Exercise, calcium-rich diet could cut risk of metabolic syndrome

"Adopting daily exercise sessions and a calcium-rich diet could reduce the risk of a group of health risk factors called the metabolic syndrome, finds a new study of Illinois adults. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms - large abdominal girth, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels and insulin insensitivity - that together signal a significantly higher risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. 'As with many health conditions, when the good behaviors are absent, the condition is more prevalent,' said Adam Reppert, lead study author. Reppert is a clinical dietitian at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. The study appears in the November/December issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion. In a 2005 telephone survey, 5,077 Illinois adults provided information about chronic health conditions, exercise habits and their intake of fruit, vegetables and other sources of calcium. Researchers then identified respondents with the condition" - newswise