In 2005, the Basic Health Publications issued the book by Russell Farris titled "The Potbelly Syndrome: How Common Germs Cause Obesity, Diabetes, And Heart Disease" - from which title one can draw conclusions about the meaning of the term "Potbelly Syndrome".
Its symptoms are abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes - conditions well known to both medical professionals and the public. However, according to the author, not a health professional but artificial-intelligence researcher, the condition is caused by a germ resulting in chronic inflammation. This inflammation is believed to be initiated by the stress hormone cortisol, which stimulates appetite and slows down metabolism thus creating a vsious circle. "Each time we are attacked by a germ, our bodies start an acute phase response (APR) to kill that germ," writes Russell Farris
Solutions that Russell Farris offers are the following:
- Avoiding Stressors
- Building Stress Resistance
- Reversing the Infection-Cortisol Loops
The problem is not totally ignored by conventional medicine but it goes under a different name - Cushing Syndrome and is extremely difficult to manage but Russell Farris is optimistic:
"A healthy lifestyle, with exercise, vitamins, and a good diet, can delay the consequences of chronic APRs for a long time".
