)
Maintains Normal Blood Pressure
ChromeMate® Improves Blood Pressure, Insulin Levels and Oxidative Stress in Animals
High blood pressure and oxidative stress often occur when the ability of insulin to lower blood sugar is compromised—a condition known as insulin resistance.
Investigators compared the effects of niacin-bound chromium (ChromeMate®),Gymnema sylvestre extract and vanadium (BMOV) on blood pressure in laboratory animals bred to develop hypertension.
Animals were fed a high-sugar (sucrose) diet to elevate blood pressure beyond that caused by their genetic makeup. Adding chromium to the sucrose diet lowered insulin values and prevented the expected rise in systolic blood pressure, though not throughout the entire study period.
Since chromium had previously been shown to offset the effects of a more moderate sugar diet for a longer period of time, a higher level of chromium may have been more effective.
ChromeMate® also reduced oxidative damage in the kidney and liver as measured by TBARS, and marked weight loss was noted.
Gymnema decreased blood cholesterol levels, but did not lower blood pressure, and even raised it at times.
This may be due to the fact that gymnema stimulates the release of insulin rather than making cells more sensitive to its effects. High concentrations of vanadium (0.12%) overcame the sugar-induced rise in blood pressure and protected against oxidative stress in the liver.
However, vanadium also resulted in loss of body weight and abnormal blood chemistries. When lower levels (0.01%) were tested, vanadium successfully kept the sugar-induced blood pressure in check and did not affect body weight, at least in the early stages of the study.
In the present study, the level of ChromeMate® tested was more effective in the short term compared to gymnema in lowering sugar-induced high blood pressure. Though moderate levels of vanadium kept blood pressure down, further study is needed to determine its safe use over time.
This study, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, documented that a key ingredient in Diab-X®: