Metabolic Syndrome by Dr. Richard Mucci
The speaker for our July 30, 2020 meeting was Dr. Richard Mucci, a Rotarian in the Windsor Club. Dr. Mucci is a ‘retired’ physician. He was also the owner of Studio4 Wellness & Anti-Aging in Windsor from 2006 to 2009. Dr. Mucci’s subject was “Metabolic Syndrome,” sometimes known as Syndrome X. Metabolic Syndrome is a combination of risk factors for systemic disease, including abdominal obesity, hardening of the arteries, raised blood pressure, glucose intolerance, high triglycerides and low HDL, “proinflammatory state,” and prothrombotic state (abnormal blood clotting). Americans are often ‘metabolically unhealthy,’ which has led to declining life expectancy. The root cause of this syndrome is hormonal, that is, insulin resistance. Dr. Mucci told us that there are 160 million obese Americans. Obesity is a significant risk factor for a variety of diseases, including heart attack, stroke, diabetes and even cancer. Obesity was largely unheard of before the early 1900’s.
According to Dr. Mucci, we eat too much sugar and too many grains. He believes that the American medical community has given us misleading information about diet for many years. He provided historical detail which he believes establishes that the standard “food pyramid” overemphasizes grains, primarily to aid American agricultural interests. Grains are sugars, which are a key factor in insulin resistance. Dr. Mucci says that the American medical community’s condemnation of saturated fats is wrong. He believes that saturated fat is unrelated to heart disease. Most American heart attacks occur in people with normal or low cholesterol levels. Early studies, apparently ignored by researchers, showed that as cholesterol goes up, the death rate goes down.
Dr. Mucci endorses such low-carbohydrate diets as Paleo, Atkins, and Keto. These are high fat-low carbohydrate diets that fight insulin resistance by keeping blood sugar levels low, among other things. He mentioned the following dietary rules: eat unprocessed foods, avoid sugar and polyunsaturated fats, do not fear good fat, lose weight, eat proteins before carbohydrates, try intermittent fasting, and exercise. He also recommends using olive or avocado oil, eating nuts and seeds, and avoiding fruits other than berries (if you are insulin resistant). It is especially important to avoid high fructose sugar. We should also get a variety of blood tests to determine whether we are at risk for insulin deficiency. As always, talk to your doctor before you make any significant changes in your diet!
Thank you Dr. Mucci for the interesting presentation.
Rotary Disclaimer: Some of Dr. Mucci’s presentation is controversial. Speak to your doctor before you make wholesale changes to your diet.
