ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester Institute of Technology is seeking participants for a two-year study to learn what enhanced lifestyle medicine programs are the most effective at reversing metabolic syndrome.
RIT is one of five national sites involved in the Enhanced Lifestyles for Metabolic Syndrome study, which will begin in January.
Metabolic syndrome is described as a cluster of health problems. To be diagnosed, you must have 3 of the following;
- a large waistline,
- high triglyceride
- low HDL or low-good cholesterol
- high blood pressure
- elevated blood sugar
David Buckner is an advocate for healthy lifestyle programs. You couldn’t tell from looking at him now that he suffered from metabolic syndrome.
“I had chronic illnesses from A to Z in my life but I also weighed 320 pounds. If you’re doing the wrong things if you’re eating the wrong food, it’s going to get you sooner or later,” said David Buckner, a healthy lifestyle advocate.
Health care professionals at Rochester Regional Health say simple lifestyle changes will reverse these conditions.
“We already know that lifestyle medicine intervention programs work very well for reversing metabolic syndrome and other lifestyles related diseases, what we don’t know is do group programs for lifestyle intervention work better than individual programs and that’s what this study is designed to look at,” said Kerry Graff, partner with Rochester Regional, physician lifestyle management
RRH is partnering with the Rochester Insitute of Technology to help find the 120 participants.
People who qualify for the study will have to keep a food log, wear an accelerometer that measures activity, and monitor their eating and activity habits.
Barbara Lohse will be one of the research coordinators.
“One group is going to be reading about it and doing it on their own time, and the other is going to be having, group sizes will be about 12-15 people,” said Barbara Lohse, head of Wegman’s School of Health and Nutrition, and professor of health sciences.
While Buckner no longer qualifies for the study, he says the information learned can help others change their lives.
“It’s absolutely going to be a beneficial learning opportunity and study because it’s going to show what simple changes in lifestyle can do to change that syndrome as well as others,” said Buckner.
Anyone looking to get involved in the Enhanced Lifestyles for Metabolic Syndrome program must be over 18, meet the conditions for metabolic syndrome and not have a history of heart disease, stroke or Type 2 diabetes.
To learn more, visit the ELM trial website, email ELM@rit.edu or call 585-475-5320.