STAY SLIM over Christmas

WHILE THE ODD mince pie is all well and good, for the one in four people in the UK who has metabolic syndrome (a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity), bingeing on carbs may have serious consequences. Increases in blood sugar levels could tip the individual over from a prediabetic state into Type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic condition that increases the risk of long-term, irreversible systemic damage in the body.

‘Metabolic syndrome mainly refers to a group of pathophysiological changes, based on insulin resistance,’ says Gilly Pantlin, a nutritionist and owner of Nutrimedica. ‘The grouped symptoms for this syndrome are: central obesity, increase in blood glucose, insulin resistance, increase in blood lipids and an elevated blood pressure. If lifestyle and diet changes are