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Heart attack: Protect your heart by checking your toenails
An important insight into the health of your heart may be revealed by examining clippings from your toenails.
Yes, you read that correctly: your toenails.
The key is chromium, a trace mineral that's a component of insulin and is required for proper metabolism of glucose, carbohydrates and fats. I'll have more in a moment about the important connection between chromium and diabetic health. But first we'll look at a recent chromium study in which toenail clippings played a key role.
Low chromium levels may increase heart attack risk
A blood test can give an indication of your current chromium level. But an examination of the chromium content of toenails provides a more revealing measurement of long-term chromium intake.
This was the starting point for American researchers at the Welch Centre for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research in Baltimore when they designed a study to assess the relationship of chromium and heart attack risk. Toenail clippings were collected from more than 1,400 men in eight European countries and Israel. About 680 subjects had survived a heart attack. The other men - a control group of more than 720 - had no history of heart attack.
Results showed that the overall chromium level for heart attack patients was 13 percent lower than the overall level for subjects that had not had a heart attack. Also, subjects with the lowest levels were 35 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack compared to subjects with the highest levels. Levels were generally lower for subjects with high blood pressure and for the older subjects in both groups.
In their report in the American Journal of Epidemiology the researchers wrote: 'These results add to an increasing body of evidence that points to the importance of chromium for cardiovascular health.'
That evidence includes at least two previous studies that found heart attack risk to be associated with low levels in toenail clippings. The Welch Centre team also noted that dietary studies have indicated that chromium intake from food sources is inadequate among a large percent of the general population.
Sugar management
Chromium also serves another very important health function. As I mentioned above, it is a component of insulin, and a deficiency of the mineral may interfere with your body's ability to regulate blood sugar levels. In a separate study, type 2 diabetics were given a supplement formula that contained 600 mcg per day of chromium picolinate and 2 mg per day of biotin, a B complex vitamin.
After 30 days, the chromium/biotin formula produced these results:
* Fasting blood glucose was reduced, on average, by more than 26 mg/dL (1.43 mmol/L, UK)
* More than 70 percent of the supplement group experienced significant drops in fasting blood glucose
* LDL cholesterol levels decreased by more than 10 mg/dL on average (.55 mmol/L, UK)
Chromium is fairly easy to incorporate in the diet: Broccoli is particularly rich in chromium, as is turkey meat, liver (and other organ meats), seafood, whole grains, oysters, eggs and cheese.
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for chromium is 25 mcg per day for women and 35 mcg per day for men. For most people, however, a daily supplement of 600 mcg is well tolerated. As always, consult with your doctor or a healthcare professional before beginning any new supplement regimen, especially if you hope to manage major health issues like diabetes and heart attack risk.
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