Food & Nutrition

Being widely prevalent, metabolic syndrome is magnanimous as it is escalating in developed and developing nations as well. Affecting the younger population, it has significant impact on health economy, quality of life and major hindrance in achieving sustainable development in global public health and millennium development goals-V by 2035. 

Role of nutrition in metabolic syndrome is explicable; however it’s not just over nutrition even under nutrition contributes by the theory of nutritional programming of low birth weight babies acquiring catch up growth of adiposity between 2 and 12 years of age and hence augmenting the risk of metabolic dysfunction in future.  Primordial prevention of metabolic syndrome should include prevention on over nutrition as well as under nutrition from the fetal life to protect our next generation. 

From therapeutics point of view role of vitamin D, E and calcium supplementation is controversial to fetch any evidence their role in metabolic syndrome. Vitamin E, co enzyme Q10 is useful to treat statin induced myalgia which is the key drug used in this condition. Selenium, zinc and iron found to have positive association in metabolic syndrome in several studies.  

Future is optimistic and lots to ponder for young minds in this thrust area. Biotin, magnesium and certain bioenhancers of metabolism improves insulin sensitivity which is a central component of metabolic syndrome. Dietary approach to stop hypertension- DASH regimen should be followed to reduce blood pressure. Paleolithic diet gaining its momentum to tackle abdominal syndrome and more approaches are in pipeline to battle against this pandemic.