Dietary approaches for treatment of the metabolic syndrome in overweight and obese women.

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The metabolic syndrome is defined by a number of associated risk factors that cluster together in individuals increasing their risk of diabetes and heart disease. These factors include insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and raised blood sugar. The likelihood of dying of heart disease is increased three-fold in people with metabolic syndrome (diagnosed as having at least three risk factors). There is limited reporting on the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in New Zealand, but reports suggest it could be more than 20% in adult New Zealanders with more than double the prevalence in adult Maori and Pacific Islanders. Correspondingly an estimated 7% of New Zealand adults have suffered a non-fatal heart disease event and the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in New Zealand is estimated to be 4% in the general New Zealand population and as high as 12% in Maori and Pacific Islanders. These are likely to be underestimates and the prevalence is further increased when including estimates of undiagnosed cases. Clearly, determining effective strategies for managing metabolic syndrome risk factors is warranted. A number of lifestyle interventions indicate that clinically important improvements in insulin sensitivity, body weight, hypertension and blood fats are achievable. However we currently have little indication of which dietary modifications will achieve the greatest change. Both dietary fibre and dietary protein have shown promise in numerous studies but results have been inconsistent and many questions remain unanswered. This study attempts determine the ways and extent to which metabolic syndrome risk factors can be influenced by high fibre and high protein diets.

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