Natural treatment slims the pot-bellied

Never before in human history have so many North Americans been so obese and pot-bellied. It's causing an unparalleled epidemic of diabetes with disastrous complications. But research shows that it's the abdominal fat, called visceral fat, that kills. Now, a natural remedy, Glabrinex, can help to decrease this "killer" fat.

Years ago, Dr. Timo Lakka, a Finnish researcher, urged pot-bellied people to take heed after studying 1,800 apple-shaped Finns for 10 years. He reported that men who were not overweight, but had a pot belly, had four times the risk of heart disease than men without one.

Then, in 1988, Dr. Gerald Reaven at Stanford University in California, described what is known as the "metabolic syndrome." It's the stage before Type 2 diabetes occurs, and it's associated with obesity, increased blood fats and coronary heart disease.

Today this pre-diabetic state strikes all ages and ethnic groups. Now 20 to 30 per cent of North Americans have this syndrome and it's getting worse every year. Visceral or abdominal fat, a ticking time bomb, is linked to metabolic syndrome. The great tragedy is that young children are now developing this syndrome and headed for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

"Killer fat" is found deep in the abdomen surrounding the intestine and other organs. These fat cells are more metabolically active than other fat cells in the lower part of the body and pack on pounds more easily. In the process of accumulating abdominal fat, these visceral cells produce a variety of peptide hormones and inflammatory cytokines called adepokines, the action of which causes inflammation of blood vessels and other cells in distant locations. The extent of this damaging inflammation can be evaluated by asking your doctor to measure the level of C-reactive protein in your blood.

Although these killer fat cells not only enlarge more quickly, the good news is they also decrease in size more speedily. And even modest reductions in visceral fat can help reverse the inflammatory effects on the heart and blood vessels.

Now an exciting new dietary supplement is available to help those who are losing the battle against their pot-bellied fat. Glabrinex is the first natural product of its kind. It helps to mobilize visceral fat and delay or suppress the onset of the metabolic syndrome. It's derived from the root of the leguminous Glycyrrhiza plant and has been consumed for over 4,000 years since the era of ancient Egypt. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has approved the active ingredient in Glabrinex as a new dietary ingredient.

Studies were initially done on diabetic mice fed a high-fat diet. Glabrinex lowered both abdominal visceral fat and helped sustain blood-sugar levels. Also, histopathological examination revealed that visceral fat cells had shrunk in size and fatty degeneration of the liver improved.

Japanese and other researchers have conducted studies on overweight patients using Glabrinex. A similar number of obese patients were used as a control group and given placebos.

At the end of these studies, those treated with Glabrinex had decreased body weight and body mass index (BMI). There was also a significant decrease in visceral fat, but it took a minimum of eight weeks to get results. These positive changes did not occur in the control group. The recommended dose is three softgels (300 milligrams) with dinner.

The best way to minimize "killer" fat is to consume less packaged foods loaded with sugar and salt. Instead, emphasize farm products such as fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy products. And to make sure you're not gaining weight, buy a scale and a tape measure.

To determine your risk, measure the circumference of your abdomen. Men should not have a waist measurement of more than 35 inches (90 centimetres) and women 33 inches (83 centimeters). For more information about the benefits of Gabrinex see the website www.vrp.com or call toll-free 1-800-877-2447.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 1, 2009 A17