Preventing diabetes: Questions about chromium supplements, chia seeds

Hi @sarasotababe, welcome to Connect! This is a great question. I did some digging and found that the American Diabetes Association has recommended in the past incorporating certain foods into your meal plan, such as whole grains, and made a mention that these grains contain chromium. They did not however, mention if chromium has prevention or regulation capabilities, but here's the press release in case you're interested in reading it: http://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2009/its-a-bird-its-a-plane-2009.html

I also found this article from Diabetes Action that goes a little more in-depth about chromium and diabtes: http://www.diabetesaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=complementary_october_06

Have you been considering taking chromium supplements for prevention and/or regulation?

Thanks for your articles. Fortunately for me, I’m not diabetic. But the older we get, the more we need to advocate for our own health.<br><br><br><br>I have found that chia seeds appear to be a high source of chromium and fiber.<br><br><br><br>I would prefer including seeds in my diet than a supplement, per se.<br><br><br><br>Sandy<br><br><br>

@sarasotababe, We took your question to a Mayo Clinic pharmacist. She writes:

"Chromium is considered “likely safe” when taken by mouth and used short term (1000 mcg daily for up to 6 months), it is “possibly safe” when used long term (up to 2 years). There is evidence that shows chromium can decrease fasting blood glucose, insulin levels, and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), and can increase insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. Some newer studies suggest that chromium may also help those with type 1 diabetes and gestational diabetes. Not all studies show theses positive results, however, and some of the research indicates that the supplementation is more beneficial to people with poor nutrition or those who may have low chromium levels. In general, this is generally accepted as a safe natural product to help with diabetes. Be sure to let your healthcare provider know if you are taking it so they may follow your progress."

I also found this article about chia seeds written by Allie Wergin, registered dietician http://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/chia-the-nutrition-packed-power-seed

Good for you for being proactive about your health.

Colleen

I appreciate your support. Do you know whether chia seeds help regulate blood sugar?

As a prevention of Diabetes, will 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Chia seeds help? Any dangers?

Probably not. Maybe.

Thanks for your response. I've been adding about a Tablespoon and 1/2 per day with meals of chia seeds. No supplement.

Any negatives?

Hi @sarasotababe,
Here's some information that I found online. I'm sure you've done some of this research yourself.
From Harvard Health blog http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-chia-pet-for-diabetes-20101217923
Excerpt: "Some preliminary research indicates that chia seeds could—I stress the “could”—help people with diabetes control their blood sugar and protect their hearts. Studies in animals show that a chia-rich diet lowers harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing beneficial HDL cholesterol. And a white-seeded variant of chia, called Salba, helped diabetic volunteers control their blood sugar, as well as their blood pressure and new markers of cardiac risk, such as C-reactive protein.

The results of the study were published in the journal Diabetes Care. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17686832

@sarasotababe do you work with a nutritionist or dietitian to manage diabetes? Do you have diabetes or are you concerned about a high risk?

@sarasotababe - I merged the 2 discussion threads that you started referring to supplements and preventing diabetes. There is great information in this thread that I think other members will appreciate.

Like with all supplements that haven't been vetted through double blind studies there might be a down side to chia seeds. I've blown thousands on supplements to little or no benefit so I'm an uber-skeptic. One good way to get some assurance that something like this might have benefit is to search pubmed for meta analyses(studies of studies, Cochrane database) on them instead of single studies. Maybe chia seeds will turn out to be magic who knows. Most seeds are healthy since they contain the nutrients needed to germinate. Or, its the fiber, which is proven to help lipid profiles. Here's a government site for pre-diabetes prevention which seems ok. Government sites in general are way too verbose. Sorry that I was so brief on an earlier response.