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Some soothsayers tell us that if the instance of obesity increases at its current level, almost every American will become overweight by the year 2050. But while many people tend to focus on the cosmetic aspects of their expanding waistlines, the real significance of obesity is the occurrence of many related diseases and associated, mounting death rates.

The prevention of obesity and related problems, such as Syndrome X and type 2 diabetes mellitus, constitutes a modern medical emergency. And there's no doubt that dietary intake of simple sugars--that is, simple carbohydrates--is a key miscreant. This makes carbohydrate restriction a logical approach to combat the rise of obesity, but even this basic approach can be facilitated to become more effective and healthful. Refined (simple) carbohydrates are pivotal in the cause of the modern epidemics of Syndrome X and type 2 diabetes, but they aren't the whole story.

Obesity Has Disease Companions

Taking obesity for granted can be a deadly habit. Table 1 (p. 38) highlights the risks and complications of obesity. Much research has attempted to predict the "forms" of obesity that create the greatest risks. In general, excess body fat located in and around the organs of the body presents an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and many other diseases.

Obesity, Syndrome X, Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes

Currently, approximately 70 million Americans have a condition called the metabolic syndrome or Syndrome X. Syndrome X requires careful definition and description if the real advantages of a low-carb diet can be fully appreciated. First of all, Syndrome X is a combination of factors that are almost invariably associated with excess weight. The simplest definition of Syndrome X, then, is the variable combination of obesity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, all linked by resistance to the hormone insulin. (Figure 1)

Insulin and Blood Glucose

While we all recognize the ability of insulin to help the body handle glucose, insulin resistance occurs when the body doesn't take proper command of insulin. As a result, the body reacts by making more insulin, so blood levels of the hormone begin to rise. Insulin gives prime signals to fat cells to store fat. Hence, obesity goes hand in hand with insulin resistance and its excess in many people. Indeed, insulin can tell the liver to make cholesterol, and it can tell tissues of the body to raise blood pressure. You can now see why obesity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol occur together under the umbrella term Syndrome X. Furthermore, insulin can tell the ovaries to secrete male-type hormones, tell the body to make inflammatory messenger molecules and even tell genetic material to express cancer growth. Thus, insulin resistance and its excess cause a diverse array of diseases. This extension of Syndrome X beyond its role in creating cardiovascular disease is what I have called Syndrome X, Y and Z.

The Concept of Syndrome X, Y and Z

As depicted in Figure 2 (p. 39), Syndrome X leads from primary obesity-related diseases, such as coronoary heart disease, to further complications that I characterize as Syndrome Y (immune impairment, blood clotting, etc.) and Syndrome Z (inflammation, cancer and liver disease).

Combating Insulin Resistance and Controlling Calories

Once we understand the role of insulin resistance in the development of obesity and related disease, we can begin to see how a low-carb diet is a step in the right direction--and how such diets may need to be modified or supplemented to become more effective in their desired outcomes of weight loss and health promotion. Many physicians are accepting the notion that there are carbohydrate-sensitive individuals who gain weight easily when sugar is a major component of their diets. This sensitivity has started to make physicians and scientists rethink the simple idea or equation of "energy in and energy out" of the body.

Energy is taken into the body in the form of calories delivered by food. This energy is utilized by the body for day-to-day living and to support physical activity. However, this equation of energy in and energy out doesn't fit perfectly with weight control tactics in humans.

There are some people who can consume large amounts of energy (calories in food) and not gain weight, even though their level of exercise isn't particularly high. That said, calorie control is generally a very important aspect of weight control, and anyone who proposes that calories do not count is seriously misguided.

An Overall Healthful Weight-Control Initiative

That's why "diets" cannot be eliminated as one of several important components of weight management. Excess dietary intake of simple sugars, together with a lack of physical exercise and poor lifestyle, contribute to poor function of insulin. This provides a powerful incentive to adopt a diet that is controlled in its simple carbohydrate content While low-carb diets have not been shown to correct insulin resistance, per se, they are a step in the right direction.

# posted by Medical Information : 3:14 AM