Glucose Disposal

Glucose Disposal — Cinnamon and Brewer's Yeast:

"I have a question concerning low-carb diets. In Dan Duchaine's BodyOpus book, he mentions the use of brewer's yeast and cinnamon as potent glucose disposal agents. Do you have any idea of the amount of these items that should be taken to help with glucose disposal? Thanks.

S. Morgan

Both cinnamon and brewer's yeast substantially potentiate insulin. There is one caveat, however — albumin levels. At baseline albumin levels in blood, cinnamon is more effective than brewer's yeast, showing an insulin-potentiating effect of about 12-fold. But as albumin levels increase, cinnamon's effects are inhibited, making it ineffective.

In contrast, brewer's yeast actually becomes more effective as albumin levels increase, maxing out with an insulin-potentiating effect of about sixfold. So, to cover both situations, it makes sense to take cinnamon and brewer's yeast together.

Regarding dosages — this is a guess — try taking 250 mg of cinnamon and two tablespoons of brewer's yeast, three times a day. Be careful with cinnamon, though. Some people are allergic to it. So test a small amount before you start taking larger dosages.

But I have to tell you that my favorite, over-the-counter insulin potentiator is alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). I don't take cinnamon or brewer's yeast, but I do take ALA. And, it's a super-powerful antioxidant, too. Take 200 mg three times a day."