This article misses the mark slightly, but at least there is increasing recognition that insulin resistance is a widespread and serious problem.
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Report: Insulin Syndrome Affects Third of Americans
Tue Aug 27, 1:18 PM ET
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One in three of all Americans has a condition called insulin resistance syndrome, putting them at high risk of diabetes and heart disease, a panel of doctors said on Tuesday.

But diet and exercise can take care of the condition in many if not most cases, and a few simple tests can tell doctors and patients who is at most risk, the experts said.

Insulin resistance syndrome, also known as metabolic syndrome or syndrome X, refers to people whose bodies do not manage insulin well. More and more people are developing the condition as the population eats more and exercises less.

If not dealt with, it can develop into diabetes as well as heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver and perhaps some cancers such as colon and ovarian cancer. It affects a growing number of adults and children.

On Tuesday a committee of experts from four top medical organizations -- the American College of Endocrinology, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists ( news - web sites), American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine -- issued official guidance about how to diagnose the condition.

"As the prevalence of insulin resistance syndrome has skyrocketed 61 percent in the last decade, it is crucial that medical professionals have consistent and definitive criteria to assess this serious condition," Dr. Daniel Einhorn of the Scripps Whittier Institute for Diabetes in La Jolla, California and co-chair of the panel, told a news conference.

"We feel that as many as one in three Americans have this," Einhorn added in an interview.

Einhorn said pediatricians are complaining that seven- to ten-year-old children were developing metabolic syndrome, type-II diabetes -- once only seen in adults -- and obesity.

"We never saw this before," Einhorn said. "Pediatricians are having to learn about adult medications."

No single test can show who has insulin resistance syndrome but measurements of weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose tolerance can. One quick check that people can make at home is waist circumference, the experts said -- men with 40-inch waists and women with 35-inch waists have a higher risk.

Details are available on the Internet at http://www.aace.com.

Other indications a person may have insulin resistance syndrome are polycystic ovary syndrome, which Einhorn believes may affect up to one in 10 women and which can be marked by infertility, excess facial hair and obesity.

In addition there is a skin condition, acanthosis nigricans, linked with the syndrome.

What can patients do if diagnosed with insulin resistance?

"It doesn't require draconian measures," Einhorn said. Losing 5 percent to 10 percent of total body weight will help a good deal -- and studies show that as little as 20 minutes of extra exercise such as brisk walking, 5 days a week can help most people lose that much weight.

It is not necessary to cut out all sweets, he added. And like many doctors, Einhorn does not believe claims that carbohydrates are to blame for obesity.

"It is not any one thing that's the culprit," Einhorn said. "It's not just the fast food. It's not just the pastries. It's a combination of genetics and the diseases of modern living -- obesity and sedentary living."