Beating The Blood-sugar Blues
By Anthony Almada, M.S.

Vanadium, a brilliant blue mineral named after the Norse goddess of beauty, has been a keen focus of diabetes research, even more so than chromium. The clinical human studies have shown doses of 75-300 mg per day of vanadyl sulfate (the most commonly tested form of vanadium) to produce moderate improvements in blood sugar and insulin actions. At doses above 75 mg, side effects—cramping, diarrhea and general GI discomfort—are not uncommon. However, these have been short-term studies, lasting no more than six weeks. The most recent study used 150 mg per day of vanadyl sulfate for six weeks in 11 Type II diabetics. Significant reductions in blood sugar, total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol were noted, apparently through improving the action of insulin in both liver and muscle tissue. The long-term safety of vanadium remains to be seen. This mineral appears to "seek" bone as a reservoir and may explain why the effects of vanadyl persist at least two weeks after supplementation ceases.

Nutrition and exercise biochemist Anthony Almada, M.S. has collaborated on more than 45 university-based studies and is founder and chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition.