There’s a disturbing trend I’ve been following for the last 10 years. It’s not a new disease. It’s a cluster of health problems that, taken together, send your risk of diabetes and heart disease through the roof.
Are you at risk? You might be if you have 3 or more of these symptoms:
- Belly fat
- High cholesterol
- High triglycerides
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
Of course, each one of these factors can be a threat to your health, but when they are combined—a condition called metabolic syndrome—they can spell real trouble. (1)
But you can reign in the symptoms of metabolic syndrome by adopting a few healthy habits:
- Eat a diet that centers on fresh colorful fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid junk foods high in refined flour and sugar, and stay as far away as you can from trans fats.
- Go for a brisk 30-minute walk every day.
- Take grape seed extract.
The most important of all of these steps is your diet. Choosing unhealthy foods can create oxidation that encourages inflammation, blood sugar spikes, high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.
That bagel and cream cheese or sugary cereal you had for breakfast elevate internal levels of oxidation (think of it as rusting or butter turning rancid) for the next five hours. A mid-morning donut, a fast-food lunch, and other popular foods will keep that oxidation raging.
But you can sidestep much of this oxidation by choosing fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants. Taking a daily dose of antioxidant-rich grape seed extract can further lower your blood pressure, protect the heart and improve your blood sugar.
A handful of studies have found that grape seed extract reduces the risk of heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes, lowers triglyceride levels and downgrades chronic inflammation.(2)
One study that really caught my eye was conducted at the University of California, Davis and involved a group of patients who had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Those who supplemented with grape seed extract not only saw their blood pressure drop, the extract also reduced their levels of oxidized cholesterol.(3)
Metabolic syndrome is sweeping America. But you can protect yourself by making good health a priority and by taking grape seed extract. For protection, I recommend taking 150 mg daily. But if you’ve already been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome or have 3 or more of its symptoms, opt for 300 mg of grape seed extract each day.
References:
1. Metabolic Syndrome. American Heart Association, americanheart.org
2. Baiges I. Lipogenesis is decreased by grape seed proanthocyanidins according to liver proteomics of rats fed a high fat diet. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. 2010;9:1499-1513.
3. Sivaprakasapillai B. Effect of grape seed extract on blood pressure in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Metabolism. 2009.58:1743-1746.
Dr. David J. Blyweiss began his medical career as a clinical pharmacist in South Florida prior to earning his medical degree from St. George's University School of Medicine in 1982.
His dual background allowed him to appreciate the relevance of conventional pharmaceutical/surgical based treatments in acute medical conditions, and recognize where these approaches fell short in treating the majority of patients who suffered from the chronic degenerative diseases of "western civilization origin."
Over the last twenty years, with the nutritional medical knowledge base expanding in the fields of nutrigenomics, protemics, and other related "orthomolecular" disciplines directed towards patients' biochemical individuality, Dr. Blyweiss became an early adherent and experienced practitioner of what would become known as "functional medicine." This knowledge allows him to effectively manage and alleviate the symptoms related to the most "difficult-to-treat" conditions by addressing the underlying causes, allowing the body to heal itself.
Dr. Blyweiss was one of the initial researchers doing the early work on chlorhexidine (Phisohex) while earning his first post graduate degree at Temple University School of Pharmacy. During medical school he worked with the WHO (World Health Organization) in vaccinating children in the islands of the Carribbean. He has traveled much of the world, most recently to Belize, Central America, Gabon, Africa, and Zagreb, Croatia working closely with teams of specialists to identify new plant life and natural products for possible human benefit as well as researchers and their stem cell transplantation teams. He has consulted for and created state-of-the-art nutritional supplements for multiple nutritional companies since 1999. He is currently in private practice in South Florida where he resides with his family.
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