Reducing Metabolic Syndrome Risk (Dangerous Synergy: Addressing metabolic syndrome naturally)

Metabolic syndrome is a compository condition that does not have a well-accepted definition or criteria. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) identified metabolic syndrome as the presence of three or more of the following components: An elevated waist circumference (men > 40 inches, women > 35 inches); elevated triglycerides > 150 mg/dL; reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (men < 40 mg/DL, women < 50 mg/dL; elevated blood pressure; and elevating fasting glucose. In order to prevent metabolic syndrome, the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes must be abated. Diet and exercise have a positive impact on these risk factors in addition to quitting smoking and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and taking steps to address high blood pressure. Lowering consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and fruit drinks may also decrease diabetic risk factors, according to a recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.¹

A review published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism noted, “The components of diet currently recommended as ‘healthy’ are likely also protective against metabolic syndrome, including low saturated and trans fat (rather than low total fat) and balanced carbohydrate intake rich in dietary fiber, as well as high fruit and vegetable intake (rather than low total carbohydrate); and the inclusion of low-fat dairy foods.”²

Along with diet and exercise, nutritional ingredients can positively affect metabolic syndrome and lower the risk of CVD and diabetes. A 2007 study found hydroxycitric acid (HCA-SX), extracted from the dried fruit rind of the plant Garcinia cambogia, may be used as an intervention to overcome obesity-related complications.³ Five-week-old developing obese, male Zucker rats were supplemented with vehicle (control) and HCA-SX (as Super CitriMax®, from InterHealth Nutraceuticals) in drinking water for seven weeks. HCA-SX supplementation reduced food-intake and body weight gain, and reduced the increases in inflammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance observed in untreated animals. Levels of fasting plasma insulin, glucose and triglycerides were also lower in the HCA-SX-treated group.

A separate study supplemented diabetic Zucker fatty rats (70 to 75 weeks old) with niacin-bound chromium (NBC; as ChromeMate®, from InterHealth Nutraceuticals), fraction SX of Maitake mushroom (MSX) and 60 percent HCA-SX (as Super CitriMax) alone or in combination to determine its effect on certain aspects of metabolic syndrome.⁴ Four groups of eight rats were fed through a tube daily with different ingredient combinations. For the initial three weeks, the control group received only water. The other groups received either 40 mcg/d of NBC, 100 mg/d of MSX or 200 mg/d of HCA-SX. During weeks four to six, the doses of each treatment were doubled. The control animals lost approximately 50 g of body weight (BW) per rat. In contrast, the NBC-treated rats lost approximately 9 g of BW per rat, the MSX-treated rats lost 16 g of BW per rat, and the HCA-SX-treated rats lost approximately 46 g of BW per rat. However, 75 percent of the rats in the control group lost more than 50 g of BW over the six-week duration, whereas none of the NBC-treated rats, 25 percent of the MSX- treated rats and 57 percent of the HCA-SX-treated rats lost more than 50 g of BW over the six weeks of the study. Rats in all three treatment groups showed significantly lower blood. Treatment of animals with a combination of the three supplements resulted in a lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) and maintenance of BW compared to control animals.

A study published in 2002 supplemented 55 overweight human subjects with a combination of 1,500 mg/d of the calcium salt of HCA (750 mg of pure HCA) (as Citrin®, from Sabinsa) and 300 mcg/d of elemental chromium for eight weeks.⁵ Patients lost an average of less than five pounds after four weeks and less than 10 pounds after eight weeks. Triglycerides and LDL in men over 60 years-old were significantly lowered during the course of treatment (P<0.05). HDL was significantly increased in all patients (P<0.01) and after eight weeks, the Coronary Heart Disease risk index was lowered significantly (P<0.01).