Hey Kris,
for the anabolic diet, there is evidence showing that very low-carb car improves insulin sensitivity.
Example:
Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):49-58. Related Articles, Links
Low-carbohydrate diets: nutritional and physiological aspects.
Adam-Perrot A, Clifton P, Brouns F.
Cerestar R&D Vilvoorde Center, Havenstraat 84, 1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium.
Recently, diets low in carbohydrate content have become a matter of international attention because of the WHO recommendations to reduce the overall consumption of sugars and rapidly digestible starches. One of the common metabolic changes assumed to take place when a person follows a low-carbohydrate diet is ketosis. Low-carbohydrate intakes result in a reduction of the circulating insulin level, which promotes high level of circulating fatty acids, used for oxidation and production of ketone bodies. It is assumed that when carbohydrate availability is reduced in short term to a significant amount, the body will be stimulated to maximize fat oxidation for energy needs. The currently available scientific literature shows that low-carbohydrate diets acutely induce a number of favourable effects, such as a rapid weight loss, decrease of fasting glucose and insulin levels, reduction of circulating triglyceride levels and improvement of blood pressure. On the other hand some less desirable immediate effects such as enhanced lean body mass loss, increased urinary calcium loss, increased plasma homocysteine levels, increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol have been reported. The long-term effect of the combination of these changes is at present not known. The role of prolonged elevated fat consumption along with low-carbohydrate diets should be addressed. However, these undesirable effects may be counteracted with consumption of a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, low-fat diet, because this type of diet has been shown to induce favourable effects on feelings of satiety and hunger, help preserve lean body mass, effectively reduce fat mass and beneficially impact on insulin sensitivity and on blood lipid status while supplying sufficient calcium for bone mass maintenance. The latter findings support the need to do more research on this type of hypocaloric low-carbohydrate diet.
However, another factor comes in. Overall, insulin sensitivity is improved on low-carb, high-protein diets. But, since you switch you body from cabohydrate to lipid metabolism, it will take a few days for your cells to show some glucose metabolizing enzyme induction.
So it depends how you look at it, insuline sensitivity is improved but carbohydrate metabolism is impaired because the enzymes are not induced, therefore we should not confused the 2. Overall, fatloss and lean body mass retention is superior on a low carb, moderate fat, high protein diet then on a higher carb, low fat diet.
As for the alpha-lipoic acid, there is evidence in human of its use in increasing insuline sensitivity, similar to cinnamon in their post-receptor actions. The corosolic acid and chromium pincolate have very few studies backing it up in the metabolism departement, but if you should go that way (Glucosol0 use soft-gel capsule, they seem to have better bioavailability. On of the lastest (small) RCT on Chromium Pincolate showed no effect on glucose metabolism, lipids and cholesterol even with known higher serum levels of chromium.
Cinnamon
Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8.
Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes.
Khan A, Safdar M, Ali Khan MM, Khattak KN, Anderson RA.
Department of Human Nutrition, NWFP Agricultural University, Peshawar, Pakistan.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 60 people with type 2 diabetes, 30 men and 30 women aged 52.2 +/- 6.32 years, were divided randomly into six groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3 consumed 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon daily, respectively, and groups 4, 5, and 6 were given placebo capsules corresponding to the number of capsules consumed for the three levels of cinnamon. The cinnamon was consumed for 40 days followed by a 20-day washout period. RESULTS: After 40 days, all three levels of cinnamon reduced the mean fasting serum glucose (18-29%), triglyceride (23-30%), LDL cholesterol (7-27%), and total cholesterol (12-26%) levels; no significant changes were noted in the placebo groups. Changes in HDL cholesterol were not significant. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that intake of 1, 3, or 6 g of cinnamon per day reduces serum glucose, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol in people with type 2 diabetes and suggest that the inclusion of cinnamon in the diet of people with type 2 diabetes will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Free Radic Biol Med. 1999 Aug;27(3-4):309-14.
Oral administration of RAC-alpha-lipoic acid modulates insulin sensitivity in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus: a placebo-controlled pilot trial.
Jacob S, Ruus P, Hermann R, Tritschler HJ, Maerker E, Renn W, Augustin HJ, Dietze GJ, Rett K.
Hypertension and Diabetes Research Unit, Max Grundig Clinic, Buhl and City Hospital, Baden-Baden, Germany. snjacob@med.uni-tuebingen.de
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), a naturally occuring compound and a radical scavenger was shown to enhance glucose transport and utilization in different experimental and animal models. Clinical studies described an increase of insulin sensitivity after acute and short-term (10 d) parenteral administration of ALA. The effects of a 4-week oral treatment with alpha-lipoic acid were evaluated in a placebo-controlled, multicenter pilot study to determine see whether oral treatment also improves insulin sensitivity. Seventy-four patients with type-2 diabetes were randomized to either placebo (n = 19); or active treatment in various doses of 600 mg once daily (n = 19), twice daily (1200 mg; n = 18), or thrice daily (1800 mg; n = 18) alpha-lipoic acid. An isoglycemic glucose-clamp was done on days 0 (pre) and 29 (post). In this explorative study, analysis was done according to the number of subjects showing an improvement of insulin sensitivity after treatment. Furthermore, the effects of active vs. placebo treatment on insulin sensitivity was compared. All four groups were comparable and had a similar degree of hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity at baseline. When compared to placebo, significantly more subjects had an increase in insulin-stimulated glucose disposal (MCR) after ALA treatment in each group. As there was no dose effect seen in the three different alpha-lipoic acid groups, all subjects receiving ALA were combined in the “active” group and then compared to placebo. This revealed significantly different changes in MCR after treatment (+27% vs. placebo; p < .01). This placebo-controlled explorative study confirms previous observations of an increase of insulin sensitivity in type-2 diabetes after acute and chronic intravenous administration of ALA. The results suggest that oral administration of alpha-lipoic acid can improve insulin sensitivity in patients with type-2 diabetes. The encouraging findings of this pilot trial need to be substantiated by further investigations.
Chromium
Diabetes Care. 2005 Mar;28(3):712-3.
Comment in:
Diabetes Care. 2005 Jul;28(7):1841-2; author reply 1842-3.
Chromium supplementation does not improve glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity, or lipid profile: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of supplementation in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance.
Gunton JE, Cheung NW, Hitchman R, Hams G, O’Sullivan C, Foster-Powell K, McElduff A.
Full article accessible here:
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/28/3/712
I should have thought of those but when there is a lack of clear evidence, I tend to stay clear but keep an interested eye, and not fall in like others by prematuraly agrandizing the results of one or two studies, like the CLA trap that happened a couple of years back.
There is also the probleme with these compounds that we don’t have any idea about there purity and this is something that has bothered me significantly since the supplement industry is one of the most dishonnest and unregulated industry out there. So unless I trust the maker, I usually refrain. Of course, if you can ‘‘feel’’ the effects than at least you know something is going on, like MAG-10 a few years back)
A number of studies on the then new Atkins style diet showed unequivocal improvement on insulin sensitivity over the 12 month period over which they were carried, significant improvement over the ‘‘placebo’’ low fat, high fiber American Heart Association diet.
As for the food allergy / asthma link/trigger, I’ve heard about it, and remember its pretty rare, but not wholly unexpected since atopia involves by simple definition reaction to many things.
The Connection Between Food Allergies and Asthma? from the Cleaveland Clinic Health Information Center, linked to the NIH (so it has some legitimity)
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2200/2209.asp?index=8956
But I must say that is not an area of expertise of mine.
I hope this helps a bit, do a little research, not to fall into supplement traps which seem to work in the petri dish or on some mice, but might not work in humans, like are chromium friend here.
As for the other things such are corosolic acid and cinnamon the level of evidence is very, very, very low. I personally don’t mind for the cinnamoon cause it tastes great in the shakes and seems to have a brighter future research wise then other compounds (its still a phenolic compound and those have always been full of research/result goodness) besides, it costs largely nothing.
If you have other questions, feel free.
AlexH.