The Case Of Syndrome X

Author: Namita Nayyar

Before you make a decision of whether to follow a low fat diet

with lots of carbohydrates or a diet high in poly- and

monounsaturatted fats with fewer carbohydrates ,there are

certain factors that need to be understood . Prior to your

decision go in for a lab test to determine your level of LDL-

Cholestrol, HDL- cholestrol ,trigycerides,blood sugar and

insulin . Get these checked up by your family physician . If

your blood pressure is fine and your blood level of these

substances are within normal you don't need to worry about the

portions of fat or carbohydrates you eat . The more out of range

you are of these parameters , the more likely you are to have

Syndrome X. Abnormalities in glucose and lipid (blood fats)

metabolism, obesity, and high blood pressure occur together. In

fact, this cluster of abnormalities is known as a syndrome,

going by a variety of names, including Syndrome X, the Deadly

Quartet, and the Insulin Resistance Syndrome. Syndrome X. is a

new term for a cluster of conditions, that, when occurring

together, may indicate a predisposition to diabetes,

hypertension and heart disease. Insulin is the hormone

responsible for getting energy, in the form of glucose, or blood

sugar, into our cells. A woman who is insulin-resistant has

cells that respond sluggishly to the action of insulin.

Following a meal, this woman will have elevated glucose

circulating in the blood, signaling yet more insulin to be

released from the pancreas until the glucose is taken up by the

cells.

When insulin resistance, or reduced insulin sensistivy, exists,

the body attempts to overcome this resistance by secreting more

insulin from the pancreas. This compensatory state of

hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels in the blood) is felt to

be a marker for the syndrome. The development of Type II, or

non-insulin dependent, diabetes occurs when the pancreas fails

to sustain this increase insulin secretion. It is not clear how

insulin resistance contributes to the presence of high blood

pressure, but it is clear that the high insulin levels resulting

from insulin resistance contribute to abnormalites in blood

lipids-cholesterol and triglycerides.

The syndrome is typically characterized by varying degrees of

glucose intolerance, abnormal cholesterol and/or triglyceride

levels, high blood pressure, and upper body obesity, all

independent risk factors for cardiac disease. If one includes

along with the classic four features the commonly associated

conditions of aging, sedentary lifestyle, stress, smoking, and a

dose of genetic susceptibility, then a deadly web of increased

cardiovascular (heart and blood vessels) disease risk is woven

Treatment for the described metabolic syndrome therefore aims at

treating all of: the features of the syndrome that exist in a

given woman.

The first step, then, is to identify the risk for the insulin

resistance syndrome-women who are overweight, those who have a

parent or sibling with Type II diabetes, women who had diabetes

which occurred during pregnancy are more succeptable .

General recommendations :

Because these conditions occur in a cluster, the steps you take

to bring one of the conditions into a healthy range will likely

improve the others. 1.If you're overweight,try to lose some

extra kilos.Losing up to 10 or 15 percent of your current body

weight can bring blood pressure down and increase your cells'

sensitivity to insulin. 2.If you are sedantry, engage in some

vigorous physical activity for 30 minutes or more a day,3-5

times a week . Exercise is an important component of weight

loss. It also raises HDL blood levels, even without weight loss.

A sedantry lifestyle is responsible for about 25 percent of the

effect of syndrome X.

3.Aim for a diet moderately low in fat and concentrated sweets

or one that has 20% calories as fat, if not more. The Dietary

Guidelines recommend to eat 55 percent of total calories from

carbohydrates, primarily complex carbohydrates. The key words

here are "complex carbohydrates," such as grains, beans and

vegetables, rather than sweets and desserts, and the total

number of calories being consumed--just enough to maintain or

achieve desirable weight.

4. In case if pharmacological intervention is required your

doctor might prescribe blood pressure medications which will

improve insulin sensitivity and have no adverse effects on blood

lipids, blood sugar medicines which improve insulin sensitivity

and blood lipid levels, blood pressure treatments may be

particularly beneficial for the kidneys of women with diabetes

5. Other factors include cessation of smoking, and moderation of

alcohol intake .

This approach to caring for women with the insulin resistance

syndrome, that of comprehensive evaluation and risk factor

management, is essential if we are to meet and overcome the real

health danger which accompanies this constellation of metabolic

abnormalities-cardiovascular disease.

About the author:

Namita Nayyar is a President & fitness trainer,Women

Fitness(http://www.womenfitness.net) with a sound background of

Normal & therapeutic Nutrition

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The Case Of Syndrome X

Article : The Case Of Syndrome X