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Chromium Picolinat - Getting to the heart of insulin resistance |
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totalhealth’s Special Report
Obesity, Weight Loss and Glucose Control
Chromium Picolinate
Getting to the heart of insulin resistance
by James J. Gormley
Chromium is a trace mineral required by our
body’s master metabolic hormone, insulin. Since
the body can’t manufacture this mineral, we have
to obtain it through diet or supplementation to
achieve healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
Unfortunately, chromium isn’t found in
optimal amounts in foods; whatever is there is
compromised by modern food processing and
cooking at high temperatures.
In fact, in 1985 Richard A. Anderson, Ph.D.,
reported that not getting optimal chromium
from foods is common in the U.S. In addition,
nutritional chromium isn’t well absorbed from
the diet. Even worse, high fiber diets and certain
medications (such as aspirin and antacids) further
interfere with chromium absorption; even
aging itself is associated with a 25 to 40 percent
drop in body levels of chromium.
The branded ingredient, Chromax®
chromium picolinate, is considered by experts
to be better absorbed and more usable by the
body than other forms of chromium. In a 1998
review, Dr. Anderson wrote: “Essentially all the
studies employing the more bioavailable
chromium picolinate have reported positive
effects, with greater effects reported at 1,000
mcg/day than at 200 mcg/day.”
The insulin resistance story
According to the American Association of
Endocrinologists (AACE), Syndrome X, also known
as metabolic syndrome, is an epidemic condition
that affects one in three Americans nearly 95 million
people. The number of people with insulin resistance
has skyrocketed 61 percent in the last decade.
Syndrome X is a metabolic disorder that underlies
some of the most serious, chronic and costly
diseases in the U.S. It is a constellation of metabolic
disorders brought on by insulin resistance.
Symptoms include obesity, high cholesterol
and triglycerides, hypertension, and poor use
of blood sugar (or glucose intolerance).
Although most people with insulin resistance
can, in the early stages, usually produce
enough insulin to mask obvious symptoms of
poor insulin and glucose control, some will
eventually develop type II diabetes. The majority
of these people, however, are still at a significantly
increased risk for heart attack, stroke and
other diseases.
How chromium fits in
Research has shown that diets low in chromium
negatively affect glucose tolerance and insulin in
those who already have mildly impaired glucose
tolerance. It has been suggested that large losses
of chromium over time may contribute to insulin
resistance and exacerbate already compromised
chromium status in people with type II diabetes.
Studies have found that chromium supplementation
improves insulin sensitivity. Of 12
human studies looking at chromium’s effectiveness
in improving glucose metabolism, 11 show
significant positive effects. These studies suggest
supplementation with 200 to 1,000 mcg of
chromium a day because chromium picolinate
improves glucose tolerance and circulating
insulin levels.
In a study of 162 patients, supplementation
with 200 mcg of chromium a day resulted in the
reduced need for insulin and glucose-lowering
medications in 118 of the patients. Two six-week,
double-blind studies found that supplements of
200 mcg of chromium a day resulted in significant
decreases in fasting blood sugar and levels
of glycosylated hemoglobin.
An eight-month study of 29 people found
that supplementing with 1,000 mcg per day of
chromium picolinate significantly improved
insulin sensitivity. Chromium picolinate supplements
have also been found to improve glucose
tolerance and lower insulin levels in women with
gestational diabetes.
Getting to the heart of insulin resistance and
all of the health conditions touched by it must
involve both nutrition and exercise. Research
has shown that supplementing with Chromax
chromium picolinate is a critical part of a wholebody
approach to health, one which truly helps us
get to the very metabolic core of Syndrome X.
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