Treating Insulin Resistance with Chromium
In recent articles, I have discussed two ways to prevent or lessen the insulin disturbances caused by high glycemic carbohydrates: eat less of them or slow their absorption with carb blockers. In addition to carb blockers, supplemental chromium can counteract the problems caused by consuming too many high glycemic carbs. One case study in particular illustrates how chromium can treat disorders related to insulin resistance.
In 1977, a woman with a chronic digestive condition who had been receiving all of her nutrition through intravenous feeding for three years suddenly began losing weight. She developed severe peripheral neuropathy with numbness, tingling and burning in her hands and feet. Since diabetics often develop similar symptoms, she was given a glucose tolerance test that indicated she was indeed diabetic.
The patient’s doctors reasoned that because her intravenous feedings contained no chromium, a chromium deficiency could be the root cause of her symptoms. When chromium was added to her intravenous feedings, she immediately began to gain weight back, her glucose tolerance returned to normal and her peripheral neuropathy vanished. With continuation of chromium treatment her adverse symptoms never returned.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: Years of research have proven that chromium can be an important treatment for insulin resistance. Chromium’s ability to regulate insulin levels makes it useful for treating a variety of disorders related to blood sugar imbalances. In addition, chromium can be an effective weight loss tool.
