Syndrome X Nutritional Factors provide nutritional support for:
* a healthy blood glucose level
* a healthy blood cholesterol level
* a healthy blood homocysteine level
* healthy immune function
* a sensation of satiety when taken prior to meals
* may help as a dietary adjunct for calorie control
* healthy digestive function
* antioxidant function
* may inhibit sugar absorption
Syndrome X is the variable combination of obesity, insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and hypertension; these factors cause early coronary artery (heart) disease (cardiovascular disease is America's #1 killer) and other serious disorders. Syndrome X is a horrifying epidemic affecting about 70 million Americans.
WARNING:May alter insulin and anti-diabetic
drug treatment requirements. In cases of doubt consult with a physician.
Supplement Facts
Servings Per Container 30
Serving Size 3 capsules
Suggested use as a supplement: take one capsules 3 times per day with 4 oz. water.
Ingredients:Fish oil,grape seed,chromium,vanadium,mushroom,citrus bioflavonoids,zinc,alpha lopic acid,phaseolamin,ellagic acid,CQ10,cinnamon,100% RDI of Vitamin B12,folic acid,biotin,zinc.
Diabetes
Mellitus and Syndrome X
By Stephen Holt, M.D., MRCP, FRCP, FACG, FACP, FACN, FACAM, Physician,
New York
Understanding Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a common disorder characterized by excessive levels of
blood glucose, or sugar. This happens in conditions where there is absence
or lack of effective functioning of insulin. This article will discuss the
two common types of diabetes: Type 1, or "juvenile onset diabetes," a
condition where there is damage to the cells in the pancreas that secrete
insulin; this is common in young people; and Type 2, or "maturity onset
diabetes," which accounts for more than 90% of all known cases of diabetes.
This type of diabetes is often associated in its early phases with a resistance
to insulin. Insulin may be present in early forms of Type 2 diabetes, but
it is unable to do its job of driving the glucose into cells.
Type 2 diabetes is the type of diabetes that is more relevant to our understanding
of the abnormalities of body chemistry, or metabolic disturbances, that cause
Syndrome X. The metabolic Syndrome X is the variable combination of obesity,
hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, linked by an underlying resistance to
insulin. While maturity-onset Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in adults,
a striking increase has been noted among children in recent years. This has
led to the coinage of a strange label ? "maturity onset diabetes of the
young" or MODY.
Either type of diabetes can cause similar medical complications, such as cardiovascular
disease, nerve damage (neuropathy), eye disease (retinopathy) and kidney disorders.
One cannot completely separate Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes; some overlap exists
between them. There is a third type of diabetes called the Gestational Diabetes
that occurs somewhat temporarily in pregnancy. Gestational Diabetes involves
insulin resistance. Research has characterized it to have much in common with
Syndrome X. Diabetes is a heterogeneous (multifactorial) disease.
Fiber and Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is the oldest dietary fiber-deficiency disease observed in
humans. In 1979, my colleagues and I described the physiological effects of
soluble fiber on the absorption of glucose and model compounds in humans (Holt
S. et al., Lancet, 1, 639-9, 1979). In our study of acute dosing of soluble
fiber, we observed the rate of sugar absorption was slowed and blood glucose
tolerance curves tended to flatten. This research forms the basis of an understanding
of what is popularly termed "the Glycemic Index." Thus, soluble fiber
makes absorption efficient and delays the metabolic incorporation of ingested
glucose into the body.
Recent studies have shown the ability of the extracts of soluble oat fiber
(beta glucans) to significantly lower blood glucose levels following meals
and reduce blood cholesterol levels in a favorable manner (lower LDL, lower
triglycerides, with a tendency to raise HDL). Beta glucans function to control
body chemistry that is altered by insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus is often associated with multiple risk factors for cardiovascular
disabilities, such as obesity, hypertension and high blood cholesterol. Extracts
of soluble oat fiber, or beta glucans, have an important role to play in controlling
these risk factors. Enhanced intake of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber
is a grossly underestimated natural option that will considerably improve conditions
of patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
Antioxidants and Omega-3s
Antioxidants of many types may benefit an individual with diabetes mellitus
because many of the consequences or complications of diabetes are due to
oxidative stress on the body, or the generation of free radicals. In diabetes
and Syndrome X, cross-linking of sugar and protein causes advanced glycation
end products which, in turn, damage vital organs. In this circumstance, antioxidant
compounds such as vitamins C, E, beta-carotene, selenium and coenzyme Q-10
and many plant or animal antioxidant compounds (phytonutrients, phytoantioxidants)
can exert a major beneficial effect by "mopping up" free radicals.
Of particular interest is the dietary supplement alpha-lipoic acid (thioctic
acid). This antioxidant plays a specific role in glucose oxidation and is
accessible to both water and fat components of the body. Furthermore, alpha-lipoic
acid may improve the body's sensitivity to insulin; it has been used in the
prevention of complications of diabetes and liver damage.
Much interest has focused on the omega-3 fatty acid EPA (eicosapentaenoic
acid) because of its vital role in balancing favorable eicosanoid production
in the
body and exerting beneficial effects in common cardiovascular diseases. The
acid EPA is readily converted to DHA ? which is found in large amounts in cell
membranes, especially in the nervous system ? and is an effective inhibitor
of the genesis of "undesirable" forms of eicosanoids from arachidonic
acid. For these and other reasons, EPA must be considered the emperor of fatty
acids; it has an underestimated role in the management of diabetes mellitus
and Syndrome X
Evidence has accumulated that the active omega-3 fatty acid EPA can
favorably affect the PPAR (receptor complex), which is involved in
insulin action, carbohydrate
metabolism and lipid chemistry. Thus, EPA has emerged as a very important
way of combating insulin resistance by regulating certain components
of the PPAR
receptor. EPA (found in fish oil) appears to be a natural and powerful antidote
to insulin resistance, and is emerging as a first-line option for Syndrome
X, with its cardinal components of glucose intolerance, hypertension, hyperlipidemia
and obesity . I am particularly impressed by
the use of coenzyme Q-10 combined with relatively high doses of EPA
in the management
of diabetes-complicated cardiovascular disease (a very common combination
of disabilities).
Many Natural Substances of Diabetes
The word diabetes means "siphon," and water-soluble vitamins and
several minerals are excreted in abundance by diabetic individuals. An adequate
intake of vitamins and minerals is mandatory in the management of diabetes.
While elements such as chromium and vanadium are known to assist the function
of insulin, emerging research shows that the adequate dietary intake of calcium
and magnesium is important for control of blood glucose and insulin receptor
function. The role of adequate mineral intake in diabetes is underexplored.
Soy foods are very valuable in the management of diabetes mellitus, but their
value has been wrongly impugned by the "meat and dairy lobby." Soy
has a low glycemic index, soy protein lowers blood cholesterol and isoflavones
are powerful antioxidants. Soy protein is handled efficiently by the kidneys,
which are a common target of attack in diabetes mellitus.
Several herbs or botanicals have been proposed as potential "treatments" for
diabetes mellitus. There is no doubt that some plant compounds have a significant
effect on lowering blood sugar, but their mechanism of action remains poorly
understood. Popular botanicals used to induce a hypoglycemic effect include
bitter melon (Momordica charantia), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum),
garlic (Allium sativum), corosolic acid (Lagerstroemia speciosa or Punica granatum),
stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) and Gymnema sylvestre. I believe that the more potent
botanical extracts should only be used under the supervision of a health care
practitioner, because of potential serious drug interactions with medication.
Of particular interest is the use of fermented barley extracts (GlycoX), which
have been shown to reduce blood sugar by up to 63% and blood cholesterol by
about 21% in individuals with Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Several other botanicals
have been proposed as potential treatments for glucose intolerance, with some
of them having the added advantage of promoting cholesterol control. Examples
of these other botanicals include: Tinospora cordifolia, Pterocarpus marsupium,
Azadirachta indica, Ficus racemosa, Aegle marmelose, syzygium cumini, Cinnamonum
tamala, Atriplex halimu, Vaccinium myrtillus, Korean ginseng, Opunta ficus,
Ocimum sanctum and Silybum marianum.
Diabetes Prevention
In recent times, the American Diabetes Association has revised its guidelines
on the management of Type 2 diabetes by stressing the role of diet and exercise
in management as first-line options. Drug therapy for Type 2 diabetes, including
oral hypoglycemic drugs and insulin-sensitizing drugs, is regarded increasingly
as a "back-up plan." Syndrome X, or the metabolic syndrome, is
amenable to dietary interventions and lifestyle adjustments.
Complex dietary supplements can provide Syndrome X nutritional factors and
can promote healthy blood glucose, healthy blood cholesterol, healthy immune
function, healthy digestive function, antioxidant effects, inhibition of carbohydrate
absorption and a useful adjunctive role in the control of calorie intake. They
can do this by inducing a feeling of satiety (the feel-full/weight-loss trick)
in an individual. Dietary and lifestyle changes can help keep diabetes under
control or prevent it altogether. Public education is a key initiative in the
fight against the constellation of disorders that are associated with the development
and progression of Syndrome X, a forerunner of the Type 2 diabetes mellitus
that affects about 70 million Americans. The cluster of disorders associated
with Syndrome X - obesity, insulin resistance, high blood cholesterol and high
blood pressure - underlies the number one cause of death and disability in
Western society, which is cardiovascular disease, including stroke and heart
attack.
Conclusion
Diabetes mellitus is part of the killer combination of diseases that account
for most premature deaths or disability. To combat these problems, one would
need a multi-pronged approach beginning with simple lifestyle modifications,
particularly proper nutrition, rather than the instant prescription of drugs
that are costly and have questionable benefits. Syndrome X and its consequences
are the most important public health issues for the new millennium.