Effects
of glucose/insulin perturbations on aging and chronic disorders of aging: the
evidence.Medline Articles in the treatment of Disease
Trace elements Arguments in Cardiovascular disease & hypertension.
Selenium levels in dilated
cardiomyopathy.
Vijaya J, Subramanyam G, Sukhaveni V, Abdul Latheef SA, Gupta SR,
Sadhasivaiah G, Salam NM.
Department of Cardiology, SV Medical College, Tirupati.
Thirty-seven dilated cardiomyopathy cases have been studied and compared with 20
normal controls. Serum selenium levels in relation to coronary risk factors were
studied. Serum samples were analysed for selenium, total cholesterol, high
density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose levels. Smoking,
alcohol intake, positive family history, psychosocial tension, obesity,
hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and hyperglycaemia were found in
the following percentages 27%, 8%, 5%, 73%, 41%, 38%, 81%, 46% respectively in
dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Low selenium (< 4.5 micrograms/dl) and HDL
cholesterol levels and high total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density
lipoprotein cholesterol, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol and glucose
levels were observed in dilated cardiomyopathy cases compared to controls. The
present results support the concept that low selenium levels along with other
risk factors play an important role in developing dilated cardiomyopathy.
PMID: 11016177 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Preventing heart disease and cancer.
What randomized, primary-prevention studies show.
Lush DT.
Primary Care Unit, MCP Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Several chemical agents appear to be useful in primary prevention of CAD and
cancer. Randomized trials have found that in specific patient subgroups,
tamoxifen and raloxifene decreased the occurrence of breast cancer, and
lovastatin and aspirin decreased the frequency of CAD events. Secondary analysis
of randomized primary-prevention studies has supported the use of vitamin E and
selenium in cancer prevention.
Minerals
and blood pressure.
Karppanen H.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
The mineral elements sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium play a central
role in the normal regulation of blood pressure. In particular, these mineral
elements have important interrelationships in the control of arterial
resistance. These elements, especially sodium and potassium, also regulate the
fluid balance of the body and, hence, influence the cardiac output. Evidence
shows that the present levels of intake of mineral elements are not optimum for
maintaining normal blood pressure but predispose to the development of arterial
hypertension. Research results suggest that without sodium chloride (common
salt) and other sodium compounds being added to the diet arterial hypertension
would be virtually non existent. Moreover, blood pressure would not rise with
age. In communities with a high consumption of added sodium, a high intake of
potassium and, possibly, magnesium seem to protect against the development of
arterial hypertension and the rise of blood pressure with age. A marked
reduction of sodium intake is effective in treating even severe hypertension. A
moderate restriction of sodium intake or an increase in potassium intake exert
remarkable antihypertensive effects, at least in some hypertensive patients.
Magnesium and possibly also calcium supplements may be effective in reducing
blood pressure in some hypertensives. In hypertensive patients treated with
drugs sodium restriction and potassium and magnesium supplementation enhance the
therapeutic effect, reduce the number and dosage, and lessen the adverse effects
of prescribed antihypertensive drugs. Hence, a fall in sodium consumption and
increases in potassium and magnesium consumption are useful in preventing and
treating arterial hypertension.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, academic
PMID: 1930921 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
Environ Health Perspect 1994 Nov;102 Suppl 7:65-72 |
Cardiovascular
risk factors and magnesium: relationships to atherosclerosis, ischemic heart
disease and hypertension.
Altura BM, Altura BT.
Department of Physiology, State University of New York Health Science Center,
Brooklyn.
Hypertension and atherosclerosis are well-known precursors of ischemic heart
disease, stroke and sudden cardiac death. Although there is general agreement
that the atheroma is the hallmark of atherosclerosis and is found in coronary
obstruction, there is no agreement as to its etiology. It is now becoming clear
that a lower than normal dietary intake of Mg can be a strong risk factor for
hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease, atherogenesis and
sudden cardiac death. Deficits in serum Mg appear often to be associated with
arrhythmias, coronary vasospasm and high blood pressure. Experimental animal
studies suggest interrelationships between atherogenesis, hypertension (both
systemic and pulmonary) and ischemic heart disease. Evidence is accumulating for
a role of Mg2+ in the modulation of serum lipids and lipid uptake in
macrophages, smooth muscle cells and the arterial wall. Shortfalls in the
dietary intake of Mg clearly exist in Western World populations, and men over
the age of 65 years, who are at greatest risk for development and death from
ischemic heart disease, have the greatest shortfalls in dietary Mg. It is
becoming clear that Mg exerts multiple cellular and molecular effects on cardiac
and vascular smooth muscle cells which explain its protective actions.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, tutorial
PMID: 1844551 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
: Indian J Exp Biol 1999 Feb;37(2):109-16 |
Erratum in:
· Indian J Exp Biol 1999 May;37(5):followi
[Protective
effect of selenium on human erythrocyte rheology].
[Article in Chinese]
Huang Y, Han L, Guo J.
Beijing Institute of Heart Lung & Blood Vessel Disease.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the protective effect of selenium on RBC rheology during
myocardial ischemia/reperfusion period in patients with VSD or ASD who underwent
cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: The blood samples were taken from the coronary
sinus, and ascorbyl free radical (A.), peroxidants (MDA), antiperoxidative
activities (plasma SOD, erythrocyte GSH-Px), the membrane shear elastic module
of RBC (mu), molecular rotational correlation times of lipids and proteins of
RBC membrane (tau l, tau p) were measured and compared between control and
selenium groups. RESULTS: After myocardial reperfusion only for one minute, in
both groups A. was significantly increased (The increased percentage in the
control group +68%, in the selenium group +66%), but the selenium group had
lower MDA and GSH-Px activity. On contrary to the control group with high A.
level, A. of the selenium group was dropped about half since reperfusion for 5
minutes and recovered to the pre-ischemia level. After myocardial reperfusion,
the control group had specific changes in membrane mu values as well as
evidently prologed tau l and tau p. Simultaneously, except tau p at 5 minutes of
reperfusion was obviously prolonged, no changes in the membrane mu and tau l
were observed in the selenium group during the cardiac ischemia/reperfusion
periol. CONCLUSION: Selenium can at least partly protect RBC rheology from free
radical damage during the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion period.
PMID: 10923417 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
PMID: 10364628 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Characterization of enterovirus
isolates from patients with heart muscle disease in a selenium-deficient area of
China.
Peng T, Li Y, Yang Y, Niu C, Morgan-Capner P, Archard LC, Zhang H.
Molecular Pathology Section, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Department of
Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
An association of enterovirus infection with endemic cardiomyopathy (Keshan
disease [KD]) and outbreaks of myocarditis in selenium-deficient rural areas of
southwestern China has been established. Enteroviruses have been isolated from
patients with KD or during outbreaks of myocarditis in last two decades. Six of
these isolates grew readily in cell lines (Vero or HEp-2) and were investigated
by a novel molecular typing method apart from serotyping and pathogenicity. A
neutralization assay identified two isolates from KD as coxsackievirus serotype
B2 (CVB2) and two isolates from myocarditis as coxsackievirus serotype B6 (CVB6)
but failed to type the remaining two isolates, also from myocarditis. Direct
nucleotide sequencing of reverse transcription-PCR products amplified from the
5' nontranslated region (5'NTR) of these viruses confirmed that they belong to a
phylogenetic cluster consisting of coxsackie B-like viruses, including some
echovirus serotypes. Sequence analysis of the coding region for viral capsid
protein VP1 showed that two isolates serotyped as CVB2 have the highest amino
acid sequence homology with CVB2 and that the remaining four isolates, two CVB6
and the two unknown serotypes, are most closely related to the sequence of CVB6.
Sequences among these isolates varied from 82.3 to 99% in the 5'NTR and from 69
to 99% in VP1, indicating no cross contamination. The pathogenicity of these
viruses in adult and suckling mice was assessed. None caused pathologic changes
in the hearts of adult MF-1 or SWR mice, although pancreatitis was evident.
However, the four CVB6-like viruses caused death in suckling mice, similar to a
virulent coxsackievirus group B3 laboratory strain. In conclusion, the sequence
data confirm that coxsackievirus group B serotypes are predominant in the region
in which KD is endemic and may be the etiological agents in outbreaks of
myocarditis. VP1 genotyping of enteroviruses is accurate and reliable. Animal
experiments indicate that isolates may differ in pathogenicity.
PMID: 11015360 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Role
of nutrition in toxic injury.
Lall SB, Singh B, Gulati K, Seth SD.
Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
The importance of nutrition in protecting the living organism against the
potentially lethal effects of reactive oxygen species and toxic environmental
chemicals has recently been realized. This new perspective has prompted
re-evaluation of the food constituents of human diet from the point of view of
their nutritional adequacy, deficiency and toxicity. The biological antioxidant
defense system is an integrated array of enzymes, antioxidants and free radical
scavengers. These include glutathione reductase, glutathione-s-transferase,
glutathione peroxidase, phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase,
superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, together with the antioxidant vitamins
C, E and A. The individual components of this system get utilized in various
physiological process and for chemoprotection and therefore require
replenishment from the diet. Other components of the diet like carbohydrates,
proteins and lipids are important for maintaining the levels of various enzymes
required in body's defense system providing protection against carcinogens.
However, the emerging newer concepts focus on the role of trace elements and
other dietary components in antioxidant defense and detoxification mechanisms.
Trace elements like Iron, zinc magnesium, selenium, copper, and manganese are
some of the elements involved in antioxidant defense mechanisms. Inadequate
intake of these nutrients has been associated with ischemic heart disease,
arthritis, stroke and cancer, where pathogenic role of free radicals is
suggested. Further the importance of diet in the prevention of chemical induced
toxicity can not be undetermined. Recent reports on the role of bioflavonoids as
antioxidents and their potential use to reduce the risks of coronary heart
disease and cancer in human beings have opened a new arena for future research.
Induction of the cytochrome P450 isoenzymes by food pyrolysis, mutagens, alcohol
and fasting, on the other hand is reported to contribute to chemical toxicity
and carcinogenecity. Certain chemicals moieties in the food are mutagenic and
carcinogenic.
Publication Types:
· Review
· Review, academic
PMID: 10641128 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
"According
to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1977) there have been more than 50
studies, in nine countries, that have indicated an inverse relationship between
water hardness and mortality from cardiovascular disease. That is, people who
drink water that is deficient in magnesium and calcium generally appear more
susceptible to this disease. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has estimated
that a nation-wide initiative to add calcium and magnesium to soft water might
reduce the annual cardiovascular death rate by 150,000 in the United
States."
Is
the RDA for Magnesium Too Low? From the 1996 FDA
Science Forum. Abstract.
|
Br J Urol 1998 May;81(5):730-4 |
Extension
of life-span by overexpression of superoxide dismutase and catalase in
Drosophila melanogaster.
Orr WC, Sohal RS.
Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
75275.
The hypothesis that oxygen free radicals are causally involved in the aging
process was tested by a study of the effects of simultaneous overexpression of
copper-zinc superoxide dismutase and catalase. As compared to diploid controls,
transgenic flies carrying three copies of each of these genes exhibited as much
as a one-third extension of life-span, a longer mortality rate doubling time, a
lower amount of protein oxidative damage, and a delayed loss in physical
performance. Results provide direct support for the free radical hypothesis of
aging.
PMID: 8108730 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
|
Ann Med 1991 Aug;23(3):299-305 |
|
|
Antimicrobial
activity of silver nitrate against periodontal pathogens.
Spacciapoli P, Buxton D, Rothstein D, Friden P.
Periodontix Inc, Watertown, Massachusetts 02472, USA. pspacciapoli@periodontix.com
Metal ions were evaluated as potential antimicrobial agents suitable for local
delivery in the oral cavity for the treatment of periodontitis. Silver nitrate,
copper chloride, and zinc chloride were tested for antimicrobial activity in in
vitro killing assays conducted in phosphate buffered saline with a series of
oral bacteria including gram-negative periodontal pathogens and gram-positive
streptococci. Copper and zinc salts failed to exhibit strong and consistent
activity against periodontal pathogens. In contrast, silver at a concentration
of 0.5 microg/mL produced a 3 log10 reduction in colony forming units (CFU)/mL
or greater against all periodontal pathogens tested including Porphyromonas
gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Prevotella denticola, Bacteroides forsythus,
Fusobacterium nucleatum vincentii, Campylobacter gracilis, Campylobacter rectus,
Eikenella corrodens, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. In comparison,
substantially higher concentrations of silver nitrate failed to kill oral
streptococci. A silver nitrate concentration of 25 microg/mL produced log10
reductions in CFU/mL of 3.5-5 in killing assays performed in human serum against
P. gingivalis, demonstrating the ability of silver to retain activity in a
biological medium similar to that encountered in vivo in the periodontal pocket.
These results identify silver nitrate, an antimicrobial that may possess
advantages over traditional antibiotics, as a potential agent for controlled
release local delivery in the oral cavity for the treatment of periodontitis.
PMID: 11327077 [PubMed - in process]
In
vivo effects of vanadium on GLUT4 translocation in cardiac tissue of
STZ-diabetic
rats.
Li SH, McNeill JH.
Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
The effect of vanadium treatment on insulin-stimulated glucose transporter type
4 (GLUT4) translocation was studied in cardiac tissue of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced
diabetic rats by determining the subcellular distribution of GLUT4. Four groups
of rats were examined: control and diabetic, with or without
bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) (BMOV, an organic form of vanadium) treatment for
8 weeks. The effect of vanadium on insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation was
studied at 5 min as the early insulin response and at 15 min after insulin
injection as the maximal insulin response. At 5 min after insulin injection,
plasma membrane GLUT4 level in the diabetic-treated group was not different from
the control groups and was significantly higher than that of the
insulin-stimulated diabetic group, indicating an enhancement of insulin response
on GLUT4 translocation brought about by vanadium treatment. In contrast to that
at 5 min after insulin injection, no significant difference in the plasma
membrane GLUT4 level was observed between the diabetic and the diabetic-treated
groups at 15 min after insulin injection. GLUT4 mobilization from the
intracellular pool in response to insulin was also investigated at 15 min after
insulin injection. Basal intracellular GLUT4 content was significantly higher in
the diabetic-treated group when compared to the diabetic group under the same
condition. However, the increased basal intracellular GLUT4 in the
diabetic-treated group did not result in more insulin-mediated GLUT4
translocation at 15 min after insulin injection. In conclusion, the finding that
plasma membrane GLUT4 in the diabetic-treated group is significantly higher than
that of the diabetic group at 5 min but not at 15 min post-insulin injection
indicates that vanadium treatment enhances insulin-mediated GLUT4 translocation
in cardiac tissue by enhancing its early response.
PMID: 11269655 [PubMed - in process]
Serum
selenium and the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
Virtamo J, Valkeila E, Alfthan G, Punsar S, Huttunen
JK, Karvonen MJ.
The association between serum selenium concentration and five-year risk of
cardiovascular disease was studied in 1,110 men aged 55 to 74 years in two rural
areas of Finland. In the total cohort, all-cause and cardiovascular deaths were
associated significantly with serum selenium of less than 45 micrograms/liter,
an adjusted relative risk of 1.4 (95% confidence interval (Cl), 1.0-2.0, p less
than 0.05) and 1.6 (95% Cl, 1.1-2.3, p less than 0.05), respectively. Among men
free of coronary heart disease at the outset, these associations were of similar
magnitude but did not attain statistical significance. Among men free of stroke
at the outset, low serum selenium was associated significantly with stroke
mortality, an adjusted relative risk of 3.7 (95% Cl, 1.0-13.1). The associations
of coronary deaths and myocardial infarctions with low serum selenium were
nonsignificant.
PMID: 4014210 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
The
action of chromium on serum lipids and on atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed
rabbits.
Abraham AS, Sonnenblick M, Eini M.
Eight rabbits, fed on a
1% cholesterol diet for 30 days, were injected daily with potassium chromate for
a further 60 days. A 50% reduction in aortic intimal plaque area and in aortic
total cholesterol content was observed. However, although levels of serum
cholesterol and triglycerides were consistently lower and levels of high density
lipoprotein fractions consistently higher in the chromium-treated as compared to
the control rabbits, these differences did not reach statistical significance. A
further 6 rabbits were injected with potassium chromate and fed on a 1%
cholesterol diet for 12 weeks. Mean aortic cholesterol content (+/-SEM) was
40.23 mg/10 cm aortic length (+/-7.50) as compared to 66.24 mg/10 cm (+/- 7.89)
in a control group (P less than 0.05), whereas the area of aortic intima covered
by macroscopic plaques was 67.5% (+/-2.79) and 81.1% (+/-3.14) (P less than
0.01) respectively.
PMID: 7073801 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Lipid peroxides
and antioxidant status in serum of patients with angiographically defined
coronary atherosclerosis.
Dogru-Abbasoglu S, Kanbagli O, Bulur H, Babalik E, Ozturk S, Aykac-Toker G,
Uysal M.
Department of Biochemistry, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, University of
Istanbul, Capa, Turkey. sdabbas@istanbul.edu.tr
PMID: 10638953 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Effects
of glucose/insulin perturbations on aging and chronic disorders of aging: the
evidence.
Among changes associated with aging is a decline in glucose tolerance. The reported causes are increased insulin resistance from receptor and/or post receptor disturbances and diminished pancreatic islet B-cell sensitivity to glucose. Many recent reports indicate that insulin resistance with hyperinsulinemia and/or hyperglycemia contribute to or even causes many chronic disorders associated with aging, i.e., chronic metabolic perturbations including noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, and atherosclerosis. How could such disturbances in glucose/insulin metabolism lead to many chronic disorders associated with aging? In aging, similar to diabetes, the elevation in circulating glucose and other reducing sugars secondary to age-induced insulin resistance can react nonenzymatically with proteins and nucleic acids to form products that affect function and diminish tissue elasticity. Also, perturbations in glucose/insulin metabolism are associated with enhanced lipid peroxidation secondary to greater free radical formation. Free radicals of oxygen are important known causes of tissue damage and have been associated with many aspects of aging including inflammatory diseases, cataracts, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Augmented free radical formation and lipid peroxidation are not uncommon in diabetes mellitus, commonly associated with "premature aging". Ingestion of sugars, fats, and sodium have been linked to decreased insulin sensitivity, while caloric restriction, exercise, ingestion of chromium, vanadium, soluble fibers, magnesium, and certain antioxidants are associated with greater insulin sensitivity. Thus, manipulation of diet by influencing the glucose/insulin system may favorably affect life span and reduce the incidence of chronic disorders associated with aging.
Preuss-HG
J-Am-Coll-Nutr. 1997 Oct; 16(5): 397-403
Partial
preservation of pancreatic beta-cells by vanadium: evidence for long-term
amelioration of diabetes.
Streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats treated with vanadium can remain euglycemic for up to 20 weeks following withdrawal from vanadium treatment. In this study, we examined the effects of short-term vanadium treatment in preventing or reversing the STZ-induced diabetic state. Male Wistar rats were untreated (D) or treated (DT) with vanadyl sulfate for 1 week before administering STZ. Treatment was subsequently maintained for 3 days (DT3) or 14 days (DT14) post-STZ, after which vanadium was withdrawn. At 4 to 5 weeks post-STZ and following long-term withdrawal from vanadium, DT14 rats demonstrated levels of food and fluid intake and glucose tolerance that were not significantly different from those of age-matched untreated nondiabetic rats, and had significantly reduced glycemic levels in the fed state compared with D and DT3 groups. The proportion of animals that were euglycemic (fed plasma glucose < 9.0 mmol/L) was significant in DT14 (five of 10) relative to D (one of 10) and DT3 (one of 10) (P = .01). All euglycemic animals had an improved pancreatic insulin content that, albeit low (12% of control), was strongly linked to euglycemia in the fed state (r = -.91, P < .0001). Moreover, the highly significant correlation persisted with the analysis of untreated STZ-rats alone (r = -.95, P < .0001). Similarly, improvements in glucose tolerance and insulin secretory function in euglycemic rats were strongly correlated with small changes in residual insulin content. Hence, as vanadium pretreatment did not prevent STZ-induced beta-cytotoxicity, the vanadium-induced amelioration of the diabetic state appears to be secondary to the preservation of a functional portion of pancreatic beta cells that initially survived STZ toxicity. The partial preservation of pancreatic beta cells, albeit small in proportion to the total insulin store, was both critical and sufficient for a long-term reversal of the diabetic state. These results suggest that apparently modest effects in preserving residual pancreatic insulin content can have profound consequences on glucose homeostasis and may bear important implications for interventions that have "limited" protective effects on beta cells.
Cam-MC; Li-WM; McNeill-JH
Metabolism. 1997 Jul; 46(7): 769-78
Insulin-like
effects on liver Golgi membrane preparations of bis(oxalato)oxovanadate(IV)
complex ion, a new vanadate compound.
Recent studies have shown the insulin-like effect of vanadyl sulphate or sodium ortho (or meta-) vanadate administered orally to rats. Toxicity of these drugs and reluctance by the animals to drink the solutions and take food, concerning the amelioration of some diabetes syndrome discussed in 1994 by Domingo et al. (1), McNeill et al. (2) and Wiliams and Malabu (3), prompted us to investigate a new vanadate complex: disodium bis (oxalato) oxovanadate (IV), Na2[VO(OX)2]H2O.
The main object of the experiment was to study whether this complex administered as 3 mmol/l solution in 0.5% NaCl during 7 days could act on the subcellular level and influence the activity of liver Golgi membrane galactosyltransferase activity. Free blood sugar level was lowered (but was still higher than in the control group) in diabetic rats after seven days of vanadate action and was accompanied by lowered, however not statistically significant, serum triglyceride levels. The yields of isolated Golgi-rich membrane fractions were about half of the level in diabetic groups (untreated and treated with vanadium) compared with the control groups. Purity of these membrane fractions, expressed as nmol Gal transferred per mg of proteins and per h, was the same in four groups investigated and showed the possibility to compare them. Activity of galactosyltransferase calculated in nmol Gal transferred per 1 g of liver and per 1 h or per whole liver in the same time (as a possibility of glycosylation of the secretory and membrane glycoproteins) was lower in both diabetic groups. However, after vanadium treatment (D+V group), the activity was higher than in untreated diabetic rats (D group) in three of five investigated animals. Vanadyl-oxalate complex did not normalize in a statistically significant manner the enzyme activity which was significantly lower in diabetes than in control. This is similar to insulin influence on the galactosyltransferase activity reported previously by Kaczmarski et al. in 1981 (4) and Kordowiak et al. in 1981 (5).
Kordowiak-AM; Trzos-R; Grybos-R
Horm-Metab-Res. 1997 Mar; 29(3): 101-5
Role
of essential trace elements in the disturbance of carbohydrate metabolism
Zinc and chromium have been well known to be important trace elements in diabetes as a cofactor for insulin, although their real mechanisms in carbohydrate metabolism are not clear. Especially, chromium is considered essential for maintenance of normal glucose tolerance, and a chromium complex occurring in brewer's yeast, termed glucose tolerance factor (GTF), was found to be of outstanding activity. Recently, some essential trace elements such as vanadium and selenium were observed to have several physiological insulin-like effects by a post-insulin receptor kinase mechanism. It is very likely that chromium, manganese, vanadium, and selenium have a favorable effect on carbohydrate metabolism.
Kimura-K
Nippon-Rinsho. 1996 Jan; 54(1): 79-84
Toward improved
management of NIDDM: A randomized, controlled, pilot intervention using a
lowfat,
vegetarian diet.
Nicholson AS, Sklar M, Barnard ND, Gore
S, Sullivan R, Browning S.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Georgetown University Medical
Center, Washington, DC, USA.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether glycemic and lipid control in patients with
non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDDM) can be significantly improved using a
low-fat, vegetarian (vegan) diet in the absence of recommendations regarding
exercise or other lifestyle changes. METHODS: Eleven subjects with NIDDM
recruited from the Georgetown University Medical Center or the local community
were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan diet (seven subjects) or a
conventional low-fat diet (four subjects). Two additional subjects assigned to
the control group failed to complete the study. The diets were not designed to
be isocaloric. Fasting serum glucose, body weight, medication use, and blood
pressure were assessed at baseline and biweekly thereafter for 12 weeks. Serum
lipids, glycosylated hemoglobin, urinary albumin, and dietary macronutrients
were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Although the sample was
intentionally small in accordance with the pilot study design, the 28% mean
reduction in fasting serum glucose of the experimental group, from 10.7 to 7.75
mmol/L (195 to 141 mg/dl), was significantly greater than the 12% decrease, from
9.86 to 8.64 mmol/L (179 to 157 mg/dl), for the control group (P · 0.05). The
mean weight loss was 7.2 kg in the experimental group, compared to 3. 8 kg for
the control group (P < 0.005). Of six experimental group subjects on oral
hypoglycemic agents, medication use was discontinued in one and reduced in
three. Insulin was reduced in both experimental group patients on insulin. No
patient in the control group reduced medication use. Differences between the
diet groups in the reductions of serum cholesterol and 24-h microalbuminuria did
not reach statistical significance; however, high-density lipoprotein
concentration fell more sharply (0.20 mmol/L) in the experimental group than in
the control group (0.02 mmol/L) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of a low-fat,
vegetarian diet in patients with NIDDM was associated with significant
reductions in fasting serum glucose concentration and body weight in the absence
of recommendations for exercise. A larger study is needed for confirmation.
Copyright 1999 American Health Foundation and Academic Press.
Publication Types:
· Clinical trial
· Randomized controlled trial
PMID: 10446033 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]