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Type II Diabetes and gymnema sylvestre
As a newly-diagnosed Type II diabetic, I am desperate to find an alternative means of helping me cope. The diet I have been given is no problem but a friend has told me about using chromium to help control blood-sugar levels. What do you think?
There is some evidence that chromium can moderately help control both Type I and Type II forms of diabetes if you stick to a safe dosage of 200 mcg (micrograms) a day. However, chromium is a heavy meal and so there is always a risk is can build up and cause problems in the future.
Certainly there have been reports of kidney damage in people taking a high dose of 1,200mcg or more for several months and since the most effective dosage for Type II individuals appears to be 1,000mcg daily, I think you need to consider these risks.
Possibly a better solution is the Indian Ayurvedic herb gymnema sylvestre. The part of the plant used to control diabetes is the leaf which contains gymnemic acids which have been shown to reduce the rate of intestinal absorption of glucose and to stimulate the pancreas to increase insulin production. Gymnemic acid also has the ability to inhibit the taste of sweetness. If you eat the leaf and then taste sugar, it will taste of grit or sandpaper with no sweet flavour at all.
In trials on gymnema, no adverse side-effects have been reported to date although some preparations can decrease the absorption of iron in the body. That said, the extract used in clinical studies is known as GS4, which does not include the constituents that can cause this problem. The daily dose you need to be taking is 400mg. The brand you should use is Ecological Formula's Gymnema sylvestre which contains GS4 and provides 200mg per tablet so take two a day. It costs £19.95 for 60 capsules. Mail order from the Nutricentre (0800-587 2290).
For type I sufferers, gymnema can enhance the blood glucose-lowering effects of insulin but you should not self-medicate or take the herb without supervision and monitoring of your blood glucose levels.