A bulging waistline: An indicator of ‘Syndrome X’

Look at yourself in the mirror? What do you have? Curves in the right places or bulges that you have to shed?

Examine your belly. If your waistline measures a bulging 40 inches or more in men and more than 35 inches in women, there is a big probability that you may have Syndrome X.

According to the National Cholesterol Education Program in the US, Syndrome X is the clustering of any three of the following risk factors: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, low HDL-cholesterol which is the good cholesterol, high triglycerides, and abdominal obesity.

As one ages, whether male or female, one cannot deny the fact that this also gives rise to weight gain which is more evident in the waist area. Abdominal obesity is having an "apple-shaped" figure, where the waist is bigger than the hips.

Obesity is a major indication of a much more distressing medical condition. According to Dr. Ricardo Fernando, founding president of the Institute for the Study of Diabetes, clinical obesity predisposes the individual to a lot of other risk factors and serious complications of metabolic syndrome that may be difficult to reverse.

Body mass index or BMI is more accurate in determining whether one is overweight or not. A BMI of less than 23 kg/m2 is normal for Asians, according to the World Health Organization.

Although the Asian Pacific Consensus Obesity concurs with this standard, they reset the values for overweight which is 23-24.9 kg/m2 and above 25 is already considered obese.

Bulging waistlines are the common denominator of obese individuals. This is identified by a person’s waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), with a mean of 1.0 cm for males and 0.85 cm for females.

WHR can be calculated by taking the waistline measurement at the level of your navel versus the hip’s circumference which is approximately four inches from the waist.

Dr. Rody Sy, president of the Asia Pacific Society of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases, noted that Syndrome X was present in 34 percent of Filipino women, compared to just 13 percent in Caucasian subjects. This showed the higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes and Syndrome X among Filipino-American women compared to Caucasian women.

"Asians are also more prone to having high levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ and low levels of ‘good cholesterol’ compared with their western counterparts," Sy said.

Health experts strongly agree that treating Syndrome X can significantly decrease the risk of cardiovascular heart disease and stroke.

Lifestyle modification, such as regular exercise, smoking cessation and low in fat and less in salt diet, is still the first-line treatment. Yet, this may not be enough and therapy might require pharmacological intervention.

Fenofibrate 200 micronised is one of the drugs most prescribed by doctors in treating symptoms of Syndrome X. This drug lowers high levels of LDL-C or bad cholesterol and triglycerides and increases high levels of HDL-C or good cholesterol (the lipid triad).

This reversing effect of fenofibrate on the lipid triad halts the progression of atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by the hardening and narrowing of blood vessels. This consequently prevents the development of stroke and heart attack.

Patriot Pharmaceuticals Corp. will soon launch its own brand of fenofibrate. The company hopes that this will increase the Filipinos’ chances of winning the battle against Syndrome X.