C an metabolic syndrome be reversed by eating right? A new study says the answer is yes. Metabolic syndrome is an increasingly common term covering a complex of conditions, including central obesity (high waist-hip ratio), high blood pressure, unhealthy blood cholesterol levels and insulin resistance. Together, this cluster of risk factors sharply increases the danger of developing heart disease and diabetes. According to the American Heart Association, more than 50 million Americans suffer from metabolic syndrome.But metabolic syndrome doesnt have to be a one-way street to chronic disease, according to research by Tasnime Akbaraly, PhD, of University College London, and col- leagues. Eating a healthy diet, theyve found, nearly doubles your chances of reversing metabolic syndrome. And its your overall dietary pattern-not just individual nutrients-that matters most in combating metabolic syndrome.Akbaraly and colleagues analyzed data on 339 partici- pants in the Whitehall II study, a long-running study of the health of British civil servants. The average age of participants was 56.4, and 72% were men; all had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.Over a period of fve years, 158 participants succeeded in reversing the metabolic syndrome factors that had put them at risk. Those who adhered most closely to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-see box), an alternative to the US food pyramid, were 88% more likely to reverse their metabolic syndrome. Participants with central obesity and high blood triglyceride levels were most likely to beneft from following an overall healthy eating pattern.
Another Way to Eat Right The Alternative Healthy Eating Index was developed as a different ap- proach to nutrition and health, claiming to be actually based on the latest and best science. Its basic recommendations include:
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Publishing their results in the journal Diabetes Care, Ak- baraly and colleagues concluded, Our fndings support the beneft of adherence to AHEI dietary guidelines for individu- als with metabolic syndrome, especially those with central obesity or high triglyceride levels. Diabetes Care; abstract at <dx.doi.org/10.2337/dc09-2200>Alternative Healthy Eating Index<www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/ what-should-you-eat/pyramid>