Many people take supplements to improve their overall health, but their positive effects on major health problems are somewhat limited, with a few exceptions.
Vanadium is one of these exceptions, as this inexpensive trace mineral could be a potential therapy to treat diabetes. But how is a mineral capable of reversing diabetes? What does the science say? Is it really safe?
An Alternative Pathway to Insulin
Vanadium is a trace element that can be found in soil and water. It is also found in foods, especially in shellfish, mushrooms, and some cereal products. Even though we don’t clearly understand why, it is necessary for the metabolism of bone, and the correct balance of lipid and iron in the blood.
Vanadium has been shown to control glucose levels in animals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes by mimicking the action of insulin. It was even shown to reverse diabetes in some cases, and, it can be used in association with or as a replacement for insulin. However, even though this trace mineral has been studied for over 100 years, we have only recently begun to understand the reason why it may be a helpful treatment for diabetes.
The molecular pathway of vanadium is under intense research, but so far the scientific data reveals that it follows an alternative path to insulin. It does not interact with the insulin receptor and does not activate IRS-1 or any other known component of the insulin phosphorylation cascade. Still, every single metabolic effect insulin has in the body can be reproduced with vanadium.
This fact is fascinating because, if vanadium ever becomes a therapeutic approach to reverse diabetes, it will act synergistically with insulin.
Vanadium Doses and Toxicity
According to the National Institute of Medicine, the dose of vanadium should not exceed 1,800 micrograms (mcg) a day. In practice, reaching this dose is almost impossible because even foods with the highest amount of vanadium would likely have no more than 40 mcg of vanadium per gram, and most of us are not eating shellfish three times a day.
Moreover, vanadium is not readily absorbed by the gut into the bloodstream, and we only take 5 percent of ingested vanadium or less into the blood.
Certain vanadium salts would slightly increase this percentage, but the ideal solution, if we are going to use vanadium as a therapy for diabetes, would be organo-vanadium complexes, which are chemically modified to have the same anti-diabetic effects with half a dosage.
However, the toxicity concern remains. In most cases, a very high dose of vanadium would cause diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration. Sometimes, these side effects are severe enough to cause vanadate-induced death in animal models. It is not to be used during pregnancy and may impact reproductive health.
Recent work on vanadium has shown promising results by combining this trace mineral with black tea extracts, which significantly reduces the side effects while keeping the hypoglycemic potential.
However, there are additional human trials to be made before we can use vanadium as an anti-diabetic therapy. In the meantime, we can use it as an alternative therapy by increasing its consumption in certain foods.
Foods Rich in Vanadium That May Help Control Your Diabetes
- Mushrooms
Mushrooms are a good vegetarian source of vanadium. Some mushrooms contain as much as 50 to 2,000 ng/g.*
- Black pepper
A common household seasoning ingredient, black pepper is a rich source of vanadium and contains 987 ng/g.
- Spinach
This is another good vegetarian source of vanadium. While most vegetables are not a good source of this trace mineral, freeze-dried spinach packs quite the punch with 533 to 840 ng/g.
- Shellfish
Shrimp, lobster, crab, and oysters are all healthy sources of vanadium. The amount of vanadium you receive will depend on the type of shellfish you consume. For example, oysters contain 455 ng/g.
- Dill seed
Dill seed is commonly used in soups, stews, and pickles. This spice offers a distinctive flavor to any meal and contains 431 ng/g of vanadium.
*Ng stands for nanograms and mcg stands for micrograms. 1 nanogram is equal to 0.001 micrograms.
Note: Do not stop your diabetes medication or take a vanadium supplement without express permission from your doctor as this could worsen your condition and endanger your health.
Could vanadium be the diabetes supplement of the future? It certainly looks promising, but only time will tell.
