Syndrome X: The Silent Killer: The New Heart Disease Risk

Now a bit outdated (for example, Syndrome X, because it was relatively unknown in the early days, is now referred to as Metabolic Syndrome, which covers several conditions, such as high blood sugars, fatty liver, obesity, insulin resistance, etc., or more importantly, a combination. While the information in this book is accurate, you should look for more current literature on the subject.

I had not heard of Syndrome X until I began researching Type 2 Diabetes. I will be reading several books on diabetes, and the first one happened to be Syndrome X by Reaven and associates. After reading this book, I know a lot more about both Syndrome X and Type 2 Diabetes, which are each related to insulin resistance in which insulin struggles to function properly. The Syndrome X symptoms come about when the body then compensates by producing a heck of a lot more insulin in order to get the job done. This excess insulin causes a number of physiological changes in cholesterol levels, blood pressure, etc., which can be measured by routine blood tests, and if a person has these particular test results, that is characteristic of Syndrome X.In addition to providing biochemical explanations of the type that would appeal to a physician or other health professional, the authors also explain a lot of things in plain English for the average reader. Lifestyle choices, the importance of weight loss, exercise, and other factors are discussed, but the most detail is spent on diet. The types and amounts of fats, proteins, and carbs are strictly proportioned in the diet which is included in the book. The authors have had success treating patients with Syndrome X by following the dietary and other guidelines, including medications when necessary. It is mentioned that folks with Type 2 Diabetes will also benefit by following the diet. And the meals are so “ordinary” that folks who aren’t following a particular diet can eat right alongside the person following the guidelines.Depending on your particular circumstances and test results, this may be the exact book for you. I am not going to follow the diet yet. I have two or three more books to read, specifically about Type 2 Diabetes, and from what I have heard so far, each author has different approaches to diet and each claims success with their approach. But it was definitely helpful for me to read this book, and if I notice in the future that my yearly test results start to resemble those of Syndrome X, then I am coming back to this book!

I bought this book to gain a deeper understanding of the link between high blood glucose, high insulin levels, and Syndrome X. On this the book delivers, and has a wealth of info that I have not read anywhere else. As someone who has Syndrome X, I am very interested in the 'why'. The book fails miserably in my opinion in the diet section, which I was really looking forward to. THe first 2/3 of the book is dedicated to the science, specifically why you should avoid refined carbohydrate, but the diet suggestions do not back this up. I was very disappointed that I will not be able to utilize this section of the book. It's almost as if someone wrote the first part of the book, then someone else wrote the diet section and they did not share notes! I think the authors of the book were trying to appeal to a wider audience in making this diet look like something the average person who struggles with needing to change their diet will actually stick to. A much better book for the diet is Syndrom X, by Jack Challem/Burton Berkson, and Melissa Smith. Their book backs up what is said in this book, but the diet recommendations are actually consistent with their message. I gave this 3 stars because I think the science in the front of the book is worth the read, but don't follow the diet if you actually want to reverse or prevent Syndrome X.

I am a Registered Nurse and Registered Dietitian preparing to teach a college class of pre-med students about Metabolic Syndrome. Dr Reaven coined this term so for me who other to learn from? Thank-you Dr Reaven for taking time to share your findings in a way the average person could understand. Most people would never read your published scientific journal articles. Surely, you have saved lives and changed the course of medical history! This book has truly inspired me and the way I counsel my patients on diet! It is my hope you know how much your work is appreciated!

I loved this book. Reaven, who recently died, presents a view of diet and health that must be understood if we (as a society) are going to get a handle on diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Interesting read - a couple of pages were blank, but a nice, relatively non-technical dissertation by the doctor that first recognized metabolic syndrome as a disease process. Not real wild about the dietary advice (figure an updated version probably wouldn't hurt) so I'll stick with the Bernstein/Atkins regimen I'm currently following. Otherwise, a hearty "thumbs-up"!

Reaven is a pioneer, but there is much recent research that is of course not included in a 2000 book. Some of this recent research is at odds with some of his recommendations, especially on polyunsaturated oils.

The first chapter was useful, but lost me on page 76 when " cotain roughly 25 percent artery-clogging saturated fat and loaded with cholesterol." Which is false.Old information based on some Old study of a scientist feeding rabbits saturated fat. Wish I hadn't wasted my money on the book. Sad.

Okay, what this book is and what it isn't. It isn't an in-depth presentation and discussion of Gerald Reaven's lifetime work on Metabolic Syndrome. That would have been good, because metabolic syndrome is really important. It's important because it suggests a unified, structural cause of heart and vascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure - insulin resistance and chronically high levels of insulin in the body (hyperinsulinemia). It's even more important because it suggests that this unified, structural cause can be prevented or treated most effectively, not by drugs, but by altering the diet. By restricting carbs so that insulin levels fall back to what they should be. This can be done, as Phinney and Volek have shown. And Reaven is the person who knows about insulin resistance. He discovered metabolic syndrome, and he has worked on it more than anyone else, and he is world-famous. Nobody doubts his stuff and he is completely kosher.But this is a popularising book, and a bad one at that. It was published in 2000 and is alarmist and quite sensationalist in tone. There's only the crudest, lowest-level summary of what metabolic syndrome is and how insulin resistance works, pitched at the level of a really bad newspaper shock-horror story. The tone is unpleasant and is intended to frighten. Hey, you may think you're healthy, but no, you're going to die !!! unless you read my book and, hey, follow this diet.It's also out of date. His message is don't eat the carbs, but the diet isn't really low-carb. The diet is presented, with menus, in the book. It is 45 % carb, 15% protein, 40% fat. I suppose that much fat was bold back in 2000, but a low carb high fat diet of the reputable type that Jeff Volek and Steve Phinney have demonstrated success with in reversing metabolic syndrome is of the pattern 5% carb, 15% protein, 80% fat. I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to cure insulin resistance to eat a diet of this type. More than 10% carb just won't cut the mustard.I was very disappointed, as I was looking for an accessible but in-depth presentation of his work on Metabolic Syndrome, but this just wasn't remotely it. The best thing I've found so far for that, and it's good, is The World Turned Upside Down, by Richard Feinman - and The Art & Science of Low-Carb Living by Phinney and Volek, of course.

pure white and deadly