This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Add to My Marked Citations Google Scholar Articles by Janiszewski, P. M. Articles by Ross, R. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Themed Review: Lifestyle Treatment of the Metabolic Syndrome

School of Kinesiology and Health Studies

Travis J. Saunders, BSc

School of Kinesiology and Health Studies

Robert Ross, PhD

School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, rossr{at}queensu.ca

The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of metabolic risk factors including abdominal obesity, dysfunctional glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure. Approximately 1 in 4 Americans currently has the metabolic syndrome and are thus at an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and mortality. Leading health authorities recommend lifestyle modification consisting of exercise and caloric restriction for treatment and prevention of the metabolic syndrome. The purpose of this report is to review the evidence that considers lifestyle modification as a treatment strategy for the metabolic syndrome. The influence of lifestyle modification on abdominal obesity, dysfunctional glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure is considered. Findings suggest that interventions consisting of exercise and/or caloric restriction are associated with improvement in all components of the metabolic syndrome, although the magnitude of this effect varies according to the specific component studied and additional factors such as baseline values. The evidence presented supports the promotion of lifestyle modification as an efficacious strategy for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome.

Key Words: metabolic syndrome • exercise • diet • abdominal obesity • insulin resistance • hypertension • dyslipidemia

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?