Are you constantly hungry even though your last full meal was an hour ago? Do you often feel tired and lack of energy for no apparent reason? Are you overweight or obese and find it almost impossible to lose weight? Do you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar levels? If you answer yes to all the questions, then you may have a condition called Syndrome X.
Syndrome X, also known as Metabolic Syndrome, is not the name of a virus or a term for a psychological condition. It’s a prevalent disease that affects some 76 million U.S. adults as well as many people all over the world who didn’t even know they have it.
Metabolic Syndrome doesn’t enjoy as much media attention as other health conditions like heart disease and diabetes, which may explain its relative obscurity and why it often goes undiagnosed. But early detection of this condition can prevent it from causing irreversible damages to your body and developing into life-threatening conditions like heart attack, stroke or cancer.
How to Know If You Have Syndrome X
Clinically, you are a Syndrome X sufferer if you have any three of the following five diagnostic measures:
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Fasting blood sugar of 100 mg/dL or higher
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HDL (‘good’) cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL in men, or 50 mg/dL in women
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Triglycerides of 150 mg/dL or higher
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Waist circumference greater than 102 cm in men, or 88 cm in women
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Blood pressure of 130/85 mm Hg or higher
As you can see, it’s not a disease limited to those who are overweight only. In fact, a combination of any three of the factors above increases your risk for heart disease, heart attack, or stroke by as much as threefold compared to those without the risk factors. Syndrome X patients are also four times more likely to develop diabetes.
Most people with Syndrome X also displayed a resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels and help the body use the glucose as energy. That means the body, which normally respond to insulin, now fails to use insulin properly.
As a result, more insulin is produced by the pancreas which tries to control the blood sugar levels. The high insulin levels in turn lower blood sugar, which is why some people with Syndrome X have deceivingly normal glucose levels. High insulin levels also make you feel hungry more often, elevate your blood pressure and raise your risk of coronary disease, type II diabetes and even some types of cancer.
Therefore, if you suspect that you may have Syndrome X, it is useful to get your insulin levels, along with your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, checked to rule out the possibility of insulin resistance.
How to Reverse Syndrome X
A low carbohydrate food plan and regular moderate exercises are two great ways to reverse Syndrome X, along with medication prescribed by your physician. When appropriate diet and physical activity are combined, they help you to lose weight, improve your insulin sensitivity and vastly improve your well-being and self-confidence with little or no side effects.
So what is a low carbohydrate food plan? Diet is probably the last thing you want to hear, but this one is different. It isn’t as restrictive as other diets, and snacking is allowed! What’s more, it helps to stabilize your insulin levels and curb your ravenous appetites that drive you to binge. According to the Syndrome X Association, a non-profit organization that aims to bring more awareness to this health condition, a low-carb diet:
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Contains not more than 100 grams of carbohydrates per day, and most of it should come from vegetables and fruits. Here’s a simple way to help you count the amount of carbs.
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Contains whole, unprocessed foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.
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Has little or no white and processed foods, such as pasta, rice, potatoes, flour, sugar and white bread.
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Has small quantities of high fiber foods like whole wheat bread, rye and pumpernickel.
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Always pairs carbohydrates with some protein, such as lean chicken, fish, lean beef, eggs, tofu and tempeh.
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Let you eat whenever you’re hungry. Snacking is encouraged. Peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cheese, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, and cubed meats are good choices.
Exercise-wise, include some form of moderate physical activity into your daily life. It doesn’t need to be strenuous, but if you have not been exercising, have any existing medical condition or above 40, it’s good to get clearance from your family doctor first before starting any fitness program.
It’s really important to stick to a physical activity that you like and do it consistently and regularly. Ad hoc, sporadic exercisers and weekend warriors are unlikely to reap much benefits and are likely to develop a false, fatal sense of security.
I’m sure you are all too familiar with the benefits of proper eating and moderate exercise, and today you can add “ward off Syndrome X” to the long list. So why wait? For the sake of yourself, start today!
