First the good news: Over the last 30 years, the rate of deaths due to heart disease has declined 52%, mostly because fewer adults smoke today.  Nonetheless, heart disease remains our number 1 killer.  And now for the bad news:  The rate of deaths from heart disease is about to start going up again, due to something called Syndrome X.

Syndrome X (sometimes called Metabolic Syndrome or Insulin Resistance Syndrome) is a new way of talking about things that you may be very familiar with--problems like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high triglycerides. As you know, each of these is a risk factor for heart disease and increases your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.  But in combination, they are even more deadly. 

Based on ground-breaking research done by Dr. Gerald Reaven at Stanford University, Syndrome X was first described just a few years ago, in 1998.[1]   In Syndrome X, certain risk factors have a tendency to clump together, or gang up on you.  When they do, the negative impact of each factor can be multiplied…increasing your risk by up to 300%.[2]

According to the National Institutes of Health[3], you have Syndrome X if you have three or more of the following risk factors:

• high levels of triglycerides (150 mg/dL or higher)
• low levels of HDL, or "good," cholesterol (below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women)
• high blood pressure (130/85 mm Hg or higher)
• excess weight around the waist (waist measurement of more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women)
• high fasting blood glucose levels (110 mg/dL or higher)

Now, the first four things on this list are well-known enemies of cardiovascular health--cholesterol, triglycerides, high blood pressure, and excess weight. The last may be less familiar--at least in terms of heart health.  High fasting blood glucose levels are an indication of diabetes or a pre-diabetic condition called insulin resistance.

What does insulin resistance have to do with your heart?

Insulin resistance is an inability to use your body’s insulin to properly regulate blood sugar.  Eventually, many people with insulin resistance go on to develop full-blown diabetes. The big surprise with Syndrome X is that insulin resistance also increases your risk of heart disease--whether or not you ever develop diabetes.

And this is why heart disease rates are going to start climbing again.  Our national weight problem (two out of three Americans are now overweight or obese), fueled by our super-sized diet of sugary, fatty foods, is creating a new epidemic of insulin resistance. This means that more and more people now have Syndrome X…and the ticking time bomb of heart disease is about to explode.

Number of Americans with high cholesterol: 50 million

Number of Americans with high blood pressure: 50 million

Number of Americans who are overweight or obese: 120 million

Number of Americans suffering from insulin resistance: 68 million

Number of Americans with diabetes: 23 million

Number of Americans with Syndrome X: 70 million

To avoid the dangers of Syndrome X, you have to kick your heart health program into overdrive.  Remember that Syndrome X is defined as “three or more risk factors.”  That means that an improvement in one or two individual risk factors can potentially take you out of the Syndrome X category, and bring your overall risk out of the red-hot danger zone.

In this report I want to focus particularly on simple foods and targeted nutrients that will normalize unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides, raise levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, boost overall circulatory health, and scrub away the dangerous plaque that clog arteries.  These safe and natural remedies will help to defend you against the dangers of Syndrome X. 

Nutrients that keep your heart healthy

As we’ve seen, Syndrome X takes a dangerous toll on the health of your heart, arteries, and circulatory system.  But there are foods and nutrients that can mount a powerful defense against this damage.

Green tea

Did you know that the incidence of cardiovascular disease in China is about 80% lower than in the Western countries? It may be in large part due to fact that most Chinese drink several cups of green tea every day. Green tea is packed with powerful antioxidants called polyphenols, which appear to be even more potent than vitamins C and E in their ability to mop up the dangerous free radicals that cause illness and disease.[4] Green tea also helps boost immunity, protect prostate health, and even delay the signs of aging. 

But green tea’s most impressive quality is its ability to provide extra support for the health of your heart and cardiovascular system. A Japanese study found that the more green tea patients consumed, the less likely they were to have coronary artery disease.[5] Green tea also helps to improve total cholesterol profile – decreasing the levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, while increasing “good” HDL.  Green tea also reduces the “stickiness” of the blood, lessening its tendency to clot and stick to artery walls – an important benefit for reducing heart attack and stroke risk.[6]

You can get the benefits of green tea by drinking several cups a day or by taking a supplement such as Metorin X, which contains a potent green tea extract.

Selenium-rich foods

Here’s something you may not realize about cholesterol and your health.  It’s not just the accumulation of excess cholesterol that puts you at risk. It’s also the fact that this cholesterol acts as a magnet for free radicals and the oxidative damage they cause. When the cholesterol in your arteries is oxidized by free radicals, even more free radicals are produced.

These “attack molecules” go on a rampage against your cell membranes and create inflammation. The inflammation and the resulting scar tissue can narrow your blood vessels and eventually create blockages. . That’s why antioxidants are so critical to your heart health. By neutralizing free radicals, they can help to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in your blood vessels.

Selenium is very potent antioxidant which, in combination with other antioxidants, seems to provide particular protection against cardiovascular disease.[7]   Unfortunately, this trace mineral that is often deficient in the modern diet.[8]  The selenium content of foods like leafy greens and grains is dependent on the selenium content of the soil.  The problem is that our soil has become increasingly poor in selenium, making our food supply also selenium-poor.

Certain foods are still good sources of selenium. Brazil nuts are naturally high in selenium, as are shellfish like scallops, lobster, shrimp, clams, and oysters.   Wheat germ, molasses, and brewer’s yeast are also good sources.  But to ensure adequate intake on a daily basis, a nutritional supplement containing selenium is a good idea.

Carotenoids

Beta-carotene is the best-known carotenoid, and has been linked with multiple health benefits.   It’s a potent anti-oxidant on its own, and it also serves as a precursor to vitamin A.  In nature, beta-carotene is almost always found in a complex of many different carotenoids, including lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin. The latest research shows that carotenoids are more effective when consumed together--the way they occur naturally in foods.  

Carotenoids help to normalize blood pressure and support the health of your heart, arteries, and veins.[9]  

As a rule, foods rich in carotenoids are the brightly-colored fruits and vegetables--especially deep green and bright red or orange produce.  For a healthy helping of carotenoids, load up on spinach, broccoli, carrots, yams, tomatoes, butternut squash, red and yellow peppers, apricots, mangoes, and cantaloupe.

When choosing nutritional supplements, avoid synthetic beta-carotene, which tends to be poorly absorbed by the body.[10] Instead look for natural, mixed carotenoids, such as those found in Metorin X.

B vitamins

Certain B vitamins have been associated with heart health, including B6, B12, and folic acid. These three nutrients help to keep the blood clear of homocysteine.[11]  Homocysteine is an amino acid that can build up in the blood and raise your risk of heart disease, stroke, as well as osteoporosis, and Alzheimer’s disease.[12]  Coffee drinkers, smokers and those who regularly consume alcohol are all likely to have higher homocysteine levels.

There are very few foods that naturally contain all three of these homocysteine-reducing nutrients. Folic acid is found almost exclusively in vegetables (particularly leafy greens), for example, while vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products (particularly liver). One exception is nutritional yeast, a flavorful, grainy powder sold in health food stores.  Nutritional yeast is a good source of vitamins B6, B12, and folic acid, along with many other nutrients.  It has a slightly cheesy-flavor and is great sprinkled onto toast, eggs, or popcorn.

To ensure that you are getting enough of these crucial B vitamins every day, however, a nutritional supplement such as Metorin X is highly recommended.

5 more ways to reduce the dangers of Syndrome X

1.  Lose weight.  I know this can be a very difficult prescription to follow but it is also one of the surest ways to reduce your risk of heart disease.  Losing even ten pounds can improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin and help to protect you from the dangers of insulin resistance. Losing weight also helps bring blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides into normal ranges and may help you avoid prescription medications.

2. Exercise.  Regular exercise helps strengthen and tone your heart and lungs and enhances circulation and cardiac efficiency. It also improves insulin sensitivity and helps you lose weight (see #1).

3. Cut down on sugary foods and drinks.  Sugar works against you and your heart health on many levels. It promotes weight gain and it can exacerbate insulin resistance, increasing your risk of diabetes and heart disease.  Soda is one of the primary sources of sugar in the American diet.  Packaged and processed foods can also be hidden sources of sugar. (See also my report Your Syndrome X Eating Plan)

4. Drink only in moderation.  Moderate alcohol consumption (one or two drinks a day) has been shown to be beneficial to heart health. But the benefits disappear with heavier alcohol consumption.  Drinking too much can increase your blood pressure and triglycerides. Alcohol is also a big source of empty calories, which can pack on the pounds.

5. Reduce stress.   Stress hormones like cortisol, which are released by the adrenal gland when you are under stress, are bad news for your heart health.  Cortisol acts to drive up blood sugar, which can contribute to insulin resistance.  Stress also leads to overeating and overdrinking.  Exercise is a great way to reduce stress. Other strategies include making time for favorite hobbies, breathing and stretching exercises, and prayer or meditation. (See also my report Overcoming Syndrome X.)

Click here to learn about a breakthrough discovery in the battle against Syndrome-X.

[2] Isomaa B, Almgren P. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care. 2001 Apr;24(4):683-9. 

[9] Fuhrman B, Aviram M.  Anti-atherogenicity of nutritional antioxidants.

IDrugs. 2001 Jan;4(1):82-92.

[12] Kuo HK, Sorond FA, et. al. he role of homocysteine in multisystem age-related problems: a systematic eview. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Sep;60(9):1190-201.