Syndrome X is not as well known as diabetes and heart disease but it is a disorder that most people risk developing as they get to middle age. In a nutshell it encompasses a group of health problems such as insulin resistance, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. It is currently estimated that upwards of 1 billion people around the world exhibit some form of Syndrome X and are at risk of developing heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and other age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's.

If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and are overweight, then you already have Syndrome X and are at risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Doctors and nutritionists refer to it by many names; insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, glucose intolerance, pre-diabetes and, of course, Syndrome X.

It will have an effect on your health unless you do something to avoid getting the diseases that affect so many in our modern society. Primarily, syndrome X is the result of bad dietary habits. It's the highly refined foods we consume that promotes obesity, raises cholesterol, insulin and high blood pressure. Simple carbohydrates are easy to digest, but taken over a long period of time they will affect your health. You age faster and the quality of life is shortened.

So what can you do to keep from developing the effects of syndrome X as you get older?

1.Change your diet. Your body needs essential nutrients to function and you won't find them in hamburger and soda. Your food should consist of high fiber foods such as whole wheat or rye bread rather than the typical sweet breakfast cereal and refined white bread with sweetened fruit juice most people have for breakfast. Fresh fruit and plenty of vegetables supply the needed fiber and nutrients. Eat nuts and seeds.

2.A healthy lifestyle requires activity that we need. Most jobs today do not promote activity. While the thought of exercise conjures up a sweaty bout at the gym, exercise can be as simple as walking. Only 2o minutes of walking every day can help lower your cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

3.Cut out smoking and excessive drinking. The chemicals in smoke and second-hand smoke only weakens your immune system. The excessive use of drugs can affect your health. Take only the drugs recommended by your doctor.

4.Control your stress levels. High stress levels interferes with mental functioning and leads to changes in body chemistry that leads to illness. Prayer and meditation both help reduce stress. Getting enough rest helps to rejuvenate the body and reduces your stress levels.

5.Detoxify. The pollutants, chemicals and additives in our food combined with the air we breathe have an adverse effect on health. One way to detoxify is to drink 8 glasses of pure water daily.

6.Supplement. Our produce comes from farms where the soil is depleted of nutrients. You simply don't get enough vitamins and minerals in the food you buy, so supplementation is necessary. Supplements wouldn't be necessary if our fruits and vegetables contained enough nutrients for good health. In today's environment this is not possible.

Simply by changing your current lifestyle you can remain healthy while others become the sad victims to the effects of syndrome X.