Niacin has also been tag teamed with chromium in effectively dropping insulin levels, but many people do not tolerate the hot “flush” feeling when taking this B vitamin, so check with your doctor!
Vanadium, or vanadyl sulfate, is known to act like insulin and helps to regulate proper glucose levels. It is so powerful, it can help lower the need for insulin in Type 1 (insulin dependent) diabetics, and in Type 2 it increases the insulin sensitivity levels.
Biotin is necessary to process glucose, and in Type 1 fasting cases, it has been shown to drop glucose by 50% in one week with a 16 mg per day dose, or 9 mg for two months for Type 2 patients. That's a hefty plunge in the numbers, which should be help non-diabetics immensely, but ask your practitioner about an appropriate dose for your own needs.
Zinc is also an interesting compound that helps regulate the proper amount of insulin to be released. Zinc can be depleted in foods by the process of heating, or in the body due to stress, alcoholic intake, and through the use of diuretics. We normally think of zinc in terms of wound care or in lozenges when we contract cold or flu germs, but it does much more.
There are other good possible candidates that are worth investigating in this area:
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Co-Q 10
- Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)
- Acetyl-L Carnitine
Again, I cannot caution the reader enough to discuss these possibilities with their physician. Allergic reactions, or dropping your blood sugar levels while on insulin could have dangerous consequences. Your physician knows your body and blood chemistry and can safely advice what would work best for your unique situation.
Some people also desire to get rid of the white table sugar they consume on a daily basis. They stop drinking full sugar Coke and opt to put away the sugar bowl instead of loading up their cereal, and that's a good first step, but don't replace it with artificial sugars, which are often chemically dangerous. If you have to choose, eat the table sugar! Better alternatives for your sweet tooth would be honey, brown sugar (small amounts), and stevia, which can be found in most health food stores in larger quantities as well as individual packets. Stevia goes a long way and is quite sweet, so add just a fraction and then give your food the taste test. It's always easier to add more than to try and remove excessive sweetness!
Never forget the value of spices in helping to lower or stabilize blood sugar levels. Research has shown that by consuming as little as ¼ of a teaspoon of cinnamon, it stabilizes the blood sugar levels for hours, making it a powerful weapon in fighting those extra pounds. When insulin levels spike and then drop, it creates the sensation of cravings in the body; if you stabilize the blood sugar, you will not experience the chemical cravings, thereby avoiding eating unnecessarily. So make sure you add cinnamon in your morning cereal, your afternoon tea, and for your evening dessert, microwave an apple and give it a liberal dash of cinnamon to keep you from experiencing the midnight munchie runs.
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