Over a quarter of Americans and a fifth of those in the developed world have metabolic syndrome. This is a serious condition due to the dramatically increased risk of heart disease, liver disease, gout and diabetes. Moderate weight loss, by reducing calorie intake, lowers the incidence of metabolic syndrome.
What is metabolic syndrome?
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions which include;
- fatty liver
- insulin resistance with diabetic and pre-diabetic blood sugar levels
- increased blood pressure, excess body fat especially around the waist
- abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
Metabolic syndrome is very common as a result of eating processed food and high sugar diet. [1]
Fructose is a cause of the metabolic changes and is a significant contributor because it is found in many sweetened processed foods and most non-diet soft drinks. High-fructose corn syrup is a commonly used sweetener by the soft drinks industry. There has been a dramatic rise in the popularity of these drinks and consequently the daily consumption in Americans rise from 37g/day in the 1970s to 55g/day in the late 1980s and early ’90s. [2]
What are the complications of metabolic syndrome?
The complications of metabolic syndrome are frequently serious and long-term because they include:
- heart disease
- liver damage (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease)
- kidney disease
- stroke
- diabetes
- hardening of the arteries
If you go on to develop diabetes, there are additional health complications that you may be at risk of developing:
- eye damage (retinopathy)
- nerve damage (neuropathy)
- kidney disease
- vascular disease including amputation of limbs
Can weight loss prevent metabolic syndrome?
Research showed that moderate weight loss of 6.5% in weight, improved all the conditions that lead to metabolic syndrome [3] and hence better health. Calorie reduction, by lowering your intake of refined sugar, can lead to weight loss, by reducing the storage of fat. Unfortunately, sugar is in most processed foods and so can prove difficult to avoid.
Research carried out in 2010 investigated C60 dissolved in squalane. [4]
Squalane is a hydrocarbon found in a number of substances including olive oil.
The researchers found that C60 dissolved in squalane inhibited the formation of fat cells. As a result of this research, they proposed that C60 dissolved in squalane had potential as a treatment for metabolic syndrome.
