Title:Medicinal Agents and Metabolic Syndrome
Volume: 20
Issue: 21
Author(s): M.E. Rubio-Ruiz, M. El Hafidi, I. Perez-Torres, G. Banos and V. Guarner
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-oxidant drugs, lifestyle changes, medicinal plants, metabolic syndrome, pharmacological
agents.
Abstract: The definition of the Metabolic Syndrome (MS) has encountered difficulty in reaching a universal consensus
although there exists an agreement of its main pathologies which are hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance,
inflammation and renal damage. The prevalent opinion is that three of those alterations may define the syndrome.
The incidence of the MS has increased globally, particularly in the last few years, to the point of being regarded as an epidemic.
The treatment of the MS can be approached from different angles, since it may be a multifaceted health problem.
A healthy lifestyle, which means the practice of regular exercise is suggested to MS patients. Increasing physical activity
has anti-inflammatory effects since there is an inverse association of physical activity and inflammatory biomarker concentrations.
An adequate diet is recommended, such as the Mediterranean, which contains fish, tomatoes, garlic, red peppers,
olive oil and includes red wine, that is, antioxidants and non-saturated oils. There are also the traditional herbal
preparations, used in the alternative medicine. Several therapeutic tools can be used; the most common are the pharmaceutical
products to deal with obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemias, diabetes and inflammation. In addition several pharmacological
therapies such as non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended. Recently new mechanisms of action
of statins, fibrates, metformin and thiazolidinediones have demonstrated their anti-inflammatory effect and potential use to
treat MS.
