Syndrome X is High Cholesterol, Obesity, High Triglycerides, High Blood Pressure and the centerpiece: Insulin Resistance. The book provides the reasons for many people's poor heath and practical solutions to improve it greatly. It is also applicable to those who are already healthy and want to stay that way.

The authors clearly explain that Glucose is our biological gasoline and insulin is escorts the glucose from the blood into cells where it is burned as energy. As with the carburetor of a car, when this isn't working right, we are not going to be at our best!

Knowing what to eat is crucial in good health today. With our fast paced, fast food society this is no easy task. Syndrome X addresses the wide array of good foods, vitamins and nutrients to return to good health. It explains in layman's terms but never talks down to the reader about the benefits of eating right and the terrible effects of eating poorly.

Powerful topics include: The importance of diet, Glucose, the body's fuel and the secrets of living to age 100. Other subjects include, individualizing your Anti-X program, what to buy at supermarkets and more.

Vitamins C, D, E and more are explained in excellent detail. Minerals such as chromium, Zinc, Magnesium, are also addressed as well as nutrients such as antioxidants, good and bad fats and more.

The easy to understand explanations of how the body processes food and supplements is some of the best I have read. Overall Jack Challem, Dr Burton Berkson, and Melissa Diane Smith have done an exceptional job at providing a common sense guide to healthy living through good diet, vitamins and supplements!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Stop Prediabetes Now: The Ultimate Plan to Lose Weight and Prevent Diabetes

Syndrome X was a breakthrough book when it first came out in 2000. Of course Syndrome X is a form of prediabetes, which increases the risk of full-blown diabetes and heart disease. Jack Challem (the lead author of Syndrome X) has outdone himself with his latest book along these lines: Stop Prediabetes Now, which came out in October. The description of the problem, his dietary recommendations, and his supplement recommendations are all much clearer and easier to follow. The recipes are superb -- I love the curry chicken salad, in particular. Jack addresses the bigger picture of prediabetes, of which Syndrome X is only one part.

This should be required reading for all senior citizens on medicare/medicaid...all high school students...all college students and everyone else not on this list. As a nation, with the world close behind us, we are in deep trouble ALREADY and running faster down a slippery slope towards diabetes , type 1, 2 and will probably require a number 3 lable soon!!!

When a huge entity like the Federal Food & Drug Administration bows to the wishes of food product manufacturers, we are like sheep heading to the slaughter. You get a creepy feeling that some unknown, unseen persons are slowly killing you. Honestly? The Bible says that THE LOVE OF money is the root of all evil. And our grocery stores are a brightly colored, attractivly marketed example.

This book doesn't preach on the political aspect of our eating....that's me. But it teaches what your body is doing and will continue to do (and worse) if YOU don't take another path. Garbage in...garbage out.
Healthy eating...healthy body.

the menu plan was too low carb and the supplement suggestions were worse!
it claims that folks 20 pounds overweight and over should take a supplement called L-Carnitine, Alpha Lipoic acid etc.
Well when I took the Carnitine, I swear the first time I took it, my heart was beating too fast and the second time, I felt a heaviness in my chest and I had dry mouth! When I did further research on these supplements, it had said that we really don't need the Lipoic acid and the Carnitine because it is already present in our systems!
So the authors owe me $$$ back for those supplements that got me sick! Heck they should give me $$$ back for buying this dumb book lol

I have only got about 1/2 of the book read but it is excellent. I have been diabetic for 25 years and I have learned alot so far. I always was one to take supplements but I found out there are more that would help me even more. As people know Diabetes and heart disease work hand in hand and I did have to have open heart surgery 3 years ago but I recouped very fast and the Doctor said he had never seen a diabetic heart in such good condition it was just the chloresterol in the arteries. My Doctor says I do not have syndrome X but he said is good that I am reading on it so if I ever do start experiencing any of the symptoms it will make me question it. I do believe the author was great in putting this down and explaining how important supplements are for the diabetic as two weeks after the heart surgery I underwent a brain tumor operation and I am glad my heart was in great enought shape to get me thru 2 major surgeries in 2 weeks time. Hence my review name of Miracle Mom. Great Book!

5 stars on all the info re: the disease as it explains in plain language what havoc in your body gets started with any of the inter-related metabolic functions getting tipped off balance.
It explains what high insulin does to you, what high cortisol does to you, and how you make it worse eating what we all eat - pastas breads and paistries.
It explains how we should be eating (or rather how our eating habits have changed, slowly, thru millenia, and how they got all screwy in the last 100 years or so).
I particularly liked the bit on supplements (vitamins and minerals) that play a role in helping your metabolism get back on track.
In fact, I have been on the recommended supplements for a week, and funny thing happened - wrinkles on my face diminished! I was amazed!
The book could have EASILY done without the whole long diet plan bit, and that is the only minus.
Instead of diet plans, I would have loved to see a list of high and low GI index foods (i.e the YES foods and the NO NO foods), and perhaps even a replacement list. That would have been more useful and more usable, or at least in my opinion.

This is an informative, non-preachy, explanation that is both correct and yet written in an interesting manner. It also does not try to sell anything but the facts. Very interesting.

This is an informative, non-preachy, explanation that is both correct and yet written in an interesting manner. It also does not try to sell anything but the facts. Very interesting.

I can't put this book down. Great info on nutrition and the way we should be eating to prevent diabetes, high cholestrol, & high blood pressure.

I can't put this book down. Great info on nutrition and the way we should be eating to prevent diabetes, high cholestrol, & high blood pressure.

Just the best book on health that i have ever read. must read...

Just the best book on health that i have ever read. must read...

This book provided me with a wealth of information. I did not use the diet plan suggested in the book; however, the plan put together by the certified clinial nutritionist I did use was based on the recommendations in this book. The book helped me to understand the problems with the way I was eating before. I began my healthy eating program on April 1, 2004 (no joke!) and lost 40 pounds before April 1, 2005. I continue to eat an anti-syndrome X diet and have maintained my weight loss. I have a family history of heart disease and diabetes. I am so greatful I found this book. I'm now coaching others on to healthier lifestyles.

Why didn't my doctor tell me this? My cholesterol was high for over ten years and they tried to put me on statin drugs with all their complications. This book has given me the answers.It was my high carbohydrate diet all the time. No doctor ever let me know that all I needed to do was change my diet.
I am so thankful to have read this book and saved me from severe health problems that I could have controled all along.

I have type two diabetes and have found this book helpful. The diet in here matches the original diet I found works best when I first got diabetes II. I've been trying to steer from out of control sugars recently to back in control and this book has provided the insight necessary to start changing my diet back onto the right track. Also, I would recommend following the nutrient guidelines on antioxidants that the authors give. I would get "needles" from my polyneuropathy every time my sugars got high 200's and above. After I started taking vitamin E along with some other antioxidant supplements, the "needles" and "burning" have almost all gone away. (I have a mild case.) This book is a must read!!!!!!

At 38 years old, I was 55 pounds overweight with high blood pressure, sleep apnea, aching knees, and high triglycerides when my doctor informed me that I was insulin-resistant--bordering on diabetes. She told me to read this book. I have tried diets and exercises for the past 13 years, and nothing has worked for me. I read Syndrome X, followed it religiously (including the supplements) and I have lost 45 pounds in 5 months! I'm OFF my blood pressure medication, and I returned my CPAP (sleep apnea) machine! I am a strong believer in the theories presented in this book. I was never hungry, and I have felt great! I recommend this book to anyone with enough will power to follow it's instructions.

I have seen this book in stores for a long time. Today I finally decided to sit down and read it. Suffice to say, I was quite surprised how logical and well written it is.

As a critical care physician, heart disease has always been a major interest. I have followed for several years the gradual paradigm shift among some of my more open minded colleagues away from the simplistic "cholesterol is the villain" attitude. Syndrome X or insulin resistance more and more seems to be the underlying problem not only in most patients with CAD, but also type II diabetes, and in my opinion, obesity. And to the specific point of "bad LDL" particle size (type B), it seems that there is evidence that high triglycerides, the product of course of the usual high carb/low fat diet may be related to this probelm.

The advice in this book may be hard to follow for many "bad carb" addicts, but with 2/3 of the population now obese, type II diabetes showing up in children as young as twelve, and cardiac disease a major killer beyond epidemic proportions, this is THE diet for most people.

I've lost 17 lbs in about 4 weeks on the Syndrome X diet. I started it on the advice of my doctor. I'm on the more "intense" version of the diet and I don't feel terribly deprived anymore, although it wasn't easy to begin with. I think it's easier now because I've sort of mixed some Atkins bars in with Sydrome X, while still adhering to the basic tenets of the S-X diet. (As a woman, this has really helped with those "sweets" cravings once a month) Also, I still have a few carbs a day and I'm losing steadily. The recipes I've tried in the book are really good (the salmon, the turkey-sausage patties) my kids and husband even liked them. My husband has lost about 15 lbs too, by the way. And he's hardly trying!

The only thing I would have liked more is to have had additional recipes and menu ideas and less densely packed medical information in the beginning. It felt quite repetitive to me.

But it is still a great book and a good diet. I especially like the focus on natural spices, reasons for putting them into your diet, and ways to introduce them into your diet.
I now grow dill, which is simple to grow, and I use it all the time. Also, cloves, bay leaves, sage, coriander, fennel and more.
Also, try the vitamin supplements. They help with your energy a lot. Walmart and Costco have them at a reasonable price. Good Luck!

With a title like "Complete Nutritional Program" I thought you would find a lot more recipes. The book spends a lot of time explaining what syndromeX is, history of our changing eating habits, and basically how the average american diet is very unhealthy. I would imagine that most people looking to get nutritional information, already know that. What I wanted to know is, OK, now what do I eat, since basically most of my diet is .... All you get is a one week sample diet, and some of the things they tell you to eat are not clearly described, or you wonder where you find this stuff. The restaurant guide gives you vague suggestions. Why not give us specific menu choices for various fast food restaurants? i.e. don't get a Big Mac, order a "xxxxx" instead.
The supplement section was helpful though.
There was one thing I was surprized that was not listed in the book - at least I couldn't find it - just how much carbohydrate are you limited to each day? I know we eat way too much, but give me some guidelines so I know how to gauge myself, and also how to evaluate the labels of the things I eat.

I checked out several X-Syndrome books from the library, and THIS is the one that helped me. Helped me lose 31 pounds so far -- and I only started 6 weeks ago. I've seen reviewers say it's impossible to stick to -- Well, yeh, if you're trying to follow the actual menu for severe symptoms. Follow their rule of thumb instead. No more than 4 carb-dense foods per day, balance with protein and a bit of fat.

Take it easy people. 1/3 of your calories from protein, the rest from good carbs and good fats. how hard is that. I'm not following any strict plan, yet my energy has increased 1,000 fold, I've lost a little under a pound a day AND I'M NOT STARVING!! I eat more than I did on an 1,800 calorie-a-day diet, I feel good, I have energy, and the weight is falling off of me.

I know the weight loss will slow down before long, but this is an eating plan I can live with.

I don't understand what the other reviewers found so difficult. The Reaven book had an eating plan that was impossible to follow and never even tells you how to figure out what percentage of your caloric intake is from proteins or carbs. What the hell, tell us to stick to a percentage and don't tell us how to figure that percentage. Well, that's easy! NOT! Foods listed in the Reaven book might be available in California, but not in Ohio. Hell, grocers hadn't even heard of items I had on a list from Reaven's book.

With this book, you can start your plan immediately -- use a couple of the recipes and go from there.

Lighten up people -- it's an eating plan, not a religion that doesn't allow you to vary one thing. It's working like magic for me. I wouldn't give up how good I feel for anything.