Dear Reader:
If you have extra fat around the middle, you may not realize you’re at risk for diabetes. The first phase of this disease – prediabetes – is a silent condition and has no symptoms.
And it’s not just the precursor to the full-blown disease. It’s a real threat to your health – even if you never develop the disease itself.
Prediabetes occurs when your blood sugar is too high. But the root of the problem is an over production of the hormone insulin. This is your body’s response to carbohydrate in your diet.
Six million Americans have type-II diabetes but don’t know it. 41 million are prediabetic with no idea of the risk they’re facing.
Having blood sugar in the prediabetic range – puts you at a 50 percent greater risk of both heart disease and stroke. Another recent study of over a million people found that just being prediabetic increases your risk of developing several types of cancer.
And remember… Having high blood sugar and excess insulin also makes you fat. Today I want to tell you about a mineral you can take to burn off that fat and protect yourself from diabetes.
Chromium maintains proper blood sugar by increasing your sensitivity to insulin. It’s like instant protection from diabetes. What’s more, if you already suffer from the disease, chromium supplements can improve glucose tolerance and normalize insulin levels naturally.
On the flip side, people low in chromium suffer from chronically high blood sugar, find themselves packing on the pounds and ultimately can fall victim to diabetes. And having a deficiency of chromium is very common. An estimated 90% of all Americans consume less than the recommended amount of chromium each and every day. What’s more, if you exercise regularly you’ll need even larger amounts of chromium than your sedentary neighbors. Active men and women excrete more chromium than couch potatoes.
Chromium also does wonders for your cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Studies show chromium can lower cholesterol and triglycerides by nearly 20%. And like I said, chromium can help you burn fat – even if you don’t exercise…
About 10 years ago, Dr. Gil Kaats and a team of researchers from the Health and Medical Research Foundation and the University of Texas Health Science Center studied over 150 people to see if they would lose fat just from taking chromium.
They split them into three groups. One group received a placebo (dummy pill). The other two groups received chromium: One getting 200 micrograms a day and the other getting 400 micrograms a day.
The participants were told not to change anything about their diet, exercise habits or how much they ate. In essence, they were allowed to do whatever they wanted.
After three months, the group taking the placebo showed no changes. The 200-microgram group lost an average of 3.4 pounds of body fat. But the 400-microgram group lost an average of 4.6 pounds of body fat – about 35% more. In addition, both chromium groups gained an average of 1.4 pounds of muscle.
Chromium controls your appetite, especially cravings for sweets. It also has the ability to carry protein where your body needs it most. This helps you lose fat while building lean muscle mass.
I’ve treated hundreds of patients with chromium with good results. When you’re looking for a chromium supplement, make sure you take either chromium picolinate or chromium polynicotinate. They’re the most effective forms.
While the study above used either 200 or 400-microgram doses, you can safely take up to 600 micrograms a day. It’s best if you take it with meals. I use a 600-microgram chromium polynicotinate supplement with my patients once a day with food.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1 Neergaard L. Type 2 Diabetics Battle Blood Sugar Woes. Associated Press. May 19, 2005
2 Delahanty LM, Nathan DM. Beating Diabetes. McGraw-Hill, May 2005
3MCarty MF. Chromium and other insulin sensitizers may enhance glucagon secretion: implications for hypoglycemia and weight control. Med Hypotheses. 1996 Jan; 83(1): 29-31.
4 Kaats GR, et al. The effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on body composition. Current Therapeutic Research. Feb 1996
5 Anderson, RA. Effects of chromium on body composition and weight loss. Nutri Rev. 1998 Sep; 56-(9): 266-70.