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2005/04/23, 01:41 PM
Recent research has identified 4 supplements that have the potential to stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels or reduce appetite. By reducing fluctuations in blood sugar and insulin, you many not get hungry as often and may be satisfied eating less. These supplements might also reduce your long- term risk of diabetes.
Alpha Lipoic Acid…..this vitamin like nutrient has been used for decades in Germany to treat complications of diabetes. It is thought to improve insulin efficiency, allowing less of the hormone to do its job. Some studies have also found it can lower blood sugar levels. It may also work by improving how cells burn food for energy. All of these mechanisms would lead to more stable blood sugar levels and a lowered appetite.
Just recently, researchers identified another way ALA might work. It may play a key role in regulating hunger, and , therefore , appetite and weight. Ki-Up Lee, MD, of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Korea and colleagues conducted 2 experiments in which they studied how ALA affects AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK). AMPK is an enzyme in the hypothalamus gland that governs sugar and fat metabolism.
When cell levels of glucose or fat decrease, AMPK activity increases, leading to a sense of hunger. In one experiment with conventional lab rats, Lee found that supplemental APA decreassed AMPK activity, which led to less food intake and lower body weight. In a second experiment, with genetically obese rats, ALA led to reductions in body weight, fat, blood sugar and insulin.
Lee wrote that ALA appeared to be a “promising” treatment for obesity. Dosage suggestions…100-300 mg of ALA daily.
Cinnamon…..Cinnamon has been used as a spice and medicinal herb for thousands of years. The spice is obtained from the cinnamon tree, which grows in tropical areas throughout the world. Consuming small amounts of cinnamon, in foods or supplements might greatly improve blood sugar. In a collaborative study between the US Department of Agriculture and researchers from Pakistan, cinnamon was given to 60 people with type 2 diabetes. The subjects’ fasting blood sugar levels ranged from 140-400 mg/dl at the beginning of the study. The researchers asked the people to take 1.3.orr 6 grams of cinnamon or placebos after meals for 40 days. One gram of cinnamon is about ¼ tsp. Of the ground herb.
Among people using cinnamon, fasting blood sugar levels decreased by up to 29%. As a bonus, cholesterol declined by up to 27%, and triglycerides fell by as much as 30%. The placebos did not help any of the patients. Take 1-6 gr. Of cinnamon daily. You can also sprinkle cinnamon on fruit, such as apples or berries.
Chromium…… This essential mineral has long been associated with reducing fat and weight and building muscle. Insulin needs chromium for normal functioning, which might account for some of its benefits. Recent studies by Malcolm N. McLeod, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, found that Chromium Picolinate helped reduce depression and curb appetite.
McLeods’s discovery came after a middle aged patient taking antidepressant medications happened to start supplementing with chromium. The chromium led to a complete reversal of the patients depression, overeating and fatigue, problems he had experienced for 25 yrs. Curious, he and his colleagues asked other patients to take chromium supplements, ranging from 200-400 mcg. Daily. The majority of patients, including those in a small, double blind study, recovered from depression and manic depression, and they started eating less and losing weight. Take 200-400 mcg. Daily.
Ginseng……. Several recent studies by Vladimir Vusksan, Ph.D., of the University of Toronto, have found that American ginseng(Panax quinqueflius) can lower glucose levels in both diabetics and non diabetics from 20-38%, depending on the doseage. In one study, Vuksan asked 12 healthy men and women to take 1,2,or 3 gr. Of ginseng or placebos before drinking a sugar-rich beverage. Ginseng blunted the expected rise in blood sugar by 9-14%.
In a separate study, Vuksan compared the effect of 3 gm. Of American Ginseng in 9 people with type 2 diabetes and 10 healthy subjects. They took the ginseng either with or right before drinking the high-sugar beverage. Ginseng reduced the rise in blood suar in both groups by about 20%. Benefits have also been seen with Korean Red ginseng. Take 200-500 mg. daily of a ginseng root extract standardized to contain approximately 5-7% ginsenoisides. Non-standardized extracts can be taken at a dose of 1-4 gr. Daily.
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