Type 2 diabetes requires lifestyle and dietary changes. By controlling your blood sugars, you can live a fuller, healthier and longer life. Taking a supplement such as chromium picolinate will help insulin to act more effectively to lower your blood sugar, according to Gale Malesky, author of "The Definitive Guide to Health Supplements."
Blood Sugar Levels
Your blood sugar, or glucose levels, depend upon insulin to keep them regulated. When insulin breaks down blood sugars, it binds to the blood cells, absorbing the sugar and releasing it to your kidneys. You then excrete it in your urine. Chromium picolinate helps the insulin bind the blood sugar in your cells at a stronger level, causing the receptor sites of the blood sugar to respond more quickly with the insulin. The sensitivity of insulin receptor sites is important in getting rid of excess blood sugar and making you healthier.
Chromium Picolinate Supplements
The daily dietary intake for chromium established by the National Academy of Sciences in 1989 is 50 to 200 micrograms for non-diabetic adults and adolescents, Malesky states. Your intake of the right foods containing chromium will help you achieve this goal. Over-the-counter supplements for diabetics should provide between 400 and 600 micrograms daily. As a diabetic, you need a higher dose to control your blood sugar.
Your Diet
The National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, states that a healthier diet including foods high in chromium may help regulate your blood sugar. Foods rich in chromium include fruits, spices, vegetables, whole-grain products and meat. By consuming healthier meals with fresh fruit and vegetables, you can help to stabilize your blood sugar.
Health Risks
A sustained high blood sugar level will cause problems with your arteries such as narrowing, Malesky relates. This occurs because of plaque build-up triggered by the lack of blood sugar breakdown in your bloodstream. When your body cannot break down blood sugars properly for release from your body, they hibernate and turn into fat. The fat finds its way into your arteries, causing a build-up of plaque to occur. This plaque is harmful to your health and increases your chances of a stroke or heart attack because it blocks the flow of blood, MayoClinic.com reports. Chromium picolinate can help to reduce your risks for these diseases by increasing the effectiveness of your insulin.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Chromium Supplement (Oral Route, Parenteral Route)
- National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements: Chromium
- "The Definitive Guide to Health Supplements"; Gale Malesky, et al.;1999
- Drugs.com: Chromium Picolinate
