Maybe you gained a few pounds over the holidays and are now ready to get healthy in 2011. Maybe you’ve gone to your doctor and found that your blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar is a little higher than you would like. Or maybe you’re a diabetic and now have a little less blood sugar control. If you’d like to improve your health without medication, are there natural methods you can turn to for help?
Many patients ask if I can recommend a few nutritional supplements. There are a number of natural supplements and treatments — supported with good science and clinical studies — that have been shown to be beneficial and that don’t cause any significant side effects. I regularly recommend two supplements:
CinnamonCinnamon has been shown to have multiple effects on the body that result in improved sugar and insulin levels. It improves pancreatic function and secretion of insulin. It improves insulin resistance (seen in pre-diabetes and diabetes) and also inhibits the binding of sugar to cellular proteins. This binding of sugar to proteins in the body is called advance glycation end products and is being implicated in diabetic complications, atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Cinnamon also stimulates genes in muscle and fatty tissue that transfer glucose out of the blood stream and into mitochondria, so you burn more sugar. Because cinnamon improves sugar utilization, it also improves lipid levels (high triglycerides and low HDL is a marker for poor sugar control). Studies show that cinnamon supplementation can improve blood pressure, increase lean body mass, improve polycystic ovarian syndrome (insulin resistance is a major component) and improve fasting blood sugar by up to 30 percent.
In a recent double-blind controlled trial, those taking a relatively low dose of 500 milligrams per day had a 15 percent reduction in blood sugar after two months with no side effects. A double-blind placebo-controlled study published in the journal Diabetic Care compared three doses of cinnamon (1 gram, 2 grams and 3 grams per day) and placebo. After 40 days, all three doses reduced serum glucose levels by 18 to 29 percent, triglycerides by 23 to 30 percent, LDL cholesterol by 7 to 27 percent and total cholesterol by 12 to 26 percent. The benefits lasted over 20 days after stopping the cinnamon. These improvements are comparable to many prescription medications.
ForskolinA less well-known supplement that is backed by science and that we have had good results with is Forskolin, which is also known as Coleus forskohlii. It is a member of the mint family that grows in subtropical areas such as India, Burma and Thailand. It’s a very interesting substance that is shown to reduce body fat, improve lean muscle, improve thyroid levels in men and women, improve testosterone levels in men and improve metabolism — but is not a stimulant. It has a lipolytic effect, in that it selectively stimulates fat breakdown.
A study published in the journal Obesity Research found that 250 milligrams given twice a day resulted in a 10 percent reduction in body fat. Interestingly, studies also show that it can improve heart function, allergies, asthma and depression; has anticancer properties; boosts energy; and lowers blood pressure. Many patients that use it are happy that they lost weight and have more energy, but they also say, “By the way, my allergies are gone,” or, “I don’t need my asthma inhaler anymore.”
While there are many other supplements that can be beneficial, especially when given in combination, the above supplements have a broad range of effects and can be helpful to get you healthy in the New Year.
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Tags: journal, two-supplements