by Lawrence Wilson, MD

METABOLIC SYNDROME

(also called Syndrome X)

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Metabolic syndrome, also called Syndrome X, affects over 50 million Americans, or one out of six. It is even occurring in some children today. It is a set of risk factors and symptoms that, taken together, predispose one to the development of diabetes.

It is also associated with coronary artery disease and other diseases related to plaque buildup in the artery walls such as strokes and peripheral vascular disease. It is also related to osteoarthritis, in some cases.

SYMPTOMS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME

Overall, metabolic syndrome is an inflammatory state of body chemistry. The criteria for it include:

· High weight. In particular, abdominal obesity (excessive fat tissue in and around the abdomen). It is currently defined as a man’s waist of 40+ inches (102 cm), and a woman’s waist of 35+ inches (88 cm).

· Higher age. The syndrome is more common in adults than in children, and worsens with age in many cases.

· High triglycerides. Serum triglycerides above 150 mg/dl.

· High cholesterol with low HDL cholesterol, in some cases.

· High blood pressure, above 130/85.

· High insulin. With this, people develop insulin resistance. This means that the insulin is present, but it does not lower the blood sugar as well.

· High blood sugar, with a fasting glucose above 100 mg.

· High fibrinogen or other blood clotting abnormalities.

· High C-reactive protein level. This is a marker for general inflammation.

· Possibly low testosterone due to high aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. Elevated aromatase may be associated with elevated insulin. Eating soy products can make this worse. It is one reason to avoid all soy products.

I wrote these symptoms and signs in a particular way to illustrate what is going on with this condition. The person is literally “high” in many ways. This is another way to say inflamed, but it is more than this.

DEHYDRATION IS A KEY TO METABOLIC SYNDROME

I find that in almost all cases, people with metabolic syndrome are dehydrated. They may or may not have overt symptoms of dehydration, but it is the case in most of them. This is difficult to detect, however. Once you understand this fact, the rest of the condition all makes simple sense.

Why diabetes? The kidneys cannot eliminate all the excess sugar because eliminating the sugar would mean eliminating more water from the body, which is dangerous when the blood is dehydrated.

Why insulin resistance? To keep more water in the blood, the body opposes the action of insulin because removing sugar from the blood would remove more water from the blood, which would be dangerous. Therefore, the body opposes the action of insulin, which is called insulin resistance. It can be just a method to keep more water in the blood when one is dehydrated.

The body responds by secreting more insulin, so in the early stages of metabolic syndrome the insulin level is actually elevated.

Why weight gain? Some is due to the diet, but also the tissues tend to be waterlogged to some degree due to the action of more and more insulin. Insulin draws sugar out of the blood and sends it to the tissues. But with it, water is drawn out of the blood and sent to the tissues, as well.

WHY ARE THOSE WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME DEHYDRATED?

This is usually due to a combination of the following:

1. The use of caffeine, sugar and/or alcohol. All three of these tend to dehydrate the body. I call it the dehydration diet. I have found that most people with metabolic syndrome enjoy coffee, and often diet soda. Many also like sugar in various forms such as candy, cookies, and thousands of other prepared foods.

2. Not drinking enough pure water. Many with metabolic syndrome do not drink much water. They prefer coffee, tea, soda pop, lemonade or other sugary or caffeine-laden beverages.

3. Drinking the wrong kind of water. This is more controversial. However, I find that reverse osmosis or RO water, in particular, does not hydrate the body well. Unfortunately, many people have RO systems in their homes, and some buy it at the water store or supermarket, where it is widely sold with fancy brand names like Dasani and other “drinking water” or “purified water”. While this water is fairly clean, it is not good to hydrate the body.

To make matters worse, people also use RO water for cooking, which just makes the problem worse. Also, some prepared beverages such as soda pop, and bottled tea and coffees use RO water as well.

OTHER ASPECTS OF METABOLIC SYNDROME

The condition is often aggravated by low chromium, but I do not feel that this is a major factor.

Zinc. The progress of the disease also lowers zinc in the body, leading to far worse complications such as worsening diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Zinc is required for insulin production and release. As zinc is depleted, it is replaced in the pancreas with iron and other toxic metals, damaging the insulin production system much more.

Zinc is also needed to maintain flexible arteries, and to oppose inflammation in the body. As zinc is depleted, inflammation increases everywhere in the body, and the arteries become inflamed, leading to plaque formation, arteriosclerosis and other damage.

Zinc depletion also directly causes the buildup of toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury and others in the body. This is a further cause of complications.

Omega-3 and vitamin D. These are both natural anti-inflammatory nutrients that almost everyone needs more of.

Getting rid of the amigos. The amigos are toxic forms of iron, manganese, aluminum and other minerals including chromium, selenium, copper, boron and nickel. The amigos are powerful oxidants and highly inflammatory. Most people with Metabolic Syndrome are loaded with them. Nutritional balancing is one of the only methods I know of to remove them from the body. For more, read The Amigos – Iron, Manganese and Aluminum on this site.

Hair mineral analysis patterns seen with metabolic syndrome. Among the most common patterns are:

1. A fast oxidation rate with a low sodium/potassium ratio. This is probably the most common pattern.

2. A slow oxidation rate with a normal or even high sodium/potassium ratio.

3. Other, less common patterns are four lows or others.

CORRECTION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME

The medical approach. Allopathic physicians usually medicate these individuals with cholesterol-lowering drugs, high blood pressure drugs, anti-diabetic drugs, and perhaps others. This is shameful and a total waste of time and money and lives, since the real cause is the diet and the drinking water. Secondary causes are other mineral imbalances, and the presence of toxic metals. Some doctors think that genetics plays a large role. I do not agree, based on our research.

What about exercise? Exercise is usually recommended to help with weight loss. However, this can just make everything worse. Exercise adds stress, which further lowers zinc. Exercise can increase inflammation, as well, and it can further dehydrate the person due to sweating and replacement of the water lost in sweat with the wrong kind of water (RO water) or with more coffee or soda pop. Exercise also throws the body further into fast oxidation, at times, and this is harmful as well. In fact, too much exercise can be lethal in these circumstances.

Some doctors suggest the use of interval training, which involves short bursts of vigorous exercise. They say this is much better than longer types of exercise. I don’t know much about this. I do not require much exercise, and clients seem to do well.

Nutritional balancing. This “disease” is simple to correct on a properly designed program. One must avoid all caffeine, alcohol and all sugars in the diet, and drink three quarts of spring water daily (and no RO water). The diet needs to be mainly cooked vegetables, animal protein and no fruit, no wheat and no soy. On this simple regimen, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and inflammation markers usually disappear by themselves, often within a few months, without the need for any drugs.

Weight comes down easily on the same regimen, and one can lose up to 150 pounds or more in a year or less without exercise except for gentle walking. We do not recommend vigorous exercise programs, which can be very dangerous for those in poor health. Such exercise is simply not needed if one follows the diet and takes the supplements indicated on a hair mineral analysis.

Detoxification using a near infrared sauna and coffee enemas are not usually essential, but may greatly enhance progress and are sometimes very helpful as well.

Other notes about correction.

1. Cheating on the diet. This is a very bad idea. If you must cheat, do not eat candy bars and diet soda, for example. Instead, cheat on a piece of dark chocolate, perhaps, which has some sugar and caffeine-like substances, but less

2. If one does a nutritional balancing program for metabolic syndrome, one must monitor the blood sugar and blood pressure. In most cases, one must reduce or stop the drugs for metabolic syndrome such as anti-diabetic drugs and/or high blood pressure drugs. Otherwise, as the blood sugar and blood pressure drop, one can experience severe hypoglycemia and fainting.

PREVENTION OF METABOLIC SYNDROME

Prevention of metabolic syndrome is simple if a person will follow a diet very high in cooked vegetables, with some animal protein daily, preferably raw dairy products, and avoid all wheat, all soy products and all sugars, including avoiding fruit. Some complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, millet, oats, quinoa and other whole grains can usually be eaten safely.

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