Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #118540

Emily M. Splichal, BS, CPT and Dr. Anthony Iorio, DPM, MPH. New York College of Podiatric Medicine, 1800 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10035, 917-825-4297, esplichal@yahoo.com

The metabolic syndrome, also referred to as syndrome x, is characterized by a cluster of metabolic disorders which when taken as a group promote the development of artherosclerosis and diabetes. The root causes of this syndrome include obesity, physical inactivity and genetic factors, all of which lead to insulin resistance. The metabolic syndrome has become increasingly prevalent in the United States where the prevalence has increased from 6.7% to 43.5% among those aged 20-29 years.

There are numerous research trials supporting the effectiveness of exercise in modifying metabolic syndrome risk factors including blood pressure, fasting glucose, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and abdominal obesity. The most significant research trial to date was completed in 2002 by the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The DPP compared the effectiveness of exercise and metformin in the prevention of diabetes. Interestingly, the results indicated that exercise was almost twice as effective in reducing diabetes risk factors than the diabetes drug (58% to 31%).

The main exercise-related mechanism in the reduction of diabetes risk was the targeting of abdominal visceral fat loss. There is evidence that abdominal fat, particularly visceral fat, is preferentially oxidized for energy and is the only fat depot that has direct access to the liver via the portal vein, thus being the only fat that can directly feed the liver for the production of lipoproteins associated with artherosclerosis. Exercise training has been shown to increase glucose transport, insulin sensitivity and HDL-cholesterol as well as decrease blood pressure and fasting triglycerides.

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