"The Taming of Insulin: How to make it work for you"
by Cy Willson



Not only can the following compounds exert those awesome effects in manipulating insulin and insulin sensitivity, thereby increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat, but some of them possess some pretty potent antioxidant properties. So, they're actually healthy for you too!

Biotin

While biotin may not be new to either you or your body (as your body already makes some), it has some pretty cool effects on insulin sensitivity, and consequently, on blood glucose levels and control. In a couple of studies, results indicated that biotin may have the ability to act directly on the insulin secreting function of the pancreatic beta cells, the ones that secrete insulin. In one study, glucose metabolism was significantly improved, as was insulin sensitivity. These types of results were seen with dosages of around 9-16 milligrams per day.

Vitamin E

Good ol' vitamin E. It's been shown to be great for a number of things, especially its role as an antioxidant. However, in one study, ten healthy, human subjects and fifteen non-insulin dependent diabetics were given 1,350 IU per day for four months. In both healthy and diabetic subjects, vitamin E supplementation was shown to improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. This is yet another reason to start taking vitamin E if you aren't already doing so. A dosage of around 800-1400 IU should be sufficient.

Magnesium

Yep, there's no limit to what magnesium can do. I make mine go to the clubs and pick me up some hot ladies, which saves me a lot of time! The problem here is that people aren't consuming enough in their diet or are supplementing with terribly absorbed forms, rather than aspartate or another Krebs cycle intermediate. Magnesium has some profound effects on insulin and glucose metabolism. In fact, it was found that insulin-mediated glucose disposal was decreased in normal human subjects with relatively low plasma magnesium levels.

It also improved glucose metabolism and when combined with vanadyl, it had a synergistic effect on improvement of both glycogen synthesis and insulin sensitivity. As far as dosages, take around 350-600 milligrams of the aspartate form per day, but make sure not to consume it with any calcium.

Zinc

Yep, not only does zinc play an integral part in sex hormone production, but it also plays many roles in insulin utilization, secretion, and synthesis. It was even shown to improve insulin levels in Type I and Type II diabetics. Since it's just an overall important mineral, it should be supplemented into the diet at around 20-30 mg per day. Just make sure to get the aspartate form and never take it with a phytate-containing fiber, as it binds to the zinc and basically renders it useless. (By the way, if you're taking a quality ZMA supplement from a company like Twinlab, Biotest, or EAS, then you've got the zinc and magnesium thing covered. According to Victor Conte, the scientist who formulated the stuff, other companies such as Met-Rx, Designer Protein and Optimum Nutrition are not selling "authentic" ZMA and therefore, it may not be as bioavailable as the real stuff.)

Potassium

Potassium supplementation has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, responsiveness, and secretion. While it's commonly found in foods, you could still benefit from some additional supplementation, just don't get crazy and get some prescription K+ salts. As far as dosages go, 1-2 grams is enough, since going overboard on K+ supplementation can be dangerous and can lead to some nasty and potentially deadly side effects.

Alpha Lipoic Acid

ALA has been shown to be both water and fat soluble, as well as having potent antioxidant effects. Furthermore, it's had some pretty astounding affects on both insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal. It's also unique in that it's been shown to increase glucose storage in muscle tissue, and not in adipose tissue. Therefore, it seems to increase sensitivity in muscle tissue only. Take around 600 mg per day in divided dosages.

Taurine

This amino acid is quite necessary for muscle tissue and has actually been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and lower the amounts of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. That's the fat underneath your abs that some doctors call "heart attack fat." Not only this, but taurine possesses some anti-catabolic properties as well. I can't give exact dosages at this time, but around 2-6 grams should be sufficient.

Vanadyl Sulfate

While this mineral has been in some bodybuilders' cupboards for years because of it's "real world" effects on getting a pump, it's fallen by the wayside in the past few years. This is probably because of the "inconclusive" evidence as to whether it works or not. Although it was found recently that vanadyl doesn't modify the actions of insulin to stimulate glycogen synthesis, it does improve glucose utilization. It was therefore concluded that vanadyl must act at other steps of insulin action, which would explain the lack of evidence for modifying glycogen storage. I'd say that if it works for you, keep using it. The dosage is around 30mg per day.

The Flavonoids ? Epicatechin and Quercetin

While these plant derived flavonoids may be somewhat familiar to some of you for their super potent antioxidant properties, they possess some powerful effects on insulin as well. First, epicatechin was found to have insulin-like activity, and also was found to reduce glucose levels in a similar fashion to the drug metformin! It was also shown to possess antihyperlipidemic properties in another study, meaning it reduces blood fats.

That's some potent stuff, but wait 'till you hear about quercetin! When islets of Langerhans (a type of tissue that partially composes the pancreas and secretes insulin and glucagon directly into the bloodstream) were exposed to either epicatechin or quercetin, insulin release was enhanced by approximately 44-70%! Here's the best part, though. In one study, quercetin selectively inhibited the insulin stimulating effects on glucose transport, oxidation, and it's incorporation into lipids, decreasing lipogenesis by 50%! In other words, it blocked lipogenesis (fat production) caused by insulin and insulin mimicking agents! Now that's impressive!

As far as sources for these flavonoids, grape seed extract or bilberry at 800-2,000 mg per day, is rich in quercetin ? 300 mg of green tea extract per day contains enough epicatechin. On a side note, quercetin has been shown to bind at the estrogen receptor and may exert some estrogenic effects. So, you'll need to weigh the evidence yourself and decide whether it's for you.

Momordica Charantia

This fruit, otherwise known as bitter melon, contains a mixture of sterols that possess super potent hypoglycemic properties. In fact, it's more potent than the oral hypoglycemic drug, Tolbutamide. In one study, after two hours of an oral glucose load of 75 grams, 86% of patients given the extract showed a hypoglycemic effect. It was also shown to increase the rate of glycogen formation by 4-5 times. This was attributed to an increase in glucose utilization. If you want to use it, take 1-3 150 mg capsules per day.