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Eating Away at Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome—which some define as a cluster of symptoms including a large waist size, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and impaired insulin sensitivity—is a big problem in Middle Eastern countries such as Iran, where more than 30% of the population has the condition.

A group of investigators at Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran studied the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on 116 participants enrolled in the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS).

All participants were overweight or obese, maintained a stable weight, met the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) criteria for metabolic syndrome, and had not tried to lose weight prior to the study.

Participants were randomized to one of three diets: a weight-reduction diet, the DASH diet, or eating as usual. The DASH diet is designed to give participants 500 calories fewer than their daily caloric need; increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and whole grains; and reduce consumption of red meat, sweets, and refined grains. A second group received information about healthy food choices and a diet with 500 calories fewer than their daily need. This weight-reduction diet tended to have more red meat, sweets, fat, and cholesterol than the DASH diet. A control group was instructed to eat as usual, with no modifications.

At the end of a 6-month study period, participants on the DASH diet had higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures, greater weight loss, and more improved fasting glucose than those on the weight-reduction diet.

Although the exact mechanisms at work need further research, the study shows that the DASH diet "can likely reduce most of the metabolic risks in both men and women," investigators conclude.

Azadbakht L, Mirmiran P, Esmaillzadeh A, et al.: Beneficial effects of a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan on features of the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes Care 28: 2823–2831, 2005.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                What's this?