Antoaneta Sawyer, Ph. D.
Despite that there is no unified treatment or a disease cure, right diet, nutritional and herbal supplementation, lifestyle changes can help support healthy blood sugar levels and control metabolic syndrome. Several vitamins, minerals, herbs and antioxidants have been studied for their efficacy at promoting healthy blood sugar and protecting cells from the damage of elevated oxidation with favorable results. The high cost of managing metabolic syndrome, together with the recent economical situation have led to a growing interest in potentially gentler modalities and methods presented as a strategy by the alternative medicine.
The CAM model is following correct and balanced nutrition, active lifestyle and exercise combined with behavior changes, relaxing techniques recognizing that all the above modalities can play important role in prevention and ameliorating the metabolic syndrome. Improving nutrition by eating more vegetables (50% of intake), by eating organic produce while increasing good fats (i.e. nuts, salmon, avocado, olive oil), eating fresh and avoiding preservatives, processed food, fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, simple sugars and bad fats (fried food, hydrogenated oils). The AMA has lately recommended a growing consensus of additional multi-vitamin/ mineral to “prevent chronic disease”. This is the premise for supplementing nutrients through super foods (i.e. green foods, spirulina, chlorella, gogi berries, acai, mangosteen, noni, bee pollen) and other phytoproducts.
It is quite obvious that there is no single magic bullet that can overcome this condition.
It is quite obvious that there is no single magic bullet that can overcome this condition.
Fortunately, Metabolic Syndrome can be reversed with dietary, lifestyle, and nutritional supplements. Dr Reaven, the acknowledged father of this syndrome, advocates a diet high in unsaturated fat (45%), low in protein (15%), and moderate in carbohydrate (40%). Exercise, weight management, and optimum nutritional supplements such as chromium polynicotinate, vitamin C, proline, lysine, and other antioxidants help to normalize sugar and increase insulin sensitivity. Every attempt should be made to reduce total body weight to within 20% of the "ideal" body weight calculated for age and height. If this is done Metabolic Syndrome will improve significantly.
1. Diet . The primary treatment for metabolic syndrome is the diet. A diet high in protein is suitable for those with normal insulin sensitivity, but inappropriate for those with metabolic syndrome. It is important to note that there are good fats and there are bad fats. The fats recommended by Dr. Reaven are mostly heart-friendly unsaturated fats from plant and vegetable sources such as olive oil and nuts, not from the artery-clogging saturated fats present in steaks. Dr Reaven suggests replacing saturated fats with and mono- and poly -unsaturated fats will equally benefit LDL cholesterol lowering as compared to replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats do not raise insulin levels, so you get the benefit of both LDL cholesterol and Metabolic Syndrome control. Unsaturated fats are found in foods such as vegetable oils (olive oil in particular is high in mono-unsaturated fats) nuts, and avocados, whereas saturated fats are abundant in fatty cuts of meat and whole milk dairy products. It has been postulated that use of low glycemic-index carbohydrates will avoid worsening the manifestations of Metabolic Syndrome due to its slow glucose release and absorption rate. There is little doubt that low glycemic-index carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables are superior when compared to high glycemic-index carbohydrates such as white flour and white bread. Dr Reaven studied this by increasing the fiber intake to the level recommended by the ADA for diabetics, and it had almost no effect. In a recent paper, substantial increases in the fiber level (exceeding the ADA recommendation) resulted in improved metabolic characteristics, as compared to a high carbohydrate/low fat diet. The most problematic type of carbohydrate for people with metabolic syndrome are the simple carbohydrates which are found in foods such as cakes, candies, pies, muffins, and ice cream. These foods contain large amounts of sugar, which go straight into the blood and quickly raise blood sugar, hence increasing the demand for insulin to bring the blood sugar levels back down. Even complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, bread, and pastas are fairly quickly digested and broken down into sugars. It is therefore very important that people with insulin resistance limit their intake of all complex carbohydrates. Proteins and most vegetables, on the other hand, do not have this effect on blood sugar. Proteins, in fact, will slow the absorption of the sugars that come from carbohydrates and decrease their impact on blood sugar and insulin levels.
2. Nutritional Supplementation. A variety of natural non-toxic food based compounds can be used. The goals are to normalize blood sugar, and increase insulin sensitivity. For antioxidant deficiency: a strong multi-vitamin with at least 10,000 I.U. of beta carotene, 500 mg of vitamin C, 200mg of selenium, 100 mg of grape seed extract, 30 mg of co-enzyme Q10. For normalization of adrenal function, pantethine 300-900 mg, licorice root, panthothenic acid 400-1,200 mg should be considered. Other synergistic nutrients include: Coenzyme Q10 together with peperine extract to help enhance cardiac function, wheat germ powder, horsetail/ shavegrass herb powder, bioflavonoids that synergistically enhance the effects of other anti-oxidants, amaranth flour, apple pectin powder, papaya fruit powder, bromelain to help reduce inflammation, milk thistle extract to help the liver detoxification, and lipase to help digest fat. The best way is to take the above nutrients in the form of a nutritional cocktail that contain most of the above mentioned nutrient. In a properly formed cocktail, the amount of each single nutrient is reduced, while the overall effect is still achieved. Because of biochemical and metabolic individual variation, the use of nutritional supplements should therefore be personalized for your body. One person’s nutrient can be another person’s toxin.
“Selenium intake reduces serum C3, an early marker of metabolic syndrome manifestations, in healthy young adults.C3 seems to be related with selenium status and several anthropometrical and biochemical measurements linked to metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy young adults,” wrote authors as B. Puchau, M.A. Zulet, A. Gonzalez de Echavarria, I. Navarro-Blasco and J.A. Martinez . These findings suggest a possible role for selenium intake in the modulation of C3, whose assessment may be an early marker of metabolic syndrome manifestations as per the conclusions of the researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published online Nov 5, 2008). According to their online report ‘Selenium status’ appears to be linked with serum complement factor 3 (C3), which has been reported to be a marker for increased risk of the metabolic syndrome. The researchers state: “We report here for the first time an association between circulating C3 and nail selenium concentrations.” Selenium levels have been falling in Europe since the EU imposed levies on wheat imports from the US, where soil selenium levels are high. As a result, average intake of selenium in the UK has fallen from 60 to 34 micrograms per day, leading to calls from some to enrich soil and fertilizers with selenium to boost public consumption. Selenium-enriched fertilizers are used in Finland. The European recommended daily intake (RDI) is 65 micrograms. The recommended EC Tolerable Upper Intake Level for selenium is 300 micrograms per day (EU publ)
3. Herbs. Generally speaking, herbs are employed on the basis of their symptom specific effects. However, the desired symptom-specific effects are not always seen as a result. It is interesting to note that for any specific condition, there is always more than one herb available that can be employed. What is necessary for the achievement of the desired result is to match the appropriate herb to the appropriate constitution (metabolically and biochemically). In the case of metabolic syndrome herbal healing---the use of Terminalia Arjuna as a cardiac tonic and for blood pressure regulation, Guggul herb for a cholesterol control, Bitter Melon- for glycemic and diabetes control, Gacinia for lipids control, Gymnema as a sugar destroyer must be underlined. Just as the natures, qualities, nutrient content, etc., of the various foods must be matched to one’s metabolic syndrome management, so too must the nature and qualities of herbs or nutraceuticals be matched for predictable, reliable and desired effects to be achieved. It is resulted from the model that some people who are not obese by traditional measures nevertheless are insulin resistant and have abnormal levels of metabolic risk factors. Examples are seen in individuals with 2 diabetic parents or 1 parent and a first- or second-degree relative; the same is true for many individuals of Mexican or African ethnicity.
4. Exercise. Epidemiological studies have shown that modest exercise is beneficial. However, unequivocal metabolic benefits from exercise will not be achieved from a casual walk a couple of nights a week. Significant, regular, chronic exercise is required to see improvements in insulin action, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. Exercise is as powerful a tool as weight loss.
5. Others:
1. Diet . The primary treatment for metabolic syndrome is the diet. A diet high in protein is suitable for those with normal insulin sensitivity, but inappropriate for those with metabolic syndrome. It is important to note that there are good fats and there are bad fats. The fats recommended by Dr. Reaven are mostly heart-friendly unsaturated fats from plant and vegetable sources such as olive oil and nuts, not from the artery-clogging saturated fats present in steaks. Dr Reaven suggests replacing saturated fats with and mono- and poly -unsaturated fats will equally benefit LDL cholesterol lowering as compared to replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates. Mono- and poly-unsaturated fats do not raise insulin levels, so you get the benefit of both LDL cholesterol and Metabolic Syndrome control. Unsaturated fats are found in foods such as vegetable oils (olive oil in particular is high in mono-unsaturated fats) nuts, and avocados, whereas saturated fats are abundant in fatty cuts of meat and whole milk dairy products. It has been postulated that use of low glycemic-index carbohydrates will avoid worsening the manifestations of Metabolic Syndrome due to its slow glucose release and absorption rate. There is little doubt that low glycemic-index carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables are superior when compared to high glycemic-index carbohydrates such as white flour and white bread. Dr Reaven studied this by increasing the fiber intake to the level recommended by the ADA for diabetics, and it had almost no effect. In a recent paper, substantial increases in the fiber level (exceeding the ADA recommendation) resulted in improved metabolic characteristics, as compared to a high carbohydrate/low fat diet. The most problematic type of carbohydrate for people with metabolic syndrome are the simple carbohydrates which are found in foods such as cakes, candies, pies, muffins, and ice cream. These foods contain large amounts of sugar, which go straight into the blood and quickly raise blood sugar, hence increasing the demand for insulin to bring the blood sugar levels back down. Even complex carbohydrates such as potatoes, bread, and pastas are fairly quickly digested and broken down into sugars. It is therefore very important that people with insulin resistance limit their intake of all complex carbohydrates. Proteins and most vegetables, on the other hand, do not have this effect on blood sugar. Proteins, in fact, will slow the absorption of the sugars that come from carbohydrates and decrease their impact on blood sugar and insulin levels.
2. Nutritional Supplementation. A variety of natural non-toxic food based compounds can be used. The goals are to normalize blood sugar, and increase insulin sensitivity. For antioxidant deficiency: a strong multi-vitamin with at least 10,000 I.U. of beta carotene, 500 mg of vitamin C, 200mg of selenium, 100 mg of grape seed extract, 30 mg of co-enzyme Q10. For normalization of adrenal function, pantethine 300-900 mg, licorice root, panthothenic acid 400-1,200 mg should be considered. Other synergistic nutrients include: Coenzyme Q10 together with peperine extract to help enhance cardiac function, wheat germ powder, horsetail/ shavegrass herb powder, bioflavonoids that synergistically enhance the effects of other anti-oxidants, amaranth flour, apple pectin powder, papaya fruit powder, bromelain to help reduce inflammation, milk thistle extract to help the liver detoxification, and lipase to help digest fat. The best way is to take the above nutrients in the form of a nutritional cocktail that contain most of the above mentioned nutrient. In a properly formed cocktail, the amount of each single nutrient is reduced, while the overall effect is still achieved. Because of biochemical and metabolic individual variation, the use of nutritional supplements should therefore be personalized for your body. One person’s nutrient can be another person’s toxin.
“Selenium intake reduces serum C3, an early marker of metabolic syndrome manifestations, in healthy young adults.C3 seems to be related with selenium status and several anthropometrical and biochemical measurements linked to metabolic syndrome in apparently healthy young adults,” wrote authors as B. Puchau, M.A. Zulet, A. Gonzalez de Echavarria, I. Navarro-Blasco and J.A. Martinez . These findings suggest a possible role for selenium intake in the modulation of C3, whose assessment may be an early marker of metabolic syndrome manifestations as per the conclusions of the researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, published online Nov 5, 2008). According to their online report ‘Selenium status’ appears to be linked with serum complement factor 3 (C3), which has been reported to be a marker for increased risk of the metabolic syndrome. The researchers state: “We report here for the first time an association between circulating C3 and nail selenium concentrations.” Selenium levels have been falling in Europe since the EU imposed levies on wheat imports from the US, where soil selenium levels are high. As a result, average intake of selenium in the UK has fallen from 60 to 34 micrograms per day, leading to calls from some to enrich soil and fertilizers with selenium to boost public consumption. Selenium-enriched fertilizers are used in Finland. The European recommended daily intake (RDI) is 65 micrograms. The recommended EC Tolerable Upper Intake Level for selenium is 300 micrograms per day (EU publ)
3. Herbs. Generally speaking, herbs are employed on the basis of their symptom specific effects. However, the desired symptom-specific effects are not always seen as a result. It is interesting to note that for any specific condition, there is always more than one herb available that can be employed. What is necessary for the achievement of the desired result is to match the appropriate herb to the appropriate constitution (metabolically and biochemically). In the case of metabolic syndrome herbal healing---the use of Terminalia Arjuna as a cardiac tonic and for blood pressure regulation, Guggul herb for a cholesterol control, Bitter Melon- for glycemic and diabetes control, Gacinia for lipids control, Gymnema as a sugar destroyer must be underlined. Just as the natures, qualities, nutrient content, etc., of the various foods must be matched to one’s metabolic syndrome management, so too must the nature and qualities of herbs or nutraceuticals be matched for predictable, reliable and desired effects to be achieved. It is resulted from the model that some people who are not obese by traditional measures nevertheless are insulin resistant and have abnormal levels of metabolic risk factors. Examples are seen in individuals with 2 diabetic parents or 1 parent and a first- or second-degree relative; the same is true for many individuals of Mexican or African ethnicity.
4. Exercise. Epidemiological studies have shown that modest exercise is beneficial. However, unequivocal metabolic benefits from exercise will not be achieved from a casual walk a couple of nights a week. Significant, regular, chronic exercise is required to see improvements in insulin action, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol. Exercise is as powerful a tool as weight loss.
5. Others:
a. Alcohol. In population-based studies, moderate drinkers are found to have lower insulin levels as compared to non-drinkers. Our small-scale studies have shown moderate drinkers to be more insulin sensitive. There have been no intervention studies to show that initiating alcohol consumption in individuals who are insulin resistant with low HDL is beneficial. So it is not reasonable to suggest that non-drinkers should start to drink 1-2 drinks per day. On the other hand, we do not have the evidence to recommend abstaining from alcohol.
b. Smoking. Smoking is unequivocally bad, associated with high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol and insulin resistance.
If you would like to learn more on the above topic, to sign for on line or phone consultation, or to request an article written to suit your wellness business purposes, please call: (715) 392-7591; (218) 213-6167; or (218) 213-7087
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
If you would like to learn more on the above topic, to sign for on line or phone consultation, or to request an article written to suit your wellness business purposes, please call: (715) 392-7591; (218) 213-6167; or (218) 213-7087
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The material in this newsletter is provided for informational purposes only. Thus our intentions are not to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat or prevent any disease. If you use the information in this newsletter without the approval of your health professional, the authors of this letter do not assume any responsibility. Copyright @ 2009, Natural Health-Wellness LLC. All rights reserved.
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