Taking obesity for granted can be a deadly habit. Excess body fat located in and around the organs of the body (visceral obesity) presents an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and many other diseases (“apple-shaped” obesity).

Before one starts to assess the overall negative effects to obesity and its related disorders, one must understand the relationship between obesity and the modern epidemics of Metabolic Syndrome X and Type 2 diabetes mellitus. There are 70 million Americans who have a condition called the Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X. Syndrome X requires careful definition and description, if the real advantages of carbohydrate restriction in the diet can be fully appreciated. Syndrome X is a combination of factors which are almost invariably associated with an overweight status. The simplest definition of Syndrome X is the variable combination of obesity, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol, all linked by resistance to the hormone insulin.

Syndrome X is associated with more than high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. Syndrome X, with its characteristic component of insulin resistance, can contribute to infertility, irregular menstruation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fatty liver, inflammation in the body and the development of certain types of cancer.

Syndrome X is caused by poor lifestyle, excess simple sugar in the diet, lack of exercise, and hereditary tendencies. One must address the constellation of obesity-related disorders that must not be divorced from considerations of weight problems or obesity alone.