Re: Natural alternative to Metformin

Chromium can be considered. it is not a replacmenet, but it support sugar metabolism. Chromium is a vital trace mineral that is found in low dose in certain foods. It comes in the form of chromium piccolinate. It causes decrease in blood insulin level and blood sugar level as well. Furthermore, it promotes the rise in DHEA, another anti-aging hormone, which decreased high levels of insulin through inhibition of an enzyme that acts to produce DHEA. Chromium levels decline with each decade of life. At any age, you can retard the progression towards heart disease and diabetes by taking chromium.

In order to confront the nature of chromium, it is necessary to face a few facts: 90 % of all Americans are deficient in the minimum recommended dosage of 50 mcg a day. To achieve the recommended ant-aging properties of chromium, many researchers recommend taking 200 mcg a day. Without enough chromium, insulin and blood sugar levels tend to rise in blood (affecting 50,000 Americans who have glucose intolerance), leading to diabetes and heart disease.

Chromium - How it works

When we eat food, the level of sugar goes up in our blood. Our body secretes insulin to help move the sugar into the cell for energy. As we age, our cell's ability to move the sugar decreases. In other words, the cell becomes insulin resistant. Our body reacts by producing more insulin. In the interim, our body is bathed in sugar that is destructive and causes aging. Chromium increases insulin efficiency so that less insulin is needed but the exact mechanism of this phenomenon is not fully known. If you eat sugary foods, you may need more chromium because molasses sugar can destroy chromium. Obtaining 33% of your calories from sugar can causes 3 times the loss in chromium as compared to eating 10% of your diet in sugar.

Unfortunately, food contains very little chromium. In the best anti-aging diets, there is only l24mcg of Chromium per 1000 calories. Foods high in chromium are: broccoli, barley, liver, lobster tail, and mushrooms

Chromium polynicotinate is the best form as it is readily absorbed and used by the body. An adequate anti-aging dose is 200 mcg a day. For optimum anti-aging effect, some researchers are recommending 400 mcg a day. For diabetic or those trying to improve blood sugar levels (usually results can be seen within a few days to a few weeks) more maybe needed. In such cases, it is always advisable to consult your physician first. It is rare to find 200 mcg of chromium polynicotinate in a regular multi-vitamin, so it may be necessary to buy it separately.

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