Carotenoids May Cut Risk of Metabolic Syndrome In Half
Lee Swanson Research Update
Dear Friends and Valued Customers,
Metabolic syndrome is sweeping the country. In the United States it’s estimated that 32% of the adult population has the condition. In Europe the numbers are lower with about 15% of adults affected.
Actually, the term metabolic syndrome describes a grouping or set of conditions that collectively form the syndrome. The Mayo Clinic says: “Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having metabolic syndrome means you have several disorders related to your metabolism at the same time, including: obesity, particularly around your waist; elevated blood pressure; an elevated level of the blood fat called triglycerides and a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol; plus resistance to insulin, a hormone that helps to regulate the amount of sugar in your body.”
The good news is that researchers in The Netherlands have found a connection between increased intake of carotenoids and a reduction in the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Find out more in my first report below.
I am also including a couple of studies that relate to cardiovascular health. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology shows that people with low blood levels of magnesium may be at greater risk of suffering a stroke. Another study, published in the European Heart Journal, emphasizes how omega-3 fatty acids from fish can help cut the chances of heart failure in men.
As always, I wish you the very best of health.
Lee Swanson
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Carotenoids may cut risk of metabolic syndrome in half
May 2009
Increased intakes of antioxidant carotenoids, and particularly lycopene, may reduce the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome by about 50%, according to a new study.
Writing in the Journal of Nutrition, Dutch scientists report that middle-aged and elderly men with highest average intake of all carotenoids had a 58% lower incidence of metabolic syndrome, while the highest intake of lycopene was associated with a 45% lower incidence, compared to men with the lowest average intakes.
A potentially protective effect was also observed for beta-carotene intakes, report the researchers, led by Ivonne Sluijs from the University Medical Center Utrecht in The Netherlands. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterized by central obesity, hypertension and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
"Higher total carotenoid, beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lycopene intakes were associated with lower waist circumferences and visceral and subcutaneous fat mass," wrote Sluijs and her co-workers. "Higher lycopene intake was related to lower serum triglyceride concentrations," they added.
The findings were based on data from a population-based, cross-sectional study involving 374 men aged between 40 and 80, 22% of whom had metabolic syndrome. Intakes of the carotenoids, including alpha- and beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin, were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire.
Sluijs and her co-workers report that high intakes of all these compounds was associated with lower incidence of the syndrome, and that lycopene and beta-carotene in particular were linked to apparent protective effects.
"In conclusion, higher total carotenoid intakes, mainly those of beta-carotene and lycopene, were associated with a lower prevalence of metabolic syndrome and with lower measures of adiposity and serum triglyceride concentrations in middle-aged and elderly men," wrote the researchers.
Journal of Nutrition 139(5):987-992, 2009
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