Fight Against Metabolic Syndrome with Low-Carb Diets

Low-carb diets may be a solution for people who suffer from metabolic syndrome, according to recent studies conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania.
The metabolic syndrome may increase the risk to develop Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or other health problems.

Those who suffer from metabolic syndrome also face excessive abdominal fat, insulin resistance, low levels of HDL cholesterol, or glucose intolerance. The study involved twenty people with metabolic syndrome that followed a low-carb diet similar to the South Beach Diet.

Their diet had two phases. In the first phase, ten percent of their calorie intake came from carbohydrates. The second phase lasted for ten weeks and the subjects consumed twenty-seven percent carbohydrates. After these two periods, the participants lost almost ten pounds, all from their body fat, and fifty percent of them no longer suffered from metabolic syndrome.

The results showed that, by the end of phase one, the levels of insulin and leptin decreased, according to Dr. Matthew Hayes. After the second phase, the level of hormones increased. However, they never reached the baseline levels, said Hayes. The alternations of the levels of hormones can be benefic because they may reduce the amount of food consumed, according to Hayes. This mechanism may be an explanation to the fact that some people are satisfied with less food and that low-carb diets lead to weight loss, said Hayes.