Posted 12/02/2008 | Permalink | Share This

Exercise, Calcium Battle Metabolic Syndrome
Exercise and a calcium-rich diet may help lower the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, according to a new study. Researchers examined more than 5,000 Illinois adults and found that metabolic syndrome was less common among those who exercised and consumed dietary calcium ... but people who failed to get adequate exercise were 85 percent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than their active counterparts. Similarly, those who said they didn't regularly eat calcium-rich foods had a 61 percent higher risk of the syndrome than those who frequently consumed calcium-packed foods. Metabolic syndrome refers to a host of conditions including abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides. It's typically diagnosed when a person has three or more of these conditions. The study is published in the November/December 2008 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.