Metabolic syndrome: The dietary change that can reduce risk of metabolic syndrome

These days it seems to get all of the facts, you have to look out for the small print.

According to the big print (that is, a headline from a news outlet): 'Dairy Food Consumption Linked to Lower Risk of Metabolic Syndrome.'

The fine print comes from a newspaper half a world away: The Iran Daily. And the detail that's revealed there adds an important note to the statement in the headline.

So don't rush out to your local supermarket just yet to load up on gallons of milk, blocks of cheese and tubs of yoghurt.

Elevated risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes
It would be wonderful if doing something as simple as increasing dairy consumption actually could curb metabolic syndrome risk. Metabolic syndrome is a set of symptoms that creates a high risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. (Metabolic syndrome is sometimes referred to as metabolic syndrome X, so to keep it simple we'll call it 'MSX.') The definition of MSX varies between one health organisation and another, but the core symptoms include:

* Excessive abdominal fat
* Elevated blood pressure (130/85 or higher)
* Low HDL cholesterol level (Less than 50 in women, less than 40 in men)
* Elevated Triglyceride level
* Elevated C-reactive protein level
* Fasting glucose level that indicates insulin resistance/glucose intolerance

Three or more of these symptoms is enough to diagnose MSX. And these symptoms obviously add up to a very troubling combination of health risks. Unfortunately, many doctors simply treat the symptoms of MSX individually instead of addressing the syndrome as a whole with regular exercise, supplements of key nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, and reducing the intake of high glycaemic foods.

Raw dairy products lower metabolic syndrome risk
A new study from Iran's University of Medical Sciences (UMS) indicates that increased dairy consumption might be added to the list of dietary changes that will lower MSX risk. But there's a catch.

The UMS team assessed dairy consumption and MSX symptoms in a cohort of more than 820 male and female subjects, aged 18 to 74. Analysis of the data showed that subjects who consumed the most dairy products were about 30 percent less likely to have high blood pressure, an enlarged waist circumference or a diagnosis of MSX, compared to subjects who consumed the least amount of dairy.

Now here's the catch: Most of the subjects were probably not consuming the same types of highly processed dairy products that are typically consumed in the West. According to an article that appeared in the Iran Daily earlier this year, Iran produced 5.6 million tons of raw milk in 1999. But only about 1.6 tons of that milk was processed.

In other words, about 75 percent of Iran's dairy products are consumed raw - a far cry from our pasteurized, homogenized products from cows that are treated with antibiotics. (For more information about the glaring nutritional differences between raw dairy products and highly processed dairy, see the e-alert 'Is skimmed milk really better for your health?' 24/3/03.)

The calcium connection
In their study, the UMS researchers speculate that dietary calcium may be the factor that produced decreased MSX risk. This shouldn't be a surprise to HSI members. In several e-alerts we've looked at studies that demonstrate how calcium intake is associated with weight loss. And MSX is directly linked to obesity issues.

In the e-alert 'How calcium could help keep your weight down' (3/2/04), I told you about a National Institutes of Health (NIH) review of studies that examined the correlation of body weight to the intake of supplemental and dietary calcium. NIH researchers found evidence that subjects who showed the highest level of weight loss also had the highest intake of calcium, while subjects with lower calcium intake generally were found to have elevated body weight.

But you don't need to wear a milk moustache to get your daily calcium. Salmon, oranges, sardines, spinach, broccoli and kale are all calcium-rich foods. And calcium will be absorbed more efficiently with some added magnesium. Fortunately, dietary sources of magnesium are healthy components of weight-loss diets: leafy green vegetables, whole grains, bananas, apricots, meat, beans, and nuts.

You can get a more complete look at the calcium picture in the e-alert 'The best form of calcium to take for bone health' (26/4/04), in which US HSI Panellist Dr Allan Spreen offers a quick overview of the different calcium types and shares some tips on how to increase calcium absorption.