Part two of this series on inositol hones in on metabolic syndrome. This is a cluster of symptoms that puts you at risk of heart disease (among other issues). Can inositol help relieve metabolic syndrome?
The metabolic syndrome consists of the following: obesity (central); prehypertension; prediabetes; abnormal lipids; and insulin resistance. In 1990, approximately 50 million Americans had this syndrome. By 2000, the number increased to over 64 million. Factors that have led to this increase in metabolic syndrome include rising obesity (30.5% from 22.5%) and an overall aging U.S. population.
Another alarming fact is that over one million U.S. adolescents have metabolic syndrome. The metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart attacks or stroke twofold and the risk of type 2 diabetes fivefold. According to the guidelines from the National Cholesterol Education Program and American Heart Association, the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome is made if someone has three out of the following five abnormalities:
1. Obesity (central): Men: greater than or equal to 40 inches around the waist. Women: greater than or equal to 35 inches.
2. High triglycerides: Greater or equal to 150 mg/dL (while fasting).
3. HDL (Good) Cholesterol: Men: less than 40 mg/dL. Women: less than 50 mg/dL.
4. Prehypertension: Greater than or equal to 130 (systolic)/85 (diastolic) mmHg.
5. Prediabetes: Blood glucose greater than or equal to 100 mg/dL .
In a recent study, 80 postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome were randomized to receive a low-energy diet plus two grams of myoinositol twice a day or low-energy diet plus placebo for six months. Those treated with myoinositol experienced a decrease in the following:
– Diastolic blood pressure, by 11%
– Insulin resistance, by 75%
– Serum triglycerides, by 20%
– Systolic blood pressure and waistline; a modest but significant drop
Moreover, the myoinositol group showed an improvement in HDL cholesterol by 22%. It is to be noted that myoinositol reduced insulin resistance more than the antidiabetes drugs used to treat metabolic syndrome.
In a Japanese study, 17 middle-aged subjects with high cholesterol, including 47% with metabolic syndrome, were given daily myoinositol (five grams during week one, followed by 10 grams for another week). Myoinositol resulted in a significant decrease in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, fasting blood sugar levels, and high density C reactive protein — the latter is a sign of dangerous inflammation.
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