Reducing Metabolic Syndrome Risk (Dangerous Synergy: Addressing metabolic syndrome naturally)

Konjac-mannan (KJM), also known as glucomannan, is a soluble fiber. A study published in Diabetes Control, found KJM added to conventional treatment improved glycemic control, blood lipid profile and SBP in high-risk diabetic individuals.⁹ The study treated 11 hyperlipidemic and hypertensive type 2 diabetic patients conventionally with a low-fat diet and drug therapy. After an eight-week baseline, all were randomly assigned to take either KJM fiber-enriched test biscuits (as LuraLean, from AHD International) or a matched placebo wheat bran fiber biscuits during two three-week treatment phases separated by a two-week washout period. Compared with the placebo, KJM significantly reduced the metabolic control primary end points: serum fructosamine (P=0.007), total HDL cholesterol ratio (P=0.03), and systolic blood pressure (P=0.02). Secondary end points, including body weight, total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoproteins A-1, B, and their ratio, glucose, insulin, and diastolic blood pressure, were not significant after adjustment. A separate study found KJM (as LuraLean) improved blood lipid levels and alleviated the elevated glucose levels in diabetic subjects.¹⁰

Another form of fiber from dehydrated leaves of the cactus Opuntia ficus-indica has shown an effect on blood lipid levels. The study was conducted in France on 68 females diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.¹¹ Half of the females consumed 1.6 g of NeOpuntia® (from Bio Serae) per meal and half a placebo. All volunteers followed well-balanced diets with controlled lipid input. The 42 females older than 45 years of age showed a significant increase in HDL levels with NeOpuntia and a tendency toward decreased triglyceride levels. At the same time, there was a decrease in HDL levels with the placebo. NeOpuntia reduced LDL in 42 women, especially after day 14. At the end of the study, 39 percent of the NeOpuntia group, and only 8 percent of the placebo group, were no longer diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.

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