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"The Low Carb Experts!" SM |
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Chromium has been studied in the past primarily for improving blood sugar control in people with diabetes, but recent evidence suggests that Chromium may also help reduce body fat, probably through its effects on insulin. 1,2,3 As we know from previous articles, insulin is the "fat storing hormone." Chromium's effect on insulin sensitivity appears to be marked. It reduces your body's "conversion" of carbohydrates to body fat through the phenomenon some clinicians have termed "Syndrome-X." The American Heart Association, on their web site, defines "Syndrome-X" in this way: "Syndrome-X has been observed in people who are insulin-resistant. One such group is people with diabetes , who have a defect in insulin action and can't maintain a proper level of glucose in their blood. Another is people, mainly hypertensives (those with high blood pressure), who are non-diabetic and insulin-resistant but who compensate by secreting large amounts of insulin. This condition is known as hyperinsulinemia. A third group is heart attack survivors who, unlike people with hypertension, have hyperinsulinemia without having abnormal glucose levels." In their book, Syndrome-X, the authors say that "...insulin resistance and Syndrome X are caused primarily by a diet high in refined carbohydrates, which probably include many of your favorite and frequently eaten foods, such as cereals, muffins, breads and rolls, pastas, cookies, donuts, and soft drinks. These refined carbohydrates not only raise glucose and insulin to unhealthy levels, but they also are devoid of the many vitamins, minerals, and vitamin-like nutrients our bodies need to properly utilize these foods." (Syndrome-X, Introduction, January 2000, Jack Challem, Burt Berkson, M.D., Ph.D. Melissa Diane Smith. Emphasis mine.) Supplementing Chromium has exactly the effect we want... it reduces insulin sensitivity and thus prevents build-up of body fat. This will lead to an overall improvement of fat-to-lean body composition. Body composition is determined by the ratio of fat-free mass versus the amount of fatty tissue in the body. In "layman's terms" this would be the percentage of body fat to lean muscle mass. This effect of improving body composition by supplementation of Chromium is demonstrated in a 1998 study, "The data clearly confirm that supplementation with Chromium picolinate (one form of chromium) can lead to significant improvements in body composition resulting from fat loss, particularly for individuals who may not be as aggressive in making lifestyle changes such as reducing caloric intake or increasing their physical activity," says Gilbert Kaats, Ph.D., of the Health and Medical Research Foundation in San Antonio, the lead investigator in the multi-authored study, which was reported in the June 1998 issue of Current Therapeutic Research. Subjects involved in the study were provided 400 micrograms of Chromium or a placebo daily. Changes in body fat, fat-free mass, and weight were measured over a 90-day period. The study lasted 3-months and was a double-blind study of 122 moderately overweight people and found that 400 mcg of Chromium daily resulted in an average loss of 6.2 pounds of body fat, as opposed to 3.4 pounds in the placebo group. The results of the study demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in body fat (and fat mass) in those individuals who took Chromium, without losing any valuable lean body mass. These results suggest that Chromium can help you lose fat without losing muscle. The authors noted, "It has been proposed that Chromium picolinate's positive effect on body composition is through its ability to improve insulin utilization, thereby reducing fat deposition and resulting in improving entry of glucose and amino acids into muscle cells. Although this study did not attempt to test this assertion, the findings are consistent with this hypothesis."1 This benefit to the dieter's goal of weight loss by correcting the effects of insulin on fat storage is further substantiated by an article in Medical Hypotheses: "Increased pancreatic beta-cell secretory activity usually is associated with decreased alpha-cell activity; stimulated beta-cells release gamma-aminobutyric acid, which hyperpolarizes alpha-cells, inhibiting glucagon release. Thus, insulin secretion and glucagon secretion are usually inversely coupled. This suggests that Chromium and other insulin-sensitizing modalities, by down-regulating beta-cell activity, may increase glucagon secretion. Such an effect might play a role in the documented therapeutic activity of supplemental Chromium and biguanides in reactive hypoglycemia, and might also be of benefit to dieters." 4 So, we have seen that Chromium supplementation has been shown to preserve muscle while accelerating the loss of adipose tissue (body fat.) It is an effective deterrent to "Syndrome-X" effects. All forms of trivalent Chromium are effective. ChromeMate® Brand of Chromium has been shown to be the most bio-available form of Chromium in recent studies! Chromium also
seems to have significant cholesterol-lowering abilities, according to
new research. Researchers combined data from five previous
double-blind, placebo controlled studies involving more than 300
patients. Total blood cholesterol levels fell more than 20 points on
average, going from more than 220 mg/dl to less than 200 mg/dl, in
subjects receiving Chromium. Study participants were not on any lipid
lowering medications. Supplementation with 1,000 mcg had the greatest
effect, although doses as low as 200 mcg also significantly lowered
blood cholesterol.5 Doses of higher than 400mcg daily are
not recommended by most clinicians, however. To further substantiate
Chromium's benefit to cholesterol reduction; we see in a very recent
study that there are indications that Chromium may also be important for
blood cholesterol reduction and a lessening of the risk of diabetes and
heart disease. The not-for-profit educational organization, the
Chromium Information Bureau reports that Dr. Danielle Greenberg,
nutritional scientist at Purchase, NY-based AMBI, Inc., presented
research linking Chromium and cholesterol at a meeting of the American
College of Nutrition. On average, total blood cholesterol fell more
than 20 points in people receiving Chromium picolinate.6 Boston University's HealthSource web site summarizes Chromium's benefits with these points:
Low Carb Nexus® Chromium is the highest quality of bioactive Chromium available... it is available HERE!
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