Syndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer That Can Give You a Heart Attack

Rating:
Summary: Sour Grapes
Review: As a medical writer (author of EAT FAT, BE HEALTHY: When A Low-Fat Diet Can Kill You), I found Dr. Reaven's book highly informative on this specific cause of heart disease. In many cases, insulin resistance causes the symptom of small-particle LDL syndrome which dramatically increases heart attack risk. The good news is that this blood lipid anomaly can be reversed more easily for patients with Syndrome X than with other forms of heart disease. Weight reduction, exercise, and diet changes usually reverse Syndrome X.

However, it's important for readers to realize that only a fraction of lipid disorders are caused by Syndrome X. Roughly 25% of the population carries the genes that cause a more serious form of small-particle LDL syndrome that usually requires multiple-drug intervention to reverse. The normal lipid panel is highly innaccurate in diagnosing this serious condition. A more accurate form of blood test called cholesterol subclass testing is helpful in diagnosing and treating Syndrome X, but is absolutely essential in diagnosing the more dangerous forms of small-particle LDL syndrome.END

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Summary: E-Book: Diet Menus Illegible!
Review: Do not buy the digital version of this book if you intend to use the Diet Menus. MS Reader will not allow you to magnify the Diet Menus so you won't be able to read them properly.
Buy the hard copy instead.

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Summary: This book will save lives!
Review: Finally, someone has come up with an explanation for why so many people are having heart attacks despite normal cholesterol and other standard risk factors. Several years ago I had a heart attack, even though my cholesterol was only 170 and I was following my doctor's diet to the letter. My doctor didn't know that the diet he was telling me to eat -- the same diet recommended by all the heart experts -- is actually dangerous for people with Syndrome X. I did some research, found out about Dr. Reaven and his work on Syndrome X, showed the materials to my doctor and we changed my diet around. Soon after, my blood test results started changing. The same risk factors that refused to budge when I was on the so-called "healthy heart" diet now fell into place. Dr. Reaven's discovery of Syndrome X saved my life. Now that he's written a book on Syndrome X, he'll probably save millions more.

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Summary: Great Advice for Millions
Review: I got a copy of Syndrome X after reading the lengthy review in "Nutrition Action." After years of nonsense about insulin from Barry Sears and the like, it's great to find a real doctor who can set the record straight.

Dr. Reaven spent three decades conducting the insulin research, he's a Stanford University professor and a medical doctor who really knows how the body uses insulin, who really understands the relationship between insulin and heart disease, as well as insulin and fat.

But, Dr. Reaven isn't writing a diet: it's heart disease he's concerned about. Specifically, a little-known but widespread variant called Syndrome X. If you have Syndrome X, the "good: dietary advice your doctor gives you will actually increase your risk of heart disease. (Of course, odds are you don't know if you have Syndrome X because most doctors do not know about it yet.)

If you want to really learn about this "silent" type of heart disease that gives millions of people heart attacks, read this book. Why do I care so much? Because I have Syndrome X, but now, thanks to Reaven's book, my doctor and I know what to do to keep me alive.

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Summary: Sndrome X: Overcoming the Silent Killer
Review: SYNDROME X is a gold mine of new medical information based on the life work of Dr. Gerald Reaven, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Reaven, the first medical investigator to describe this disorder, adds to and refines the usual "save your heart" advice we1ve been getting for years. It explains, for the first time, why because of a common cluster of metabolic abnormalities called Syndrome X, we can have low cholesterol levels and still land in the emergency room with a heart attack that comes without warning. This comprehensive, clearly written medical guide provides a 6-step program to detect and manage the disorder, along with a complete diet plan of Dr. Reaven1s recommended ratio of fats to carbohydrate and protein. The flexible menu plans contain of 1,200, 1,500 and 1,800 calories in 30-day menus, plus snacks for those who need additional daily calories. It also provides exercise recommendations, talks about alcohol intake, how to stop smoking, how to lose weight, medications and when they are necessary, and what to do when other medical conditions are present with Syndrome X.

Rating:
Summary: Informative, but frustrating
Review: This book is the real thing. It's scientifically based, definitely not faddish information. I knew I had Syndrome X when I read the first few pages of it.

However the diet is hard to follow. You have to constantly eat in the percentages he recommends, even when snacking, and that's not easy to do. I would also appreciate some tips on how to plan meals using the right percentages. Also as others have said, Dr. Reaven doesn't emphasize the importance of Omega 6 fatty acids enough. The book is a terrific summation of the research, but the dietary advice is frustrating to try and follow. I hope that soon some registered dietician will write a book on how to plan menus and adapt my own recipes meeting these guidelines.

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Summary: HEART ATTACK CURE
Review: This is an excellent book, and frankly, I can't praise it highly enough. As a practicing physician who does alot of adult internal medicine, I spend much of my time translating difficult medical concepts into laymen's terms for my patients. I particularly enjoyed this book because it is very clearly written and totally accessible even for those with no medical background. Even the most difficult concepts have been made highly understandable. Syndrome X is still poorly understood by the vast majority of physicians and I think this book will prove to a be major step in re-educating the medical community.

Rating:
Summary: Good information, but dietary guidelines not user friendly
Review: This was the first book that explained to me what was happening with my health. I knew that my blood sugar was subject to highs and lows, and that I needed to lose weight, but when I tried, I would always fail. I was trying to follow the standard low fat, high carbohydrate diet advice, but was subject to carbohydrate cravings. When I tried high protein, I had kidney problems. This book showed me how to get on the right track.

There are problems with it though. It's not terribly user friendly. There are menus in the back of the book, but no instruction on how the translate them to your own menus and recipes. You have to figure that out on your own. A general guideline as to how much protein, fat, and carbohydrate to eat at each meal, for each calorie level, would have been helpful. I'd also like a listing of safe fats to consume. I was able to find this information elsewhere, but it would have been helpful if it had all been listed in this book. The diet is good, once you figure out how to follow it. I give this book five stars for the information, but only two stars for the dietary section.

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Summary: 2 Major Booboos
Review: While Dr.Reaven correctly challenges low-fat,high-carbo orthodoxy his book suffers from 2 major errors:

(1)In his discussion of dietary fats he fails to make a distinction between omega-6 fatty acids(doubling in use in U.S. since the 1960s)and omega-3 fatty acids(in U.S.1/10th consumed of the amount required for normal functioning;20% have O-3 levels so low as to be undetectable;World Rev.Nutr.+Diet 1991(66) 205-216).Essential fatty acids go on to form eicosanoids.These hormone-like substances are involved in every aspect of life.The current imbalance of the O-6/O-3 ratio in our fat consumption promotes "bad"eicosanoids ie.those promoting inflammation etc.

(2)He neglects to mention glucagon,one of the pancreas'other hormones besides insulin.This omission by the"inventor"of Syndrome X who has worked in endocrinology for 35 years is likely due,as another reviewer has suggested,to this book being a rush job to cash in.Glucagon is influenced by dietary protein. Its action should be understood by anyone undertaking a self-help program.The Protein Power books by the Eades thoroughly cover this.

For a better understanding of the importance of essential fatty acids and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio good sources are The Omega Plan by Artemis Simopoulis and the Zone books,principally the Anti-Aging Zone by Barry Sears.

The ommission of information about glucagon may explain why Reaven sets his protein percentage at 15% and labels the Zone's moderate recommendation of 30% as being high.

Reaven doesn't put much emphasis on the variation in carbohydrates.For a fine explanation of why grains and grain products should be de-emphasized in favor of more nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables one should check the drsears web site and search for glycemic load.