Chromium & heart attacks

[Guest guest]

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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August 01, 2005

 

Dear Reader,

 

An important insight into the health of your heart may be revealed by

examining clippings from your toenails.

Yes, you read that correctly: your toenails.

 

The key is chromium, a trace mineral that's a component of insulin and

is required for proper metabolism of glucose, carbohydrates and fats.

I'll have more in a moment about the important connection between

chromium and diabetic health. But first we'll look at a recent

chromium study in which toenail clippings played a key role.

 

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Where's the chromium?

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A blood test can give an indication of your current chromium level.

But an examination of the chromium content of toenails provides a more

revealing measurement of long-term chromium intake.

 

This was the starting point for researchers at the Welch Center for

Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research in Baltimore when they

designed a study to assess the relationship of chromium and heart

attack risk. Toenail clippings were collected from more than 1,400 men

in eight European countries and Israel. About 680 subjects had

survived a heart attack. The other men - a control group of more than

720 - had no history of heart attack.

 

Results showed that the overall chromium level for heart attack

patients was 13 percent lower than the overall level for subjects that

had not had a heart attack. Also, subjects with the lowest levels of

chromium were 35 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack compared

to subjects with the highest levels. Chromium levels were generally

lower for subjects with high blood pressure and for the older subjects

in both groups.

 

In their report in the American Journal of Epidemiology the

researchers wrote: " These results add to an increasing body of

evidence that points to the importance of chromium for cardiovascular

health. "

 

That evidence includes at least two previous studies that found heart

attack risk to be associated with low chromium levels in toenail

clippings. The Welch Center team also noted that dietary studies have

indicated that chromium intake from food sources is inadequate among a

large percent of the general population.

 

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Sugar management

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Chromium also serves another very important health function. As I

mentioned above, chromium is a component of insulin, and a deficiency

of the mineral may interfere with your body's ability to regulate

blood sugar levels. In the e-Alert " Mineral Rights " (6/16/04), I told

you about a study in which type 2 diabetics were given a supplement

formula that contained chromium (600 mcg per day as chromium

picolinate) and 2 mg per day of biotin, a B complex vitamin.

 

After 30 days, the chromium/biotin formula produced these results:

 

* Fasting blood glucose was reduced, on average, by more than 26 mg/dL

* More than 70 percent of the supplement group experienced

significant drops in fasting blood glucose

* LDL cholesterol levels decreased by more than 10 mg/dL on average

 

Chromium is fairly easy to incorporate in the diet: Broccoli is

particularly rich in chromium, as is turkey meat, liver (and other

organ meats), seafood, whole grains, oysters, eggs and cheese.

 

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for chromium is 25 mcg per day

for women and 35 mcg per day for men. For most people, however, a

daily supplement of 600 mcg is well tolerated. As always, consult with

your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning any new

supplement regimen, especially if you hope to manage major health

issues like diabetes and heart attack risk.

 

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....and another thing

 

Imagine it's a warm summer evening (all too easy to do in THIS

particular summer) and you and your family take a drive to the local

ice cream stand.

 

Now it's decision time. But you're not just choosing a flavor. That's

old school. Tonight you'll also make a choice between ice cream that

supports stress relief, or a couple of scoops that stimulate

inspiration, or maybe a hand-packed pint that enhances memory.

 

Welcome to functional ice cream.

 

The functional food market is booming. It's not enough for products to

just be " all natural, " or " organic, " or " nutritious " anymore. Now many

products also have functional ingredients (such as herbal extracts)

included to enhance well-being.

 

A company called Frutarom is following the lead of many beverage and

dairy products that have become functional. Ori Yehudai - president of

Frutarom - believes that functional ice cream will be a big seller

this summer.

 

If Mr. Yehudai has a Frutarom ice cream variety that can make me feel

less oppressed by the humidity, I'll take five gallons of pistachio,

please.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Low Toenail Chromium Concentration and Increased Risk of Nonfatal

Myocardial Infarction " American Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 162, No.

2, 7/15/05, aje.oxfordjournals.org

" Low Chromium Levels May Raise Heart Attack Risk " Reuters Health,

7/21/05, reutershealth.com

" Frutarom Pushes Concept of Functional Ice Cream " Anthony Fletcher,

FoodNavigator-USA, 6/6/05, foodnavigator-usa.com