Diabetes: The Chromium Connection
by Julia Hanf
Diabetes enjoys the reputation of being one of the oldest of all chronic diseases known to man. However, it is only in the recent times that the incidence of diabetes has risen on an alarming scale, with more cases being diagnosed with every passing day. Experts have attributed this incline to the increasingly unhealthy lifestyles of the modern world, which when accompanied by skewed dietary habits, are fertile ground for diabetes to set in and progress in leaps and bounds. This has made researchers sit up and pay even more specialized attention to diabetes control and treatment, as conventional methods have yielded as many disastrous side-effects, as they have produced encouraging results. One of the more scientifically proven methods of diabetes treatment, which has gained itself the cynical nod as well, is supplementing the diet with chromium.
Chromium is one of the fundamental constituents of every organism and is found in the body as Chromium Picolinate. This biologically active form of chromium helps the cells of the body become more responsive to the insulin that is produced, thus forming an integral part of the digestive process. Although a trace mineral, research has found that chromium deficiencies can largely influence the development of diabetes, while even moderate levels chromium picolinate when administered as supplements, have been known to significantly lower blood glucose levels.
Chromium Picolinate is particularly valuable in stabilizing the blood glucose levels of individuals diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. Insulin resistance is rampant in this category of individuals which is easily reversed by chromium where it negates the resistance with heightened insulin sensitivity. After chromium is ingested, either as a supplement or a part of your diet, it is absorbed by your body through the small intestine is very minute quantities. This is to ensure that only that much chromium is absorbed as is needed by your body to maintain the requisite 6 mg. diabetics, however, find it difficult to absorb this chromium due to the high glucose levels excreted in the urine, bringing about a deficiency of this mineral.
The American Institute of Medicine has also established that chromium is one of the few minerals, whose administration does not require an upper limit to be set, which indicates the absence of any safety concerns about chromium supplements. Chromium has also been found to directly influence the number of receptor cells that are dedicated to the insulin produced in the body, which has led researchers to believe that making up for the deficiency of this mineral in diabetics with supplements can also increase, or even reserve Type 2, or insulin-resistant diabetes.
The Chromium debate still rages with certain school of experts citing the influence chromium exerts on the neurotransmitters in the body as dangerous to individuals who suffer from depression, bipolar disorders or schizophrenia. Chromium has also been studied to bring about skin irritations in those who are sensitive to fluctuating chromium levels in the body.
Chromium supplements can be both natural and artificial depending on which source is more convenient for you. Foods and condiments like black pepper, broccoli, dry beans and whole grains are very rich in chromium, while supplements of chromium alone, or which contain chromium as a part of a nutrient mlange have been found to be just as effective.
Although Chromium has still not found its place in the spotlight as an essential of diabetes management, many experts are now including chromium supplements as a part of their diabetes therapy on the basis of the spectacular results they have displayed in the past. Chromium can be a very handy tool to wield in your battle against diabetes, provided you take it under the supervision of your doctor. Diabetes management is a process that can be only as difficult as you want it to be. If you choose to be rigid and inflexible, you will find the number of choices available to you come crashing down. On the other hand, if you open your mind to a wider variety of alternatives, while keeping an eye out for only the scientifically sound, you will soon discover how much easier and beneficial treading the lesser-known path can be!
About the Author:
Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
