Get Control of Your Blood Sugar!
Only about one-third of people with diabetes are able to achieve their target blood sugar levels, even with medications.
A new study suggests that two nutrients, chromium and biotin, a B vitamin, might help.
In the study, people with poorly controlled diabetes (who were not taking insulin) were divided into two groups. One group took 600 micrograms of chromium and 2 milligrams of biotin a day for 4 weeks. The other group got placebos.
Blood sugar levels were compared before and after the study. The people taking the chromium-biotin combo had a significant reduction in blood sugar measured 2 hours after a sugar challenge. This is an important measure of blood sugar control. They also had a 6 % reduction in cholesterol levels.
Other studies have shown both chromium and biotin to help with diabetes management. Chromium deficiencies have been associated with glucose intolerance, high blood sugar, high triglycerides and high cholesterol. Biotin is an essential nutrient that plays a role in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, glucose uptake by the liver, and suppressing glucose synthesis in the presence of high blood sugar. (Singer, GM, et al. Diabetes Technol Ther 2006 Dec;8(6):636-43.)
Some medical professionals claim that people in the U.S. get plenty of chromium, biotin and other micronutrients from food, but studies like this prove them wrong. People get plenty of calories, but if they are eating mostly processed foods, especially refined carbohydrates, they may need supplements to get optimal amounts of these nutrients. Even healthy foods contain less than 1 to 2 micrograms of chromium per serving.
The bottom line is that getting enough of these nutrients may provide enough blood sugar control for you to avoid having to use insulin.
