Rating: 
Summary: Good information
Review: I've lost 17 lbs in about 4 weeks on the Syndrome X diet. I started it on the advice of my doctor. I'm on the more "intense" version of the diet and I don't feel terribly deprived anymore, although it wasn't easy to begin with. I think it's easier now because I've sort of mixed some Atkins bars in with Sydrome X, while still adhering to the basic tenets of the S-X diet. (As a woman, this has really helped with those "sweets" cravings once a month) Also, I still have a few carbs a day and I'm losing steadily. The recipes I've tried in the book are really good (the salmon, the turkey-sausage patties) my kids and husband even liked them. My husband has lost about 15 lbs too, by the way. And he's hardly trying!The only thing I would have liked more is to have had additional recipes and menu ideas and less densely packed medical information in the beginning. It felt quite repetitive to me. But it is still a great book and a good diet. I especially like the focus on natural spices, reasons for putting them into your diet, and ways to introduce them into your diet.
I now grow dill, which is simple to grow, and I use it all the time. Also, cloves, bay leaves, sage, coriander, fennel and more.
Also, try the vitamin supplements. They help with your energy a lot. Walmart and Costco have them at a reasonable price. Good Luck!
Rating:
Summary: This is a prescription for a healthier America\\\\\1
Review: If more Americans would read this important book and heed the simple message it contains, there wouldn't be 100 million of our countrymen afflicted with chronic illness. Syndrome X is hugely preventable. You are what you eat...and if you eat junk...and don't take the time to exercise, you just become part of the statistics. Doctors should hand this book to patients.
Rating: 
Summary: Syndrome X is only the tip of the iceberg.
Review: It is unfortunate that these authors and so many others have such a narrow view of what causes heart disease. Heart disease is at least 50% genetic and is caused by numerous factors. What causes heart disease in one person, won’t cause it in another. Yet so many doctors and authors are obsessed with diet recommendations. Jack Challem says don’t eat carbs, Dean Ornish says don’t eat fat. There goes two thirds of our food source. Welcome to Bangladesh. For many people, changing diets or exercising will not prevent heart disease. Why? Because the underlying genetics are too strong. The production of various pernicious cholesterol subfractions is more a function of genes than diet and following the latest fad will not solve the problem. Identifying a person’s potential for heart disease can now be done with advanced blood and genetic testing that determines how an individual’s body chemistry handles fat, how it produces cholesterol, and how it responds to various diets and medications. Until you know this information, you cannot possibly make informed choices about whether carbohydrates will harm you, about what amount of fat you should consume, or about any other treatment options. Without doing these tests, which are now widely available, authors of books such as Syndrome X can direct people to adopt diets and lifestyles that are downright harmful. I was a victim of this mindless following of improperly tested paradigms. I almost died from a heart attack brought on largely by an extremely low-fat diet that was prescribed to me by experienced cardiologists. They were wrong. I was fortunate to meet a different cardiologist who knew about the latest research on blood and cholesterol chemistry and he completely changed my treatment. Result? My coronary blockages were dissolved and I am healthier than I have ever been. The danger of this book is that people who have Syndrome X may treat their condition and think they are out of the woods. The danger of Syndrome X isn’t the insulin resistance itself, but rather that it causes a deadly condition known as small-particle LDL syndrome which causes rapid build-up of arterial plaque that results in heart attack. Unfortunately, if you reverse insulin resistance, you don’t necessarily reverse small-particle LDL syndrome. It can be caused by genetic factors unrelated to Syndrome X. People who successfully treat their Syndrome X can have other genetic dangers such as high homocysteine, high lipoprotein (a), low HDL2, and a host of other high-risk heart disease factors. If you find you don’t have Syndrome X and treat it, you may think you’re in the clear, when in fact you could have a time-bomb ticking in your chest from another risk factor. 42% of ALL deaths in the US are caused by heart disease and over half the people who have heart attacks have no prior symptoms of heart disease. Clearly, there are things going on that fall outside the commonly accepted diagnostic and treatment models. This book, unfortunately, doesn't illuminate the problem; its inexplicable leaps of logic only confuse the issues....
Rating:
Summary: A Sensible Approach to Good Eating
Review: Reviewers who panned this book probably didn't take the time to read it carefully. I found it very sensible in its approach, recommending limiting refined sugars and starches as one way to make our bodies healthier. They do not claim to cure all heart disease or other ailments. They suggest that many people have developed problems because of over-consumption of refined carbohydrates, and anyone who reads the box of a pre-packaged meal can certain see that plainly enough. Their emphasis is on fresh foods: meats, eggs, vegetables, and plant fats. Do they say you can NEVER have potatoes or rice or corn? Or a glass of orange juice? They do NOT. They suggest cutting these things out at first, then gradually adding them in as your body learns to respond to insulin again. It made sense to me that after overloading your body with sugars and refined starches for decades something could go awry with your system. Most of our foods have added refined sugar, and the "white rice" several reviewers claimed have been eaten by other countries for generations without ill effects is certainly NOT the same as our pre-packed, instant "rice" on our grocery store shelves. I find this "diet" extremely easy to follow and simply delicious. In fact, I know I eat better now than I did before I discovered this book. And, I also FEEL better. I have more energy (I used to fall asleep after one of those low-fat, high-carb lunches), I feel much more limber (I'm over 50), and I sleep better at night. This was the best...investment I've made in a long time.
Rating:
Summary: A very timely book
Review: Some of us just have to know why(?) before we can process a bit of nutritional advice. This is why I consider "Syndrome X" a Health Primer. Each succeeding chapter builds on the explanatons of the preceding chapter. Interspersed, are little gray boxes containing a few salient points, just made. The authors in all of their writings have shown the ability to simplify the explanation of complicated biochemical processes that contribute either to health or sickness, while putting the material in a form that can be remembered and easily recalled. Certainly, while describing causes and corrections of the various signs and symptoms of Syndrome X, they have not felt compelled to stick solely to that subject. In explaining the actions of hormones, eicosanoids, flavonnoids, carotenoids, vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals, as they pertain to preventing or reversing the problems of Syndrome X, they address, while they have our attention, the relationship of these nutrients to cancer, heart disease and the myriad of other degenerative disorders. Another unique feature comes from not sticking to the "one size fits all" approach of dispensing advice. Programs are outlined that pertain to the severity of the syndrome, from preventative measures all the way to treatment of out-and-out adult onset diabetes. There is the admonition to work with one's own doctor; but at the same time, we are told how medications work and how the two kinds of therapy can complement each other and reduce the requirement for pharmaceuticals. There are many attractive, do-able recipes as well as shopping tips for obtaining safe and healthful produce and supplements that alleviate the frustration of, "I know what I need to do, but how am I going to do that?"
Rating: 
Summary: Nobody 'needs' sugar, but this is too much
Review: Sorry, I just can't believe that everyone who eats pasta and drinks orange juice has this awful syndrome that does everything bad to you. Instead, maybe people who have this metabolic disorder shouldn't eat pasta or drink fruit juice. It's like saying everyone who ever eats wheat has celiac disease--no, people who have celiac disease shouldn't eat wheat. The reasoning reminds me of medieval pretzel logic for trial of witches by water--damned if you floated and damned if you didn't. The author confuses causes, cures, effects and results willy nilly. Not unlike the people who used to say eggs will give you a heart attack, or that spicy foods caused ulcers. The Hellers book on carbohydrate addiction is much more sane and sustainable--you can eat complex carbos, as long as it's not all you eat and you have a balance among the major food groups at the end of the day. In the end, Berkson has written another fun but unsustainable martinis-and-whipped-cream or bacon-and-eggs diet. Most authorities advise that moderation in calories, good nutrient density in complex foods and exercise are what works in the long run. Otherwise, all blubber eating eskimos would be reed-thin and all vegetarians would be circus wrestlers.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but tries to hard
Review: Syndrome X is obviously well researched and full of great information on insulin resistance, metabolics, nutrition and suppliments. It is a great book for understanding the technical aspects of the syndrome. However, the author tries too hard to convince you of the existance of insulin resistance and how bad it is for your health. He sites it as a contributor for Alheimers, cancer, eye disease, etc., just about everything except the common cold. It might be, but is overkill for this type of book and leaves you with the feeling of sceptism. In addition, his section on antioxidents make them seem like wonder drugs. Also, I found the author's instructions confusing in places. He tries to talk to too many audiences - those with no symptoms all the way up the continuum to those with Type 2 and those who have had heart attacks. This makes it confusing to read in sections as the author says this like legumes and fruit are good to eat in areas and should be avoided in other sections of the book. The other thing I found disappointing is that on the front cover the author metions "clearing up mental fuzziness" which is one of the main reasons I bought it, but never really talks about this at all in the book. Indeed, none of the effects of insulin resistance on the brain are mentioned.
Rating:
Summary: An easy read for a complicated problem
Review: Syndrome X stands out in the crowded field of health books. In a format that is practical and easy-to-understand, the authors underscore perhaps the most critical cause behind the fast climbing rate of serious disease in this country. The information helped me better understand the "syndrome" friends and family are experiencing and, even better, how we all can avoid this condition through nutrition and supplements.
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable reading!
Review: Syndrome X takes seemingly unrelated symptoms and puts them together like the pieces of a puzzle to reveal a silent and devastating epidemic. The mystery has finally been solved and practical effective solutions provided. Syndrome X is the kind of book that changes peoples lives. The authors have put it all together brilliantly. This book is a must read for anyone who has not been helped by conventional medicine.
Rating:
Summary: The "intelligent" solution to a growing health epidemic!
Review: Syndrome-X is "the" answer to halting the development and progression of the rapidly emerging American health epidemic - diabetes and related glucose/insulin disorders. These experts have finally presented a clear understanding of insulin resistance, the glycemic index value of foods and other factors that lead to destruction of the cardiovascular system, relentless middle-age weight gain and many other health problems that result from sugar/insulin imbalance. The simple solutions ( and they are simple!)- diet, exercise and dietary supplements; are easy for anyone to understand and follow. Great news for millions of you out there!
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