Chromium is an essential nutrient; in particular it has an important role in stabilising blood sugar levels. It also is important for cardiovascular disease, to help to prevent obesity, promote skin health, reduce negative effects of stress, and promote muscle health.
GTF Chromium helps maintain stable blood sugar levels
If you have problems maintaining stable blood sugar levels you are likely to find taking a supplement of GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor) Chromium helpful. High blood sugar levels cause serious damage to the body, particularly the blood vessels; in the extreme high blood sugars can kill. Diabetes results when the body is unable to lower blood sugar levels which are too high.
On the other hand, very low blood sugar levels can also be a problem; people with diabetes can get low blood sugar levels in reaction to medication. This is called hypoglycaemia. Some people have a tendency to get low blood sugar levels even though they don’t have diabetes. Hypoglycaemia causes symptoms such as hunger, shakiness, nervousness, sweating, dizziness or light-headedness, sleepiness, confusion, difficulty speaking, anxiety, weakness, nightmares, and waking up feeling tired, irritable, or confused.
GTF Chromium helps regulate your blood sugar levels, this means it can either lower or raise blood sugar levels depending on the needs of your body. It is necessary for insulin to work properly. Insulin, a powerful hormone involved with protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, plays a major role in reducing high blood sugar levels. But without biologically active chromium, insulin is ineffective.
In Type 1 diabetes the body no longer produces insulin; in Type 2 diabetes insulin is not produced in adequate amounts. Diabetics are likely to be deficient in chromium [1], it is an important nutrient for all diabetics; most studies so far have shown that people with Type 2 Diabetes [2], or Pre-Diabetes, need GTF Chromium [3, 4]. Although a study this year found children who had just been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes also had very low levels of Chromium. The scientists suggested supplementation of chromium with insulin may be necessary for people with type 1 diabetes [5].
Chromium alone has been shown to help stabilize blood sugar levels [6]. Food State GTF Chromium reduced blood sugar levels by 16.8%, compared to only 6% with chromium chloride [4].
Other Nutrients which help GTF Chromium work
Chromium is very effective when combined with other nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E [7], Zinc [8, 9]. The antioxidants in this formulation are crucial to preventing the damage from diabetes [10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17]. Food State Vitamin C has been found to be effective in reducing signs that the body is developing complications of diabetes [18, 19].
Another important antioxidant is selenium which can be low in diabetics [20, 17]. In New Zealand we do have particularly low levels of selenium [21], so it is likely to be needed for diabetics here.
GTF Chromium Improves Cholesterol, supports the Heart and Circulation
GTF Chromium is also important in Cardiovascular disease. It improves cholesterol levels, helps reverse atherosclerosis damage (atherosclerosis can occur as a result of chromium deficiency), helps regulate blood pressure, chromium improves blood circulation and is beneficial for the treatment of congestive heart failure.
GTF Chromium helps to prevent Obesity
GTF Chromium helps to prevent obesity (by improving the body's utilization of Glucose) and can stimulate weight loss in people afflicted with obesity.
Help for skin health
Chromium is found in the skin and helps skin health including acne.
Stress depletes your body of Chromium
Chromium normally occurs in high amounts in the adrenal glands and brain. Excessive stress reduces the body's absorption of Chromium.
Chromium for Optimum Muscle Strength
Chromium stimulates muscle growth, increases muscle strength, can increase lean body mass, and enhances the uptake of creatine into the muscles. Excessive or highly strenuous exercise depletes chromium.
If I do use supplements, I recommend the Entire Katoa Food State range for the optimum absorption, low dose and low toxicity.
In previous articles I have talked about important foods to include, foods to avoid, and exercise, so here we will look more at the nutrients. Remember getting the food right is vital; so be focused. If you are with anybody who has diabetes trying to tempt them with foods that will damage them is like tempting someone with cancer to smoke cigarettes. So do all you can to support and encourage them, at the same time you will be decreasing your chances of getting Type 2 diabetes.
Original Article August 2012
Copyright Jaine Kirtley
References
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