Chromium Is The Only Thing That Helps, Alternative?

[SarahBeara]

I have been really worn down lately with digestion issues, this is causing a knock on effect with sleep, mood and energy. Put simply I was pretty miserable. I've been through the gamut of supplements to no avail.

I know Ray doesn't approve of chromium but I also knew in the past it had helped me with overall energy levels.

I started taking 200mcg of chromium polynicotinate and after a week the difference has been night and day.

I'm sleeping well, my digestion, although not perfect is vastly improved. My blood sugar stays nice and even all day, I'm in a better mood, I'm much more sociable and pleasant to be around. I handle work stress without a fuss, I'm more resilient, I have a more positive outlook. Basically even if this shortens my life I'm tempted to risk it just to feel this good and avoid the misery of before.

Would it be so awful to take this long term? What's the real evidence against chromium?

 

[Such_Saturation]

It's much more niacin than it is chromium...

 

[SarahBeara]

Thing is I've tried niacinamide and it doesn't have the same effect. Here's hoping the niacin component is at least protective of any negative effects of the chromium.

Most of the potential harm studies I've seen have been picolinate.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Have you checked out niacin or inositol nicotinate (I haven't ).

 

[Makrosky]

I have been really worn down lately with digestion issues, this is causing a knock on effect with sleep, mood and energy. Put simply I was pretty miserable. I've been through the gamut of supplements to no avail.

I know Ray doesn't approve of chromium but I also knew in the past it had helped me with overall energy levels.

I started taking 200mcg of chromium polynicotinate and after a week the difference has been night and day.

I'm sleeping well, my digestion, although not perfect is vastly improved. My blood sugar stays nice and even all day, I'm in a better mood, I'm much more sociable and pleasant to be around. I handle work stress without a fuss, I'm more resilient, I have a more positive outlook. Basically even if this shortens my life I'm tempted to risk it just to feel this good and avoid the misery of before.

Would it be so awful to take this long term? What's the real evidence against chromium?

I think hypoglycemias can turn you miserable as you said and chromium helps with that so I guess you have your answer.

I really doubt chromium is THAT bad since it's on almost all multivitamin formulas. I can recall haidut posting bad things about chromium but... I'm 100% sure your previous symptoms do you way much more harm than 200mcg of chromium. Look for haidut posts on chromium and be pragmatic. Until you find a better alternative I think it does you more good than bad.

 

[Elephanto]

Peat mentions his dad curing his diabetes with brewer's yeast. Coincidentally it is the highest source of chromium. It is pretty obvious that the efficacy of brewer's yeast resides in its chromium content and nothing else . In large epidemiological studies they find lower or deficiency of chromium in diabetics compared to controls. It is probably essential for insulin sensitivity. But hey, stop taking the thing that makes a night/day difference because massive doses of it may cause cancer and because Peat advises against something that is solely responsible for curing his dad's diabetes yet he doesn't seem to know that this mineral was responsible.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Until you find a better alternative

Yea we were trying here my dudes

 

[Makrosky]

I am pretty sure most people on the forum are familiar with the movie "Erin Borkovich" and the story it tells on the intentional poisoning of a few cities in California with the carcinogenic chromium VI. The official story has always been that chromium III is safe and it has no relation to chromium VI, and that exposure to chromium VI must be direct in order for cancer to develop.
Well, this study found that this official story is not true. Ingestion of chromium III from dietary supplements can result into some cell metabolizing the "safe" chromium into the carcinogenic chromium VI. Ray has always cautioned against supplementing with chromium and I think we now know why.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 09065/full
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-01-l ... pills.html

"...Concerns have been raised over the long-term use of nutritional supplements containing chromium, after an Australian research team found the supplement is partially converted into a carcinogenic form when it enters cells. Chromium is a trace mineral found primarily in two forms. Trivalent chromium(III) picolinate and a range of other chromium(III) forms are sold as a nutritional supplements, while hexavalent chromium(VI) is its 'carcinogenic cousin'. The latter gained notoriety from the book and 2000 movie, Erin Brockovich, which linked an elevated cluster of illnesses, including cancer, to hexavalent chromium in the drinking water of the Californian town of Hinkley."

"..."The health hazards associated with exposure to chromium are dependent on its oxidation state. "We were able to show that oxidation of chromium inside the cell does occur, meaning it loses electrons and transforms into a carcinogenic form." Additional experiments have since been conducted at Australia's National Beamline Facility and the Photon Factory in Tsukuba Japan, (operated by the Australian Synchrotron) that has helped clarify the carcinogenic nature of chromium(V) and chromium(VI) formed in cells. Professor Lay said with the latency period for chromium(VI)-related cancers often greater than 20 years, the finding raised concerns about the possible cancer-causing qualities of chromium compounds and the risks of taking chromium nutritional supplements long term or in high doses."

I didn't read the original study. Things that make me think this should be taken with a grain of salt :

- It's an isolated paper cherry picked. There can be dozens of external variables that affect the paper claims. As with every study in fact. You can't make definiteve statements with only one paper.
- "can cause", "possible", "long-term", "high-doses"

I am not in favour of chromium "per se" but I'm sure it's much more carcinogenic to not digest, sleep, socialize, maintain blood sugar levels, handle stress, etc.

If I would be you I would take the chromium, forget about the supposed dangers for a few weeks or months, and keep researching how you can keep improving metabolism and control glucose levels. Or even better, forget about all this and live your life. Finding a simple solution that fixes so many things and allows you to live a happy life is, obviously, very healing. We tend to overcomplicate things.

You are gonna find papers on dangers of absolutely everything in our daily lives. From meat, milk, allergens, pollution, stress, your mother's traumas, tap water, soaps, underpaid jobs, pesticides in the orange juice, residues in table salt, GMO coconuts, metalic cookware and some fight you had with your brother when you were kids and you never "processed" (like processed cheese). Whatever.

 

[Parsifal]

I think that Ray said in an audio interview that his dad cured his diabetes with brewer's yeast...

 

[Makrosky]

I think that Ray said in an audio interview that his dad cured his diabetes with brewer's yeast...

I think it's not only the chromium on the brewer's yeast. It also has B vitamins and those play a big role on glucose/insulin system.

 

[SarahBeara]

Wow, thanks guys, you have certainly put my mind at ease!

Another perk of it I discovered today, no PMS! This is unheard of for me and I've tried everything from salt to B6 to progesterone.

So it really is the 'missing link' for me right now. Hopefully I can continue to heal and eventually not need it in the long run.

Thanks!

 

[PhilParma]

OP

Sarah, what form of chromium are you using? Picolinate or GTF? And what dose works for you?

I'm currently on a many months long battle against blood sugar, and the B-vitamin route doesn't seem to be a solution. I'm currently on 1g daily aspirin. I really need aspirin or chromium to work for me, because I'm out of ideas...

 

[tara]

I started taking 200mcg of chromium polynicotinate and after a week the difference has been night and day.

I guess if you are concerned about risks, you could eventually try reducing the dose you take and see if you still get the benefits - eg 1/2 tablet and/or every second day?

Am I right in thinking mushrooms also supply some bioavailable chromium?

 

[tara]

I wonder if the chromium in brewers yeast is a more available or safer form than the typical supplemental forms? I don't know what form it is, just speculating.

 

[Dobster]

@PhilParma I share your pain, same issues with BS, I've no choice but to take Metformin. The B's don't do anything that I can feel.
Still searching for a more definitive solution. Maybe Brewer's Yeast is the answer.

 

[PhilParma]

It's tough. I might pick up some Brewer's Yeast from Whole Foods tomorrow. If I can't solve this in about a week I'm just gonna go back into ketosis because I need to get back to a livable energy level. It's depressing. Starting today I'm taking a little daily tab of chromium picolinate from CVS as a last ditch effort.

 

[tara]

I might pick up some Brewer's Yeast from Whole Foods tomorrow.

Peat has suggested making a hot water extract of brewers yeast for diabetes, drinking the liquid and discarding the solids - hopefully most of the estrogens are thrown out with the solids.

same issues with BS, I've no choice but to take Metformin.

Out of curiosity, how high are your BG readings without metformin that make you think it is imperative to act quickly to suppress it?

 

[Dobster]

Hi @tara my BG on a good day (subj to variables) is avg at 6.0 MMOL / 106 MG for the last month its avg at 8-15 MMOL / MG 145-270 ish sometimes higher.

 

[aguilaroja]

Some of the Cr safety concerns are discussed in this thread:

Dietary supplements with chromium may be carcinogenic

The Wiki page on chromium mentions that one reason for relative safety of chromium (III) picolinate may be that 99% of intake is usually eliminated through the bowels.
Chromium(III) picolinate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The psychiatrist Malcolm McLeod advocated for chromium as a treatment for depression. If brightened mood is a main factor here, other metabolic mood support can be explored.

 

[SarahBeara]

Sarah, what form of chromium are you using? Picolinate or GTF? And what dose works for you?

I'm currently on a many months long battle against blood sugar, and the B-vitamin route doesn't seem to be a solution. I'm currently on 1g daily aspirin. I really need aspirin or chromium to work for me, because I'm out of ideas...

I'm taking niacin bound chromium polynicotinate, which in my experience works a lot better than picolinate or GTF. Probably the niacin helping somehow.

Most of the dangers have been from studies using picolinate.