A recent study showed that a Mediterranean Diet plus nuts can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people that have Metabolic syndrome also known as “Syndrome X”.    Metabolic syndrome is characterized by high blood sugar, high blood pressure, decreased HDL, elevated triglycerides and fat deposits around the waist.     There is a high prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in the US and unfortunately all too often these people will be prescribed drugs such as metformin for type 2 diabetes, various beta blockers or diuretics for high blood pressure and potentially a statin for high triglycerides. Read the rest of this entry