Metabolic syndrome is a set of metabolic risk factors for a heart attack, which include central obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and insulin resistance, a blood-sugar disorder that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Some people have a cluster of these symptoms, increasing their risk of heart attack by 4 to 20 times.

Researchers from the University of California recently conducted a small, all-male study of 31 participants ranging from 46 to 76 years old. Fifteen of the participants had metabolic syndrome and 13 of the participants had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. There was some overlap between these two groups, and several of the 31 participants had neither metabolic syndrome nor diabetes, but were overweight or obese.

All of the participants in the study were placed on a high-fiber, low-fat diet that did not limit the number of calories they could consume. Every day, the participants also participated in 45 to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise. The diet and exercise regimen lasted for 21 days.

While the study's participants did not experience weight loss beyond an average of a few pounds per person, the regimen did result in a reversal of diagnosis in about half of the participants with metabolic syndrome or diabetes. It is still unclear how the regimen brought about such a reversal.

The study's lead researcher Christian Roberts explained in a recent press that the regimen may not have reversed existing damage, such as plaque buildup in the arteries.

"However, if type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome continue to be controlled, further damage would likely be minimized and it's plausible that continuing to follow the program long-term may result in reversal of atherosclerosis," he said.

The study was published in recent online edition of the Journal of Applied Physiology.

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