Complex Hormonal Abnormalities Identified in Metabolic Syndrome
Syndrome X is a constellation of symptoms that many in medicine have failed to recognize, and yet it may be one of the single most important contributors to chronic disease today. It relates to an inability of insulin to do an effective job, and the body responds by producing more insulin. This elevation of insulin leads to many damaging effects on the body.’
(article) Complex interactions between increased insulin, cortisol and noradrenaline and decreased growth hormone and adrenaline appear to underlie the pathogenesis of the different components of the metabolic syndrome, according to Dr. Julian Critchley of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Speaking at the Second Hong Kong Diabetes and Cardiovascular Risk Factors East Meets West Symposium, he reported on a study of 767 subjects recruited from the Prince of Wales Hospital and other Hong Kong clinics, including 60.9% with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension and/or dyslipidemia, and 39.1% healthy individuals. “Our findings showed a clustering of pathophysiological abnormalities and risk factors to varying degrees. When compared to control subjects, patients either with only diabetes, only hypertension or only dyslipidemia were more generally and centrally obese, had higher plasma insulin, a higher insulin resistance index, higher cortisol and urinary noradrenaline but lower plasma growth hormone and urinary adrenaline excretion values,” Dr. Critchley reported.