Promoting only the consumption of healthy foods may be an alternative stategy for treating patients with the metabolic syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of two lifestyle, interventional approaches on metabolic abnormalities and eating habits of patients with metabolic syndrome. MATERIALS/METHODS: This is a randomized controlled trial, involving a 6-month lifestyle intervention. Eighty-eight metabolic syndrome patients were randomized to one of the three groups: (i) "Increase - Decrease" group, (ii) "Increase" group, and (iii) "Minimum intervention" group. All patients received dietary and physical activity advice at baseline; patients in the first two groups also participated in individual counseling sessions. In the "Increase - Decrease" group, all recommended dietary and physical activity goals were targeted, whereas in the "Increase" group, only goals proposing an increase in dietary intake or physical activity were included. Patients received nutrition counseling through seven, one-to-one sessions, conducted every two weeks for the first 2 months, every month for the following 4 months. All participants underwent a full medical and nutritional assessment at baseline and at the end of the intervention. RESULTS: At 6 months, BMI and waist circumference were improved in the "Increase" and the "Increase - Decrease" groups, compared to the "Minimum Intervention" group. Additionally, "Increase - Decrease" group reduced blood systolic (p=0.017), diastolic pressure (p=0.005) and glucose concentrations (p=0.015). Forty eight percent, 32%, and 19% of the patients in the "Increase - Decrease", "Increase" and "Minimum Intervention" groups, respectively, ceased to fulfill the criteria for the metabolic syndrome (p=0.031). CONCLUSIONS: Promoting only the increase of the intake of healthy foods did not result in better outcome values compared to a conventional all-food approach.

Lifestyle intervention in the management of metabolic syndrome: could we improve adherence issues?

Current guidelines for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) propose lifestyle changes (diet and physical activity) as a first-line intervention. However, few studies have been conducted thus far in this field. Weight loss has been recognized as an important issue in the management of MetSyn, in addition to exercise training. Moreover, improvement in MetSyn parameters was sustained only when changes in lifestyle were maintained, rendering maintenance as an important treatment issue. Multiple follow-up booster sessions proved more effective in maintaining lifestyle changes than one counseling session at the end of follow-up. Several behavioral techniques have also been used to improve patients' adherence. Although most of these were found effective in achieving short-term adherence to the dietary regimen (and exercise treatment), the evidence is limited regarding specific strategies that are most helpful, in the context of a structured, tailored MetSyn intervention, for the long-term maintenance of lifestyle changes.