OBJECTIVE:To assess the therapeutic effect of weekend fasting and administration of a modified Lingguizhugan decoction on metabolic syndrome(MetS).METHODS:Twenty-one patients with MetS were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University.Fasting plasma glucose(FPG),30-min and 2-h post-prandial blood glucose(PG),fasting serum insulin(FINS),blood pressure(BP),body mass index(BMI),waist circumference(WC),homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR),and levels of triglyceride(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-C),and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)were tested.Patients were allowed to drink only water and a Chinese herbal decoction during weekends.All samples were tested again after 12 weeks of treatment.RESULTS:FPG,30-min PG,2-h PG,FINS,LDL-C,systolic BP,diastolic BP,BMI,WC,and HOMA-IR de-creased significantly(P