4) DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE
h) Genetic Risk Factors for Diabetes and Heart Disease
Unfortunately we are not all born equal. Our genetic make-up is important. There is a genetic syndrome sometimes called "metabolic syndrome" or "syndrome X", which consists of a tendency to put on fat in the stomach, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides and high PAl-1. Having three of the symptoms of this syndrome increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes from 20% to about 50%. Indeed, while there is no exact formula, the following genetic factors each add about 10% to the 20% risk of heart disease and diabetes that even the best of us is born with. These genetic risks are a family history of any of these factors:
1, fat in the stomach
2, high LDL cholesterol
3, low HDL cholesterol
4, high triglycerides
5, type II adult onset diabetes
6, heart disease
7, high blood pressure
8, racial background of African American, Mexican, Native American, or Pacific IslanderNow genetic factors are always a game of chance. Some members of the family will get the bad genes, others won't get them or they will get a different set of bad genes. Then there some who inherit virtually all of them! Note also that research has shown that these factors are independent; fat in the abdomen will increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes even if your cholesterol and triglycerides are under control. Note also that being a man increases the effect of metabolic syndrome X by about a factor of three.
"Fat in the stomach" or fat around the waist is also known as visceral fat. Fat in the rest of the body is known as subcutaneous fat. What researchers are finding is that the fat cells of the body are important hormone producing organs of and by themselves. They are just an organ whose cells are spread out over a wide area rather than being all located together. The "visceral fat organ" around the waist produces a different profile of hormones than does the "subcutaneous fat organ", which occurs in areas other than in the waist. There are at least three different hormone systems involved in these differences, including those involved in insulin resistance. Thus the relationship of waist fat to insulin resistance. The larger the "visceral fat organ", the more undesirable hormones are produced and the greater the insulin resistance. Unfortunately there is no known way to decrease the size of just the "visceral fat organ". All the "fat organs" need to be reduced in size simultaneously.
Individuals with "metabolic syndrome X" invariably have high levels of a type of cholesterol known as "LDL subclass pattern B." In "LDL subclass pattern B" the bad cholesterol, the LDL cholesterol, occurs in small dense packets. The bottom line remains the same; individuals with the pattern are at increased risk of both diabetes and heart disease. The good news is that researchers have found that a low saturated fat diet reduces the amount of these small dense packets in an individual with metabolic syndrome X more than a low fat diet reduces the amount of the larger LDL packets of a "normal" individual. This is one more support pillar for keeping the amount of red meat consumption minimized, since red meat is the major contributor to saturated fat intake.
One man with type 2 diabetes who definitely had Metabolic Syndrome X (i.e. "LDL subclass pattern B") with a horrible lipid profiles and with seven of the eight genetic risk factors (race is the only one he was missing) followed the guideline contained here-in. He controlled his diet closely, lost over 20% of his weight, went from a size 44 to a size 38 waist, and started on a sustained exercise program. And his lipid profile came under control! This absolutely amazed him; he had despaired of ever doing that after years of special diets and medications! Even Metabolic Syndrome X can be controlled; it just takes dedication and self control. And what is even more amazing is that he had much more energy and his quality of life was much better.
Next Chapter: 5) DIET TO AVOID HEART DISEASE
a) Introduction
b) Avoiding Saturated Fats
c) Avoiding Trans Fatty Acids
d) Benefits of Unsaturated Fats
e) Fats and Weight Loss
f) Benefits of Fiber
g) Avoiding High Glycemic Index Foods
h) Reducing Salt Intake
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