How Metabolic Syndrome Affects Your Weight

June 15, 2011 - PRLog -- Everyone looking to shed pounds: this one is for you. Obesity is a hallmark of metabolic syndrome, and we need to battle it collectively as a nation. Here is what it’s all about, in part two of my series.

About two-thirds of American adults are overweight and one in three American adults is obese. Obesity is defined by either body mass index (BMI) or waistline. If your BMI is over 30 or greater, you are considered obese. People with obesity are at greater risk of developing various health conditions: diabetes; high blood pressure; abnormal cholesterol levels; heart diseases (heart attack, stroke); cancer (colon, breast, prostate, rectum, esophagus, kidney); gallbladder disease; sleep apnea; osteoarthritis; fatty liver; fertility problems; and psychological stress.

Reducing calories and exercising often are the cornerstones for helping the situation. Let’s take a look at diet plans.

How do the various popular diets compare in terms of weight reduction? A study in 311 overweight/obese subjects (BMI 27-40) consisting of non-diabetic, premenopausal women was conducted. It compared four diets: “Atkins” diet (very low in carbohydrates); the “Zone” diet (low in carbohydrates); the “LEARN” (Lifestyle, Exercise, Attitudes, Relationships, and Nutrition) diet (low in fat, high in carbohydrates, based on national guidelines); and the “Ornish” diet (very high in carbohydrates).

Results show:

– The Atkins diet group dropped the most weight in 12 months; i.e. 4.7 kg (range: 3.1-6.3 kg)

– The Zone diet group lost 1.6 kg (range: 0.4-2.8 kg)

– The LEARN diet group lost 2.6 kg (range: 1.3-3.8 kg)

– The Ornish diet group lost 2.2 kg (range: 0.8-3.6 kg)

Note: Among all the diet plans for dropping pounds, the Atkins diet plan is the only one that raised the total and LDL cholesterol.

A study was conducted in Italy among 180 patients with metabolic syndrome (99 men and 81 women) using the Mediterranean-style diet. Those on the Mediterranean-style diet ate more foods rich in monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, fiber, fruit, vegetable, nuts, whole grains, and olive oil. Results show:

– The Mediterranean-style diet group dropped more weight as compared to the control group; i.e. 4.0 kg versus 1.2 kg. Moreover, waistline was lowered by 2.0 cm in the Mediterranean-style diet, versus no change in the control diet.

– In the Mediterranean-style diet group, fasting blood glucose was lowered by 8.0 mg/dL versus 2.0 mg/dL.

– In the Mediterranean-style diet group, HDL cholesterol rose by 4.0 mg/dL versus 1.0 mg/dL in the control diet.

– In the Mediterranean-style diet group, triglycerides were lowered by 18 mg/dL, versus an increase by 1.0 mg/dL in the control diet.

– In the Mediterranean-style diet group, blood pressure became significantly lower than that in the control diet.

– The Mediterranean-style diet group showed evidence of reduced insulin resistance, and less risk of inflammation.

The authors concluded that: “A Mediterranean-style diet might be effective in reducing the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome and its associated cardiovascular risk.” In addition to the above diets, the “South Beach” diet as well as the structured “Weight Watchers’” diet was also found to be effective in short-term weight reduction.

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