Guest guest Posted February 9, 2003 Report Share Posted February 9, 2003 There is a new and deadly condition thought to afflict five million people in the UK - Syndrome X. Nobody has been able to pin down its exact cause, but it is undoubtedly bad news. It can cause tiredness, or problems with concentration, it can make you age faster than normal, and it can increase the risk of a whole raft of severe heart problems including Alzheimer's disease, cancer and heart disease. Essentially, Syndrome X is a cluster of related disorders including the inability to properly deal with dietary carbohydrates and sugars, high levels of fat in the blood, obesity and high blood pressure. Researchers have dubbed the syndrome the 'silent killer' because early stages often go unnoticed and many of us won't even know whether we have it. Genetics and inactivity play a role but many scientists also think that what we eat and how we eat it can make a difference. Snack theory Dr Victor Zammit, head of cell biochemistry at the Hannah Research Institute in Ayr, Scotland has been investigating the causes of syndrome X. Scientists are trying to find the cause His research found that the condition may be linked to the consumption of high-energy snacks and drinks. These foods are packed with sugar and if eaten often enough expose tissues to high insulin levels for long periods without a long enough break. Dr Zammit is particularly interested in the effect this may have on the liver. His research found that when insulin is present for long periods, it flicks a metabolic switch in the liver. Usually, insulin slows down the release of trigycerides from the liver, but in this case the liver begins to release even more triglycerides turning our livers into fat secreting machines. Dr Zammit thinks that for too long we have concentrated on the risks associated with eating saturated fats without realising that very-high sugary diets can cause the liver to flood our systems with dangerous triglycerides. Anything that encourages the liver to do this is just as bad as eating saturated fat itself. Good fats Some fats (for example fish oils) are good for us because they actually cut down the amount of triglycerides the liver releases. The irony is that many low-fat foods contain more sugar than the normal version of the same product. Fat is often replaced by sugar to add bulk, flavour and texture to processed, reduced-fat foods. Dr Zammit said: " Food manufacturers are good at labelling processed foods as '99% fat-free'. " What they don't say is that they are 15% sugar. I'm concerned that people may deliberately select low-fat processed foods, thinking that they are making a really healthy choice. " The good news is that syndrome X is reversible. One of the first lines of approach is to lose excess weight. A good way to do this is to cut down on the amount of sugary snacks and drinks consumed and to eat three well balanced meals a day containing complex carbohydrates and 'good' fats which are found in fish, olive oil, nut oils. If you are overweight, losing weight will make the body more insulin sensitive - less insulin will be required to move sugar from the bloodstream and into various tissues. Exercise not only helps in losing weight but will but also makes muscle more insulin-sensitive and this will improve the sensitivity of the whole body. Health-with-Attitude FAQ on Health http://NaturalHealthPerspective.com/ Over 50 web pages on Natural Therapies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2003 Report Share Posted February 10, 2003 > There is a new and deadly condition thought to afflict five million people in the UK - Syndrome X. - Thanks for the info ray. The condition is not new but the name is relatively new. The term Syndrome X refers to the group of symptoms stemming from insulin resistance, a precursor condition to type 2 diabetes and epidemic in our fast food ecomomy,. 5 million is a conservative estimate. My allopath says that over 50 % of his patients are suffering from conditions directly attributable to SyndromeX. Here's the home site of the Book by the same name: http://www.syndrome-x.com/ rusty - " ray coombs " <baronwarleggan " Gettingwell " Sunday, February 09, 2003 3:21 PM Fw: The silent killer ..... > > > > > There is a new and deadly condition thought to afflict five million people in the UK - Syndrome X. > Nobody has been able to pin down its exact cause, but it is undoubtedly bad news. > > It can cause tiredness, or problems with concentration, it can make you age faster than normal, and it can increase the risk of a whole raft of severe heart problems including Alzheimer's disease, cancer and heart disease. > > Essentially, Syndrome X is a cluster of related disorders including the inability to properly deal with dietary carbohydrates and sugars, high levels of fat in the blood, obesity and high blood pressure. > > Researchers have dubbed the syndrome the 'silent killer' because early stages often go unnoticed and many of us won't even know whether we have it. > > Genetics and inactivity play a role but many scientists also think that what we eat and how we eat it can make a difference. > > Snack theory > > Dr Victor Zammit, head of cell biochemistry at the Hannah Research Institute in Ayr, Scotland has been investigating the causes of syndrome X. > > > Scientists are trying to find the cause > > His research found that the condition may be linked to the consumption of high-energy snacks and drinks. > > These foods are packed with sugar and if eaten often enough expose tissues to high insulin levels for long periods without a long enough break. > > Dr Zammit is particularly interested in the effect this may have on the liver. > > His research found that when insulin is present for long periods, it flicks a metabolic switch in the liver. > > Usually, insulin slows down the release of trigycerides from the liver, but in this case the liver begins to release even more triglycerides turning our livers into fat secreting machines. > > Dr Zammit thinks that for too long we have concentrated on the risks associated with eating saturated fats without realising that very-high sugary diets can cause the liver to flood our systems with dangerous triglycerides. > > Anything that encourages the liver to do this is just as bad as eating saturated fat itself. > > Good fats > > Some fats (for example fish oils) are good for us because they actually cut down the amount of triglycerides the liver releases. > > The irony is that many low-fat foods contain more sugar than the normal version of the same product. > > Fat is often replaced by sugar to add bulk, flavour and texture to processed, reduced-fat foods. > > Dr Zammit said: " Food manufacturers are good at labelling processed foods as '99% fat-free'. > > " What they don't say is that they are 15% sugar. I'm concerned that people may deliberately select low-fat processed foods, thinking that they are making a really healthy choice. " > > The good news is that syndrome X is reversible. One of the first lines of approach is to lose excess weight. > > A good way to do this is to cut down on the amount of sugary snacks and drinks consumed and to eat three well balanced meals a day containing complex carbohydrates and 'good' fats which are found in fish, olive oil, nut oils. > > If you are overweight, losing weight will make the body more insulin sensitive - less insulin will be required to move sugar from the bloodstream and into various tissues. > > Exercise not only helps in losing weight but will but also makes muscle more insulin-sensitive and this will improve the sensitivity of the whole body. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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