Obesity presents a number of challenges to the human body in and of itself, but when it is accompanied by a number of other health conditions it becomes metabolic syndrome, which has long confused the medical community. Trying to understand metabolic syndrome has been difficult enough, but the problem goes beyond just understanding. It is important to also find ways to treat the issue. While there have been many suggestions from different specialties and experts, none has been met with such puzzlement as the idea of using bloodletting to deal with some of the more serious symptoms.

Bloodletting has been in use for centuries, often the medical procedure of choice for a number of issues. The Greeks, Romans and Egyptians all used bloodletting for one purpose or another at some point in their histories. It was accomplished by a variety of means including the application of leeches to various parts of the body. Leeches have once again been approved by the FDA for the treatment of certain conditions.

Metabolic syndrome, which is defined by the presence of a number of conditions including obesity, diabetes or insulin resistance, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, has been thought to be exacerbated, at least in part, but elevated iron levels in the blood. Reducing the blood volume would theoretically lower the iron level according to researchers. A small study showed that to be the case. Using just over thirty people with metabolic syndrome, researchers removed a small amount of blood, repeating that process thirty days later. The amount removed was equal to three hundred milliliters or slightly less than what would be taken for a blood donation. Researchers found that at the six week mark, the people who had had the blood removed had lower blood sugar results as well as a lower blood pressure. That study was published in the journal, BMC Medicine.

Critics of the study said that it was too small to be of any real value, but it does echo findings from previous studies with the same theory.

Iron and metabolic syndrome were linked in another study- involving rats. That study, published in the journal Endocrinology, showed that mothers who were purposely given low iron amounts during their pregnancy increased the risk of impaired brain development for the offspring. But, mothers who were fed higher iron, higher fat diets often had babies that were more likely to be affected by food choice and weight once they reached adulthood. That study is likely to be performed on humans in the near future.