This Overlooked Trace Mineral Could Wipe Out the Diabetes Epidemic
by Tony Isaacs
Our bodies are designed to utilize a very large number of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients; however, some nutrients can play such important roles in good health that they should perhaps be recognized as the "master nutrients". In the first of what will be a continuing series of articles, we will take a look at a vital, yet largely overlooked, mineral nutrient and how it could almost singlehandedly wipe out the epidemic of diabetes plaguing our country: GTF chromium.
A healthy diet and regular physical activity have been rightly identified as keys to preventing and controlling diabetes. However, what has not been recognized is that regular consumption of a key for of chromium could virtually eliminate diabetes along with sensible eating and being even modestly active. Thanks to our unhealthy SADS diet and mineral depleting soils, each decade is bringing us more chromium deficiency. The deficiency has now reached a crisis state, with 90 percent of us estimated to be deficient in chromium.
More than 50 years ago the trace element chromium was identified as an essential nutrient at the National Institutes of Health by Dr. Klaus Schwartz due to its role in blood sugar metabolism. A molecule named Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF) was found to be primarily composed of chromium. Dr. Walter Mertz, an assistant to Dr. Schwartz at the time, noted in 1959 "Type II diabetes is not a disease. It is the lack of a natural ingredient, known as GTF chromium."
More than 30 years ago, Columbia and Yale graduate and Dartmouth University medical school professor Dr. Henry Alfred Schroeder wrote that "the typical American diet, with about 60 percent of its calories from refined sugar, refined flour and fat . . . was apparently designed not only to provide as little chromium as feasible, but to cause depletion of body stores of chromium."
Chromium works together with insulin in providing sugar to the cells for energy. If chromium levels decrease there is a corresponding decrease in sugar delivery from insulin. Modern medical terms such as "insulin resistance" and "insulin sensitivity" should be more accurately replaced with "gross chromium deficiency".
As health historian Christopher C. Barr explained, insulin is a transport mechanism. It is like a truck that transports glucose to be unloaded at the cells insulin receptors. Chromium rich GTF molecules are like dock workers which assist getting the sugar (glucose) to the insulin receptors. If there are less and less GTF "dock workers" then the work of providing sugar to the cells becomes unproductive. A traffic jam of insulin "trucks" in the blood stream results in higher and higher blood sugar levels as the problems of chromium deficiency increases over time.
Although we do see chromium supplement promoted for various health areas, we hear very little about GTF chromium. A major reason is likely because the vast majority of medical research is oriented towards finding new patented medicines. Another might be due to the US government owning a patent on a different, much less effective but more highly promoted, form of chromium - chromium picolinate.
The right form of chromium is whole foods grown GTF chromium, and the right daily amount is about 100 micrograms taken three times daily. If every American took 100 per cent whole food GTF chromium, ate reasonably healthily and got modest regular physical activity, it would virtually wipe out diabetes. In addition, at a time when the Obama administration is asking agencies to find $100 billion in health care savings, universal use of GTF chromium would save at least $100 billion annually from the $218 billion annual costs of treating diabetes.
For more information about avoiding and beating diabetes naturally, see:
Thank you for this interesting article.
Would you be able to clarify this please? " ....The right form of chromium is whole foods grown GTF chromium, and the right daily amount is about 100 micrograms taken three times daily."
In other words: would you know what would be the "right form of chromium" and in which whole foods GFT chromium grows??
In grains - like wheat, rice etc.??
THANKS!
GTF chromium comes in a variety of froms. Some is artificially produced via chelation. Others, such as the Jarrow Forumulas GTF chromium I have been getting from our friends at Utopia Silver and taking for quite awhile is made by fermenting yeast together with chromium. That is a more natural form; however, the best form is one derived solely from whole foods and even better organic whole foods such as the product I will likely be switching to made by MegaFoods:
Whole food nutrients are closest to what is found in nature and the body recognizes, absorbs and utilizes them better than other forms of nutrients.
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as always, it's the non-food lifestyle that causes not only the lack, but the depletion. Ultimately, health is easy--it's poor health -and the creation of disease- that takes genuine work, and effort (in the form of abusing and teampering with what is natural!
best food sources may be:
Food sources of chromium are broccoli, grape juice, whole grains, potatoes, beef, orange juice, turkey, red wine, apples, banana, and green beans.
I'm guessing there are plenty of herbal and "weed" sources too. (aka wild foods) A good rule is, the less refined foods you eat, the less whole foods you will need, in order to provide for required minerals and trace elements. With these, the body can do much--for example, it it not yet generally known (or perhaps "discovered")that with a clove bud resting on the tongue, (that is, the real, unadulterated whole, or you might best say "entire" food), the body can produce "vitamin C".
So...Chromium GTF is the answer? Currently, along with a mostly vegan diet and 4 times a week (a mile at a time) on the treadmill, I take the picolinate variety---1000 mcg/daily. These steps I've taken have made a big difference. I've lost weight and my A1C is at 6.6. I guess I'm just wondering is the GTF variety far more effective? Plus do the other varieties---picolinate and polynicotinate offer some good benefits? Thanks!
I bet the steps you have taken are making a big difference! Congratulations.
The other forms of chromium have some benefits, they just are not nearly as highly absorbable or as well utilized as GTF chromium. You could likely get more benefits from 400 mcg of GTF chromium as you do from 1000 mcg of the other forms. I suggest you go to the Crusador online (www.healthtruthrevealed.com) and do a search for chromium and/or GTF chromium. You will likely find a number of articles by Chris Barr. My good friend the MD and naturopathic doctor "Dr Ken" O'Neal concurs 100%.
One other item that could help make a difference is magnesium. The very large majority of us are deficient in it and it has many, many important functions - among which is proper production, transport and utilization of glucose.
Thank you for the quick response! Once I use up all the picolinate, I will get GTF. Also, I'll look at all the magnesium supplements that are out there, then settle on one.
I use Professional Formulas Membrane Complex formulated by Doctor Hans Neper. it contains 400mg of nagnesium and calcium and 200 mg of Potassium per serving of 2 capsules). Better still is probably magnesium oil and I have a product in mind that I will be trying out soon.
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This Overlooked Trace Mineral Could Wipe Out the Diabetes Epidemic 
This Overlooked Trace Mineral Could Wipe Out the Diabetes Epidemic
