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LEF Magazine September 1993
Vanadyl Sulfate
A significant problem facing diabetics is a phenomenon
known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a failure
of cell receptor sites to utilize insulin, thereby causing a
dangerous elevation of glucose in the blood. Insulin
resistance occurs during aging, and results in impaired
glucose metabolism and disposal.
Type I diabetes is caused by the inability of the pancreas
to produce insulin. This form of insulin dependent diabetes is
also called juvenile diabetes, and sometimes strikes
teenagers. In type II, the patient's pancreas produces normal
amounts of insulin, but the tissues (muscle, liver, fat) do
not respond efficiently to its presence. Current treatments
that simply raise insulin levels in the blood can cause severe
cardiovascular side effects. In order to prevent these
vascular complications, an insulin substitute is needed that
will address the underlying problem of insulin resistance.
Historical Use of Vanadium Salts
Undocumented observations from the nineteenth century
suggest the use of vanadium to treat diabetes. One documented
report in 1899 in France showed that diabetics treated with
sodium vanadate excreted less sugar in their urine. Follwoing
the discovery of insulin 23 years later, the interest in
vanadium salts dissipated.
In 1980, vanadate was demonstrated to mimic the actions of
insulin in rats. This was followed by several years of
research in which the insulin mimicking effects of vanadate
were examined in a large variety of experimental settings. It
turns out that vanadate mimics almost all known bioeffects of
insulin. This includes the key action of insulin in
transporting glucose into muscle and fat cells. One study
showed that vanadate could stimulate glucose uptake in cells
that had lost 60% of their insuin receptors and were
therefore, insulin resistant. These studies provided a basis
for studying the potential therapeutic value of vanadium as a
therapy for diabetes.
Vanadium Lowers Glucose Levels in Diabetic
Animals
A turning point occurred in 1985, when researchers showed
that the oral administration of vanadate to type I diabetic
rats lowered their blood glucose to normal values. Further
studies demonstrated that vanadate therapy can effectively
reverse tissue damage caused by chronic elevated glucose
levels. In some cases, insulin binding capacity was fully
restored, thereby eliminating the problem with insulin
resistance.
It should be mentioned that in spite of these findings,
insulin therapy is still required for type I diabetic animals,
suggesting that vanadate therapy for human type I diabetes
will be used a s a supplement, rather than as the primary
therapy. In type II diabetic animals, vanadate therapy
significantly lowered blood glucose levels and greatly
increased the uptake and metabolizing of glucose in all types
of muscles. Moreover, vanadate therapy markedly increased
overall tissue responsiveness to insulin, thereby dealing with
the problem of insulin resistance. For type II diabetics, who
produce normal levels of insulin, but whose elevated glucose
levels are caused by insulin resistance, vanadate may be an
effective therapy.
Vanadyl sulfate is a popular product in the bodybuilding
market. Vanadyl sulfate's ability to promote muscle uptake of
glucose produces a significant anabolic effect on muscle mass.
This anabolic effect is also important for antiaging purposes.
Aging causes catabolic wasting of muscle mass. Supplementation
with nutrients like arginine, chromium picolinate and vanadyl
sulfate can help prevent this condition.
Vanadyl sulfate contains vanadium bound to sulfur. It is
considered the most biologically active form of vanadium.
Vanadyl sulfate should be taken with meals. The recommended
dose is one 7.5 mg tablet per day for life extension purposes.
Diabetics may want to adjust their dose to up to four tablets
per day. Diabetics should carefully monitor their glucose
levels as vanadyl sulfate can cause a significant drop in
blood glucose levels causing reactive hypoglycemia.
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