I am sure a lot of you already know this and some may disagree and that’s
OK. I found this interesting from HSI and wanted to post it for those who
may not be familiar. I can’t say that it is all correct but it is
interesting.

Mineral Rights

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

June 16, 2004

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Dear Reader,

It almost sounds like a late-night commercial: A simple combination of one
vitamin and one mineral - when taken together - may help diabetics regulate
blood sugar levels, manage cholesterol, and even control carbohydrate
cravings.

How can that be?

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Multitasking supplement

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In a study presented last month at an American Heart Association (AHA)
Conference, Chicago researcher Jeffrey Geohas, M.D. (medical director of
Radiant Research), examined the effect of a chromium picolinate (CP) and
biotin formula on 24 type 2 diabetics.

For 30 days, half the group took a daily dose of 600 mcg of CP and 2 mg of
biotin, while the other half took a placebo.

All of the subjects had previously taken antidiabetic drugs, but still had
difficulty managing sugar levels. Before and after the trial, researchers
measured each subject’s fasting blood glucose, LDL and HDL cholesterol
levels, and levels of apolipoprotein A (apo A) and apolipoprotein B (apo B).

As I’ve noted in previous e-Alerts, apo A is the protein component of HDL,
and apo B is the protein component of LDL.

Studies have shown that the ratio between apo A and apo B may be more
accurate in revealing heart health than the HDL- LDL ratio.

Dr. Geohas’ team found that subjects who took the CP and biotin supplement
improved in all of the categories

measured:

* Apo B decreased by an average of more than 5 mg per

deciliter (mg/dL)

* Ratio of Apo A to Apo B improved

* Fasting blood glucose was reduced, on average, by more

than 26 mg/dL

* More than 70 percent of the supplement group experienced

significant drops in fasting blood glucose

* LDL cholesterol levels decreased by more than 10 mg/dL on

average

LDL and apo B both increased in the placebo group, and less than 30 percent
of the placebo subjects recorded appreciable drops in fasting blood glucose.

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One-two punch

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The Radiant Research trial used a CP and biotin supplement called Diachrome.
And it should be noted that the research was funded by Nutrition 21, the
company that manufactures Diachrome and owns the patent on chromium
picolinate. But you don’t necessarily need supplements to get the full
benefits of chromium and biotin.

Biotin - part of the complex of B vitamins - has been shown to help
metabolize fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The two best food sources are
cooked eggs and liver. (Raw eggs contain a protein that prevents biotin
absorption.) According to the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI), biotin research
on rats indicates that this vitamin may stimulate insulin secretion in the
pancreas. And one study - cited on the LPI web site - showed that a group of
43 type 2 diabetics had significantly lower biotin levels compared to
non-diabetic subjects.

Chromium is a component of insulin, and previous research has already shown
that this mineral may help regulate blood sugar levels. Broccoli is
particularly rich in chromium, as is turkey meat, liver, seafood, whole
grains and oysters.

But there is an apparent advantage in taking a chromium picolinate
supplement. Picolinic acid (which is naturally produced in the body) is
believed to improve absorption of trace metal ions. And studies show that
absorption of minerals is significantly enhanced when the minerals are in
picolinate form.

In addition to Diachrome, chromium picolinate supplements (presumably using
Nutrition 21’s patented product) are available from many Internet sources
and health food stores.

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Constant craving

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According to naturopathic doctor Joseph Mercola, some people find that
chromium may also help control sugar and carbohydrate cravings.

This was confirmed in a recent study presented this month at a National
Institute of Mental Health conference.

Researchers recruited more than 110 subjects with atypical depression. (One
of the most common symptoms of atypical depression is the craving of
carbohydrates.) About two- thirds of the subjects took a daily supplement of
chromium picolinate for eight weeks. The other subjects received a placebo.
Subjects who took the CP supplement reported an overall drop in their carb
cravings compared to the placebo group. Many subjects in the CP group also
reported significantly less depression.

Scientists know that people who are depressed are almost twice as likely to
develop type 2 diabetes as those who are not. Many researchers believe that
the link between these two conditions is carbohydrate intake. For most
people, removing a craving for carbs may not be as simple as taking a daily
CP supplement, but a little help from a natural source certainly couldn’t
hurt.

Actually, mega-doses of chromium might be harmful for some.

But most people don’t get large amounts of chromium in their diets anyway,
so a daily supplement of 600 mcg should not be a problem. As always, though,
it’s a good idea to consult with your doctor or healthcare advisor before
beginning any new supplement regimen.

As a gerontologist you know a lot about care for the aging
population. Maybe we should compare notes pivately… I’m not a
gerontologist, but I do have many elderly clients.

You might be interested in some excellent anti-aging tools. Some of
my clients look and feel younger than they did a year ago; they tell
me they are thankful they have increased functionality. They have
repaired the cartilage in their knees etc, they’re active, dancing,
walking trails, gardening and all that, all because I steered them
into a nutritional program that also uses an amino acid secretagogue
that increases their growth hormone back to what it was several
decades ago. This allows them the ability to heal to keep up with the
damage.

The rest of the program gives them bioavailable nutrients so they
have something to build their cells with, prebiotic to restore their
bowel culture to youthful ratios and avoid or eliminate constipation
and diarrhea, and antioxidants including glutathione-producing cold-
processed whey, which also delivers the highest biological value
protein. I’ve even forced the regeneration of cartilage in just two
months with another supplement that happens to carry a money-back
guarantee that it will work.

I encourage clients to eliminate corn, canola and soy oils from their
diet, and to ruthlessly reduce their carb sources - no wheat, no
sugar, reduce other grains to next to nothing, and avoid potatoes for
example. I also encourage them to do liver flushes and otherwise
detoxify.

You’re right about compliance - I have the biggest compliance
problems with diabetics, who seem to spend more effort trying to
cheat a program than to adhere to it. Stopping the cravings by
increasing mineral and vitamin intake helps, as does adhering
strictly to the food restriction program for the first three weeks.
The cravings almost completely disappear in three weeks or so.

regards,

Duncan Crow