Diabetes A Health Condition - 948 Words

Diabetes is a health condition that described with elevated level of glucose in the blood as a result of the body’s inability to produce any or not enough insulin causing hyperglycemia. In fact, diabetes is the sixth factor of causing in death in the U.S due to its correlation to cardiovascular diseases (Hummel Schnell, 2009). Not to mention that diabetes has its health complication: Kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb amputations. In 2014, Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the number of diabetic reached 29.1 million people in the U.S, which is a 9.3 % of the total population. In fact, in the same report pointed out that 37% of the total U.S population (adults aged 20 and older) is prediabetic based on†¦show more content†¦In fact, chromium plays a role in glucose and insulin homeostasis. This mechanism is as result of the role of chromodulin that activates insulin receptor kinase activity. This activation happens when a chromium ion transport to the insulin dependent cell by transferrin. When chromium binds to Apochromodulin forming chromodulin that mediates and activates the insulin receptor IR and leads to glucose uptake (Vincent, 2000). In 2012, Basaki et al. investigates the chromium serum levels and other minerals: Zinc, copper, and iron as well in both diabetic and normal subjects. He found that diabetic subjects were deficient in all these minerals compared with non-diabetic ones. In fact, that chromium level is decreased by age (Havel, 2004). Hence chromium supplementation could be a therapeutic approach for treating diabetes or at least decrease medication dose. Chromium Supplementation in diabetes The efficacy of chromium supplementation is debatable; however, in a systemic review of 15 studies that conducted by Broadhurst and Domenico 2006 found 13 of 15 studies have found significant outcome in glycemic control. All the 15 studies found a significant benefit of using chromium picolinate supplement in at least one of the following: Dyslipidemia, reduced blood glucose, insulin, cholesterol, and the requirement of hypoglycemic medication. The most efficient form of chromium that used as supplementation is chromium picolinate that linked to insulin sensitivity