You can feel great again!

For years, medical researchers have been trying and failing to explain the widespread prevalence of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and other health problems among adults of all ages. Then, just a few years ago, a handful of enterprising scientists began to connect the dots between these seemingly disparate medical problems. A frightening pattern emerged: Syndrome X. Now, in the first book to tell you how to fight the epidemic disorder that is derailing the health of nearly a third of North Americans, find out what Syndrome X is and what you can do to protect yourself against it.

What is Syndrome X? The hallmark of Syndrome X is a resistance to insulin, the hormone that enables your body to use the energy stored in the food you eat. If you have insulin resistance together with high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, or too much body fat, you have Syndrome X.

How does Syndrome X affect you? It ages you prematurely, making you look and feel older than you should. It significantly increases your risk of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, eye disease, nervous system disorders, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and other age-related diseases. It saps your energy, dulls your mental focus, and darkens your outlook on life, leaving you depressed or subject to mood swings.

What causes Syndrome X? Eating too many processed high-carbohydrate foods such as breads, pastas, and sweets creates an excess of glucose and cell-destroying free radicals in your system, leads to insulin overload, and deprives your body of the nutrients it needs to thrive.

How can you tell if you have Syndrome X? Signs can be as simple as a spare tire around your waist, fatigue, mental fuzziness, and elevated blood pressure or cholesterol. To get a more complete picture, read this book.

It arms you with a self-test and other valuable tools for determining whether you have or are in danger of developing Syndrome X.

What can you do to fight Syndrome X? The first big step in conquering Syndrome X is reading this book. It outlines a complete, three-step program—including easy-to-follow diets, light physical activity, and readily available vitamins and nutritional supplements—guaranteed to safeguard you against developing Syndrome X or to reverse it if you already have it.

Based on scientific research, this trade book is the first to offer a complete nutritional program to prevent and reverse Syndrome X, marked by an increasing resistance to insulin that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

Syndrome X is caused by consuming too many high-carbohydrate processed foods. This book outlines the possible symtoms and causes, and outlines a three-step plan to prevent and overcome the condition.

"Superb. . . . The concepts in Syndrome X need to be understood by every person seeking or giving advice about symptoms like fatigue, lack of vigor, and mental fuzziness."– Hugh D. Riordan, M.D., President, the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning

"Syndrome X proactively lays out a nutritious, tasty, and simple diet plan to get us back to the basics of healthy nutrition."–Lendon H. Smith, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Feed Your Body Right

"Syndrome X is a well-written, easy–to–follow guide that provides life–saving information for the whole family. This book offers a smart and easy solution to the problem of insulin resistance. It also provides terrific information on how to lose weight without losing your mind in the process. The recipes are greatyou'll want to keep a copy in your kitchen."–Carol Colman, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks and Stop Depression Now

"Syndrome X could very well be the next public health crisis, and the information in this book can keep you from becoming another statistic. The nutritional and supplement advice in Syndrome X should help you stay healthy and lean."–Fred Pescatore, M.D.,author of Feed Your Kids Well and Thin For Good

"Syndrome X clearly shows the importance of antioxidant supplementation in keeping you healthy and preventing disease."–Lester Packer, Ph.D., author of The Antioxidant Miracle; director of the Packer Lab, The University of California at Berkeley

"Syndrome X is the best new book to help you understand the facts about nutrition, health, and aging. . . . It is full of new information and insights most readers have never had access to before. Everyone who values his or her health will want to read the book and then individualize the program to suit his or her needs the authors have made this easier than ever to do."–Richard A. Kunin, M.D., author of Mega-Nutrition

"A much-needed guide for the millions who have Syndome X and don't know it until they suffer serious health consequences. I am recommending it to my many patients who have this problem."–Priscilla Slagle, M.D., author of The Way Up from Down

"Superb. . . . The concepts in Syndrome X need to be understood by every person seeking or giving advice about symptoms like fatigue, lack of vigor, and mental fuzziness."–Hugh D. Riordan, M.D., President, the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning

You can feel great again

Syndrome X proactively lays out a nutritious, tasty, and simple diet plan to get us back to the basics of healthy nutrition.-Lendon H. Smith, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of Feed Your Body Right

Syndrome X is the best new book to help you understand the facts about nutrition, health, and aging. . . . It is full of new information and insights most readers have never had access to before. Everyone who values his or her health will want to read the book and then individualize the program to suit his or her needs-the authors have made this easier than ever to do.-Richard A. Kunin, M.D., author of Mega-Nutrition

What is Syndrome X? It's a resistance to insulin-the hormone needed to burn food for energy-combined with high cholesterol or triglycerides, high blood pressure, or too much body fat. Syndrome X ages you prematurely and significantly increases your risk of heart disease, hypertension, obesity, eye disease, nervous system disorders, diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer, and other age-related diseases.

Syndrome X is the first book to tell you how to fight the epidemic disorder that is derailing the health of nearly a third of North Americans. It outlines a complete three-step program-including easy-to-follow diets, light physical activity, and readily available vitamins and nutritional supplements-that will safeguard you against developing Syndrome X or reverse it if you already have it.

JACK Challem, known as the Nutrition Reporter(TM), is a leading health journalist with more than 25 years of experience reporting on nutrition research. In addition to his scientific articles, he is a contributing editor for Let's Live and Natural Health magazines and the coauthor of The Natural Health Guide to Beating the Supergerms.

Burt Berkson, M.D., Ph.D., practices nutritional medicine as President of the Integrative Medical Centers of New Mexico. He has conducted research and served as a professor at several institutions, including Rutgers University, and is one of the world's leading experts on alpha lipoic acid, an important antioxidant. His other books include The Alpha Lipoic Acid Breakthrough.

Melissa Diane Smith is a nutrition counselor specializing in customized diet plans and consumer education. The author of All About Zinc and the coauthor of All About Vitamin E and Why Am I Always So Tired?, Smith writes about nutrition topics for a variety of health magazines, including Great Life and Delicious!.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

SYNDROME X: THE NUTRITIONAL DISEASE.

The Food-Health Connection.

Understanding Glucose and Insulin.

Syndrome X: Unconnected Symptoms, Connected Causes.

Beyond Syndrome X: Sugar and Insulin Overload.

The Case for Nutritional Therapies over Drugs.

The Diet We Were Made For and How It Changed.

THE ANTI-X DIET AND HEALTH PROGRAM.

Redefining What to Eat: The Nine Anti-X Diet Principles.

Navigating through Restaurants and Supermarkets.

The Anti-X Diets and Recipes.

A Rational Approach to Fitness and Physical Activity.

THE ANTI-X SUPPLEMENT PLAN.

Alpha Lipoic Acid: The Master Nutrient.

Vitamin E: The Cardiovascular Nutrient.

Vitamin C: The Well-Being Nutrient.

Chromium, Zinc, Magnesium, and Other Minerals.

A Few More Helpful Nutrients.

Herbal Remedies for Syndrome X.

INDIVIDUALIZING YOUR ANTI-X PROGRAM.

Customizing for Your Personal Needs.

Some Final Words.

Appendix A: Resources.

Appendix B: Selected References.

Index.