What is Syndrome X ?
- principally the precursor to Late Onset Diabetes.  It is another name for Insulin Resistance - the inability of the body to deal with dietary carbohydrates and sugars properly.  At the cell level this means that the insulin receptors that allow transport of blood sugar into the cell are blocked from accepting insulin and so the blood sugar can't get thru, leading to both high blood glucose and high insulin levels as the pancreas tries to overcome this resistance by producing extra insulin.
 
How common is Syndrome X?
Approx 4 million people in Aust.  60 million in USA.
 
What causes Syndrome X?
1.  Genetic predisposition - it can run in the family.
2.  Excess weight & excess carbohydrate intake.  The vast majority of overweight people have levels of insulin that are too high.  Ingestion of too much refined carbohydrates triggers the release of high levels of insulin to deal with it.  When we eat more than is needed at the time, one of the jobs of insulin is to transfer excess blood sugar into triglycerides to be stored as body fat for later use.  With insulin resistance, entry of glucose into the cell for energy is blocked.  Insulin stores excess carbohydrate as fat and suppresses fat stores being released and burned for energy. - So we get fatter and fatter and it becomes more and more difficult to lose weight.
3.  Lack of exercise - The cell lacks energy and we get fatter so it is more and more difficult to exercise.
 
What are the signs of Syndrome X?
Excess weight, tiredness and a fuzzy mind, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high insulin levels.  These predispose us to faster aging, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and other age related diseases.
 
How can we get better?
1.  Exercise - We have all heard of the benefits of exercising regularly, but you don't have to run, go to the gym, swim or do aerobics to benefit.  Take the dog for a walk several times a week, park the car a bit further from the shops, do some gardening, go dancing. Once we start exercising on a regular basis, it becomes part of our lifestyle and we end up enjoying it.  Benefits include - lowering body fat, helps build muscle and increases strength, helps strengthen bones, increases sensitivity of the cells to insulin, helps control weight, boosts immunity, reduces stress and depression, improves circulation, reduces blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose, burns calories and reduces weight, increases general feeling of well being.
 
2.  Drink more water - We need about 1 cup for every 10 kg of body weight per day.  Try to drink filtered or bottled water.  (If drinking rain water, be sure it is not contaminated eg lead on roof from passing car traffic.) To maximise digestion, best not to drink within half an hour either side of a meal.  Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will aid digestion.  Clear fluids like herbal teas, chicken broth count as water but not coffee & tea.
 
3.  Diet -
*  avoid white flour, white sugar, white rice and any other refined carbohydrates.
 
*  avoid fruit juices, soft drinks, alcohol.
 
*  eat protein with each meal or snack.
 
*  used cold pressed olive oil as your primary oil - in dressings and for cooking.
 
*  avoid margarine, deep fried foods and those that  may contain trans-fatty acids & hydrogenated oils.
 
*  eat omega 3 containing foods ie fish & linseed
 
*  eat non-starchy vegetables freely.
 
*  eat no more than 4 serves of fruit, starchy vegetables or grains daily.
 
*  Eat foods in as natural state as possible - organic,  biodynamic or free range.
 
Above all be sensible.  Stick to this when possible.  If you have to celebrate a special occasion, don't stress yourself out if breaking your diet for these occasions.
 

Fructose as a Sugar Alternative???  Many people believe fructose is a healthy alternative to white sugar.  We now find out how wrong that assumption is.  The fructose available today comes from refined corn product - not from fruit!  It doesn't trigger a rapid rise in blood sugar but it does increase cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  It also stimulates the production of cortisol (stress hormone) and INSULIN!  A high fructose diet has been found to reduce calcium and phosphorous levels in bones.

Why Hormones, Minerals, etc affect Syndrome X

Hormones are specific chemical substances secreted by certain parts of the body, that are carried in the blood to regulate the actions of other parts of the body.
 
We all know about male and female hormones, but the same origins can create other pathways resulting in other hormones as well as sex hormones.  One such is cortisol, the 'stress' hormone.  Cortisol boosts blood glucose levels and reduces the ability of insulin to carry glucose into the cells.  Another is adrenaline - the 'fight and flight' hormone.  Adrenaline also raises blood glucose and aggravates insulin resistance.  Stress causes depletion of Vit C and B vitamins, magnesium and zinc to name a few, so these need to be replaced.
 
Excess body fat as well as causing increased insulin resistance, can cause increased production of male hormones in females leading to excess body and facial hair, acne, hair thinning and hair loss (as in male pattern baldness).
 
An underactive thyroid can further aggravate Syndrome X by slowing metabolism thus reducing energy production in the cell and contributing to fat storage.  The thyroid can be stimulated by taking extra selenium and EFAs (both needed to convert T4 to T3 - the active form on cell metabolism).  Thyroid needs kelp (iodine) magnesium, chromium, manganese, zinc and Vit E too.
 
CHROMIUM
Helps the healthy function of the Insulin Receptors on the surface of the cell and facilitates the transfer of glucose from the blood stream inside the cells to be used as cellular energy.  It assists in regulating blood sugar - lowers high levels and elevates low levels.  It increases the fluidity of cell membranes and increases sensitivity of the cell to insulin.  It is an essential part of glucose tolerance factor (GTF) which works in tandem with insulin to regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol.
 
Signs of low Chromium
include sugar cravings, excess hunger, fatigue, anxiety, high cholesterol, raised blood sugar, pain in the pit of the stomach when blood sugar is low.
 
Some good Food Sources of Chromium are liver, beef, brewers yeast, egg yolk, freshly ground black pepper.
 
Chromium Supplementation
Chromium Picolinate is the best absorbed form.
For prevention take 200mcg daily.
If obese, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure or runs in family take 400-800mcg daily.
If you have late onset diabetes you need 1000mcg daily.
 
ZINC
Zinc plays an important role in the proper functioning  of insulin, glucose regulation and weight control.  It is essential to help the pancreas produce insulin, to protect insulin receptors on the cells and to allow insulin to work more efficiently.  Without zinc, insulin doesn't work properly and remains high leading to Syndrome X.
 
Zinc competes with copper for absorption.  Excess copper increases fat synthesis from glucose thus raising cholesterol.  Zinc supplement lowers copper levels.  Zinc is low in WA soils so this is a risk factor for developing Syndrome X.  Best supplements  are as zinc picolinate or zinc chelate.
 
MAGNESIUM
Essential for production and release of insulin and increasing the numbers of insulin receptors.  (Vit B6 works with magnesium in many enzyme systems.) Take to bowel tolerance in chelate, citrate or glycinate form.
 
MANGANESE
Also acts as a cofactor in various enzyme systems including the production of insulin and the energy cycle as well as sex hormones , thyroid and to utilise Vit C.
 
SELENIUM
Selenium helps to lower elevated Blood Sugar levels. Selenium is an 'insulin-like' mineral that transports glucose into tissues for conversion into energy.  Syndrome X and diabetes patients benefit from supplemental and dietary selenium.  (Sardi B. Selenium mimics insulin.  Nutrition Science News.  June 2001).
 
LIPOIC ACID
Probably the single most important nutrient to influence Syndrome X.  Its principal role is to help burn glucose converting it to energy that powers the brain, heart and every other organ.  Lipoic Acid acts as an antioxidant, normalizes blood sugar levels by increasing the efficiency of insulin and increases body metabolism.