off as mysteriously as it came on. My patients are often amazed at how they are losing weight without really even trying. They feel good, and their energy level is remarkable.


Losing weight is not the answer. Correcting insulin resistance is the Key.