Syndrome X - Stanford Hospital & Clinics - Stanford University Medical Center

Syndrome X

Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You A Heart Attack the compelling new book by Stanford researcher Gerald Reaven, MD, presents in the popular press for the first time, a thorough discussion of the little known constellation of metabolic abnormalities that result in Syndrome X, also known as the "insulin resistance syndrome," that affects between 60-75 million Americans and may be the cause of fifty percent of all heart attacks. Reaven is the lead researcher who, in 1988, first presented the results of twenty years of study that showed that the effect of an array of changes around insulin resistance is increased heart disease. He named these changes "Syndrome X".

Syndrome X covers new ground for most readers who are already familiar with the relationship of cholesterol to heart disease and who have been educated to eat a low-fat, high carbohydrate "heart healthy" diet. The surprising results of Reaven's studies show that for a good percentage of people, those with Syndrome X, the heart healthy diet contributes to heart disease which may go undiagnosed until a heart attack occurs.

As Reaven explains, the problems begin with the differences in the ways in which blood sugar (glucose) is utilized by the body through the assistance of insulin, a protein secreted by the pancreas. In those whose insulin is ineffective in managing the glucose (resistant), the pancreas secretes increasing amounts of insulin to overcome the insulin resistance. In those people who cannot produce enough insulin to keep up with the abnormal demand, Type 2 diabetes develops. For others, their bodies continues to pump out large amounts of insulin to compensate for the glucose which still needs to be transported into cells. From there, the damage to arteries begins, laying the groundwork for heart disease. Fortunately, you do not need to be an expert in diabetes or heart disease to understand Reaven's research because Syndrome X presents complicated information in a readable and understandable format.

A good portion of Syndrome X is devoted to explaining the underpinnings of the syndrome which is important because what Reaven is presenting is information that most Americans have never seen before, and neither possibly, have their physicians. Syndrome X educates the reader on a subject that is really high level, but does so clearly and succinctly, and leaves the reader with bulleted points that recapture the important points Reaven is making. Discussions of cholesterol and kinds of fats are cogent and simplify some of the complexity of the subject. For those who are concerned about whether they may have the syndrome, he provides a list of the diagnostic points for self-assesment that the reader can easily made use of. He points out that it is a condition that is easily diagnosed and treated once people are made aware of it.

The lion's share of the book is devoted to the Syndrome X diet and its explanation. What Reaven presents is an eating plan that provides the correct proportions of protein, carbohydrate and fat for those who have the syndrome. It turns upside down the American Heart Association's plan that promotes a large amount of carbohydrate and low fat eating. But, again and again, Reaven returns to the many studies that he and colleagues have conducted over twenty years to prove his point that for Syndrome X sufferers, this is the right diet.

Whether you are looking to lose weight or to maintain your current weight, the book contains over 100 pages of recipes and menus that are easy to follow and which allow the reader to make adjustments in his or her own meal plan. He provides thirty days of meal plans and recipes for people who are shooting for the daily 1,200 calorie range and the same menus expanded for those who need 1,800 calories daily. There is nothing exotic and difficult about the menu plans, and if the thought of 1,200 calories sounds like starvation, the balance of good fats, protein and carbohydrates provide a highly satisfying diet that is really to be considered the model for a lifelong eating plan.

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