One of the biggest challenges that many patients face is metabolic syndrome. This clustering of disease factors, including high blood pressure, imbalanced cholesterol levels, elevated triglycerides, high blood sugar, and unhealthy weight is one of the major health issues of our time.
Fortunately, while recommendations for lifestyle and dietary changes may be necessary for some patients, there are also supplemental nutrients that can address the many aspects of this common condition.
Blood Sugar and Weight
Certainly, one of the most visible and recognizable aspects of metabolic syndrome is issues with weight, which is generally accompanied by problems with blood sugar.1 For controlling blood sugar, I recommend a regimen that includes a supplemental source of berberine, plus a botanical, vitamin and mineral complex that features clinically studied Hintonia latiflora.
Berberine is highly regarded for blood sugar support and for its overall metabolic benefits. In fact, in a clinical trial, berberine lowered fasting and postprandial glucose right from the very beginning of the study through its three-month entirety. It also lowered A1C levels from 8.1 percent to 7.3 percent, reduced fasting plasma insulin by 28 percent, and insulin resistance by 44 percent. The results were similar to the group treated with metformin.2
Berberine stimulates glycolysis, assisting the process of releasing energy from sugars so they are used up by the mitochondria as fuel rather than overloading the bloodstream or being converted into triglycerides and stored as fat.2,3
Secondly, berberine inhibits alpha glucosidase, an enzyme that breaks down carbohydrates in the intestines. That, in turn, slows sugar absorption and reduces spikes in the bloodstream.2,4 But because berberine can be difficult to absorb, consider recommending a berberine supplement that has been combined with gamma cyclodextrin, a polysaccharide that has been shown to increase the bioavailability of some harder-to-absorb ingredients by as much as eight times.5
Another blood-sugar-regulating botanical that I frequently recommend is a bark extract of Hintonia latiflora, a small tree that grows in the Sonoran Desert.
Like berberine, hintonia inhibits glucosidases and slows the breakdown and absorption of sugar in the gut. This delays the release of sugar into the bloodstream and keeps glucose levels stable, rather than allowing them to spike, a main cause of excessive insulin release.6,7
A polyphenol nutrient found in hintonia, called coutareagenin, appears to be responsible for other blood sugar-controlling benefits of the botanical, including reducing insulin resistance and inflammation.8,9 In fact, clinical research has shown that hintonia is so effective that, in some cases, patients with type 2 diabetes could reduce or eliminate their need for medications.10,11
One clinical study of 177 individuals with either type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes tested a hintonia extract combined with additional nutrients, including vitamins B1, B6, B12, folic acid, chromium, zinc and vitamins C and E for eight months.10
Throughout the duration of the study, individuals taking anti-diabetic prescription drugs simply stayed on their medication, adding the hintonia and nutrient combination to their existing regimen. After eight months, the results were impressive: the participants’ A1C levels improved by an average of 10.4 percent and fasting and postprandial glucose readings improved by an average of 23.3 percent and 24.9 percent, respectively.10
Plus, of the 114 patients using antidiabetic drugs at the beginning of the study, 35 reduced their medication and 10 participants stopped using conventional medication entirely because it was no longer necessary.10
Hintonia latiflora: Clinically Tested Botanical for High Blood Sugar
For assisting with weight reduction, it’s best to have a regular intake of strong anti-inflammatory nutrients. Curcumin blended with turmeric essential oil for enhanced absorption and a French grape seed extract especially standardized for readily absorbable oligomeric proanthocyanidins are two of my top recommendations. The curcumin has been shown to reduce fasting glucose levels, lower weight and hip circumference and boost levels of adiponectin in just 10 weeks.12
In scientific research, French grape seed extract normalized blood sugar levels, stopped abdominal fat buildup, and boosted fat-fighting adiponectin by up to 61 percent compared to a control group.13
Addressing Cardio Concerns
High blood pressure, cholesterol balance and other cardiovascular issues are very much a part of metabolic syndrome. Two botanicals that address these concerns are red sage and red ginseng. Red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza), also popularly known as Danshen, has been used in traditional Chinese practice for thousands of years as a heart-invigorating and restoring natural medicine. And in the past 20 years, it has been extensively studied for cardiovascular benefits.14
Red sage inhibits the actions of oxidases, enzymes that would make low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol “stickier” in the blood vessels and cause blood clotting. It also boosts levels of antioxidant glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase and increases levels of vasodilating nitric oxide to reduce blood pressure.14
In one review of more than 80 clinical studies, red sage was reported to improve cardiovascular inflammatory markers, electrocardiogram readings, cases of angina and blood pressure.14 Another review of 60 clinical studies found the herb to be more effective than isosorbide dinitrate, a commonly prescribed medication for angina.15,16
In addition to red sage, red ginseng (Panax ginseng) also boosts levels of nitric oxide, helping keep blood vessels relaxed, flexible and strong.17-19 Plus, red ginseng can help individuals recover faster from previous cardiac events, making it an excellent recommendation for patients who may have dealt with serious cardiovascular-related aspects of metabolic syndrome in the past.20
Cortisol and Thyroid
Habitual “fight or flight” adrenal responses or a sluggish thyroid performance can drag down your patients’ moods and metabolism. But there are options for these situations, too.
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is highly effective at reducing stress and moderating cortisol levels. In one 60-day placebo-controlled clinical test, measuring anxiety, stress, depression and fatigue, participants in the ashwagandha group noted a 44 percent reduction while the placebo group saw only a 5.5 percent reduction in their Perceived Stress Scale (PSS scores).
Results in the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) questionnaire were impressive as well; the ashwagandha group saw reductions in depression symptoms by 77 percent, anxiety by 75.6 percent, and stress by 64.2 percent. Additionally, ashwagandha reduced cortisol levels by 27.9 percent versus 7.9 in the placebo group.21
Bioavailable B vitamins and folate help synthesize serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.22-24 And a clinical study found that in just two weeks, boosting intakes of vitamin C reduced fear of public speaking, lowered blood pressure, and helped cortisol levels level off faster.25 Additionally, a four-week clinical study with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) supplementation reported that it balanced cortisol levels and reduced spikes of the hormone in both men and women.26
For thyroid-specific concerns, I recommend a supplement that includes three forms of iodine (molecular iodine, sodium iodide and potassium iodide) or one that combines iodine with amino acid L-tyrosine to support T3 and T4 production.27-33
Metabolic Syndrome May Require Multiple Approaches
Because metabolic syndrome can consist of multiple factors, effective treatment may require a wide-spectrum approach. While mentoring and coaching from you along with lifestyle measures like diet and exercise should be part of this process, so too can nutrients that can help your patients overcome this common, but not inevitable, condition.
References:
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8 Korec R, Heniz Sensch K et al. Effects of the neoflavonoid coutareagenin, one of the antidiabetic active substances of Hintonia latiflora, on streptozotocin-indicted diabetes mellitus in rats. Arzneimittelforschung. 2000 Feb;50(2):122-8.
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Dr. Holly Lucille is a nationally recognized licensed naturopathic physician, lecturer, educator and author of Creating and Maintaining Balance: A Women’s Guide to Safe, Natural, Hormone Health. Her private practice, Healing From Within Healthcare, focuses on comprehensive naturopathic medicine and individualized care. Outside of her practice, Dr. Lucille holds a position on the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians board of directors and is on the faculty of the Global Medicine Education Foundation. She is the past president of the California Naturopathic Doctors Association, where she spearheaded a lobbying effort to have naturopathic doctors licensed in the state of California. A graduate from the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Dr. Lucille’s commitment to naturopathic medicine has been recognized with the Daphne Blayden Award and, more recently, the SCNM Legacy Award.
