Health Topics > Weight loss > syndromex

SYNDROME X

Try Dr Cabot's Syndrome X Checklist -


Do you find it impossible to lose weight?
Do you find low-fat, low-calorie diets don’t work?
Are you a yo-yo dieter?
Are you hungry all the time, even shortly after eating?
Do you crave carbohydrates and sugary foods?
Do you suffer with cholesterol problems?
Do you have high blood pressure?
Do you tend to put on weight around your abdomen?
Do you have problems with blood sugar levels?
Do you have high levels of insulin?
Do you have a family history of diabetes?


If you answer YES to 3 or more of these questions, you need the 12-week Syndrome X Eating Plan - "Can't Lose Weight? You Could Have Syndrome X" book which includes the diet and recipes to help with this syndrome.

What is Syndrome X?

Syndrome X is the most common cause of inability to lose weight.  Syndrome X occurs in those with abdominal obesity or excess abdominal fat.  Other features of Syndrome X - also known as Metabolic Syndrome - include insulin resistance, obesity, hypertension and high triglycerides.  Syndrome X is a metabolic imbalance characterized by a collection of symptoms and signs including:
 
  • Excess Weight
    You most likely have excess weight in the abdominal area so that you may have a "pot belly" and a roll of fat around the upper abdomen. This is called a "liver roll". You may also have excess fat in other parts of your body.
  • Hyperinsulinemia (high insulin levels)
    Syndrome X is a metabolic disorder associated with high blood levels of the hormone insulin.
  • Fatigue
    Obesity and insulin resistance can cause fatigue, so it is important to combat this symptom with diet and supplements to increase energy levels.

What is insulin?

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas gland.

What does it do?

Its action is to put blood sugar (glucose) into the muscle and fat cells where it is used to make energy.

What is insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia?

Insulin resistance leads to the high levels of insulin which cause Syndrome X.  Many people in today's society are resistant to the action of insulin - that is, it is unable to carry the blood sugar into the cell as it should - the cell is said to be 'resistant' to the action of the insulin. This means that the pancreas is forced to pump out higher and higher amounts of the hormone insulin to compensate for this resistance. Over time, high levels of insulin build up in the blood stream leading to the condition known as "hyperinsulinemia" or elevated insulin.

What causes Insulin Resistance (IR)?

Insulin resistance is often hereditary and is usually aggravated by a high carbohydrate diet and lack of exercise. Nutritional deficiencies of certain minerals (magnesium , zinc, manganese, chromium) can lead to insulin resistance. Liver dysfunction and/or fatty liver can lead to unstable blood sugar levels resulting in an aggravation of insulin resistance. Some cells in the body, for example the ovaries and adrenal glands, are more susceptible to insulin resistance.
 
It is thought that around 1 in 4 people show signs of insulin resistance.
 

What is the effect of IR on the female reproductive system?

In many females insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia (high levels of insulin) stimulate the ovaries to produce androgens (male hormones) and the androgens may exacerbate the collection of symptoms known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. This interaction of excessive insulin production and excess male hormones is believed to play a role in the lack of ovulation in susceptible women. Absent periods can be a result. Many women with this condition have trouble with fertility. The excessive male hormones are also associated with symptoms such as excess facial and body hair, sometimes adult acne, hair loss from the temples and the crown (male pattern baldness).

Other effects of high levels of insulin

High insulin levels are often associated with high blood sugar levels. Indeed a patient may be pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes. Even though the insulin levels are higher than normal, the insulin does not work efficiently because the body cells are resistant to its effect. The insulin does not work effectively to bring down the high blood sugar levels.

Those with Syndrome X have abnormalities in blood fat levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) and may have elevated blood levels of uric acid. Syndrome X
significantly increases your risk of heart disease.  Excessive insulin levels induce ravenous hunger. Those who suffer with this condition often find they are consistently hungry and crave starchy carbohydrates. This makes sticking to conventional weight loss plans very difficult.

Is it common?

Professor Gerald Reaven, from Stanford University is the world's leading expert on Syndrome X. Reaven tells us that there are approximately 33 to 40 million people in the USA with Syndrome X. Syndrome X is present in 70% of overweight people and is the most common reason why people cannot lose weight.

Do men suffer with Syndrome X?

Yes - Syndrome X is more common in men than women.

Who suffers from Fatty Liver and Syndrome X?

Fatty liver is very common in populations where fast food and refined food is easily available. The food keeps getting faster and faster and we keep getting slower and slower! It is more common in women over 40 years of age, and in males with a sedentary occupation. It can affect people of all ages, and is not rare in adolescents and young children.

Why can't people with Syndrome X lose weight?

If you are battling with a fatty liver and a ravenous hunger your chances of long-term success are slim indeed; unless you have the 2 missing parts to the jig-saw puzzle -

1. A healthy liver

2. Normal insulin levels

Victims of Syndrome X cannot lose weight because of 2 reasons -

1. Their liver is storing fat, when it should be burning fat. In other words they suffer with a dysfunctional liver. A healthy liver is able to burn fat and pump excess fat out of the body through the bile. In those with a fatty liver the reverse happens so they just keep on getting fatter, especially around the abdomen.

2. The high levels of insulin make them very hungry.

Indeed high insulin levels give you a ravenous appetite with cravings for carbohydrates such as sweets, savoury biscuits with cheese, chips, and sometimes sweet drinks and alcohol. This high intake of carbohydrates stimulates the insulin levels to become higher, which makes you even hungrier. Furthermore insulin preferentially converts sugar into fat storage deposits, instead of muscle and liver glycogen stores. This insulin encourages the deposition of fat in your body.
 
Both of the above factors keep you locked into a viscious circle of ever increasing weight.

After 25 years of clinical research Dr Cabot has discovered the key to break this destructive cycle and get the weight off permanently.   This involves 3 vital strategies -
1. Improve the liver function so that the liver starts to burn fat again.
2. Reduce the high levels of insulin, so that excess hunger is prevented
3. Do some regular exercise such as walking, swimming, sports or aerobics.

Recommended supplements:

 Glucose metabolism capsules

  • Take 2 capsules twice daily - Gymnema sylvestre and bitter melon with chromium picolinate, lipoic acid, carnitine fumarate, selenium, magnesium, manganese and zinc make an excellent formula to help balance blood sugar levels.

Liver tonic powder or capsules

  • Take 1 teaspoon twice daily in water or raw juice, or 2 capsules twice daily to assist with fat burning and support of liver function and detoxification.

Selenium tablets

  • Take 2 tablets twice daily - Selenium helps the liver to deal with fats in the body and then export them via the bile for elimination.  

Diet

You must eat a diet that is high in protein and low in saturated fat & carbohydrates. The eating plan in "Can't Lose Weight? You Could Have Syndrome X" book . This is an excellent starting guide for low carb, dairy free recipes, which are good for the liver. The book is also a wealth of information on Syndrome X and its associated symptoms and gives you a lot of information on the correct strategy to overcome the imbalance.

You need to limit starchy and sugary carbohydrates and include protein at every meal. Good sources of protein are legumes, seeds, raw nuts, lean red fresh meats, all seafood, eggs.

A fruit breakfast for example would not be recommended for an overweight person with Syndrome X - this is too much simple carbohydrate without protein.

Healthy Low Carbohydrate Sweetener Guide

Sweeteners to avoid:
Aspartame
Neotame
Sucralose (Splenda)
Acesulfame-K (Sunette, Sweet & Safe, Sweet One)
Cyclamates
Saccharin
 
Sweeteners to Use:
"Stevia"
Xylitol
 

Benefits of Exercise

Studies on patients who exercise suggest that the exercise prompts the transport of the GLUT4 structures to the outer edge of the cell, which facilitates the entry of glucose into the cell, regardless of insulin resistance. Additionally, this factor appears to last for several days after exercise.

How long does the Syndrome X Diet take to work?

This varies depending upon the degree of fatty changes and the amount of fat in the liver. If you have only a mild degree of fatty liver the diet will work quickly. In other words you will start to lose weight within the first 2 weeks and the weight loss will be sustained. If you have a very fatty liver and moderate to severe insulin resistance, the weight loss will be slower and you may have weight loss plateaus when you find that weight loss stops for 2 to 3 weeks. After the plateau your weight loss will resume. Remember it takes time to remove the excess fat from the liver, and if you do not do this, long-term weight loss is impossible. Some patients with advanced degrees of fatty liver take up one year to completely remove all the excess fat from the liver. The liver formulas will speed up weight loss. The liver is the most important organ for longevity. By removing the excess fat from the liver you will not only lose weight, but improve the metabolic imbalances of Syndrome X such as high cholesterol and triglycerides, high uric acid and high insulin levels. This will result in healthier fat free blood vessels and a much lower risk of heart disease.

Recommended books

"The Healthy Liver and Bowel Book is also very worthwhile and contains more recipes. This book is essential reading for anyone with sluggish liver function. It has sections on fatty liver, liver function tests and the implication of the results and high cholesterol.

 The Dr Sandra Cabot Recipe Collection - "Eat Yourself a Rainbow Everyday" includes low carbohydrate recipes.  The recipes are designed and tested by Audrey Tea.  These will delight your taste buds, satisfy your appetite and ensure that you enjoy a delicious diet while protecting and healing your body.  Easy to prepare recipes.

"Diabetes Type 2" You Can Reverse It Naturally!  In this book you will learn; the importance of protein to blood sugar control and weight loss, nutrients that diabetics need, reducing complications such as nerve damage, kidney disease and blindness.  You will also learn specific foods, herbs and essential tests that all diabetics must have regularly to maintain good health.

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