Vanadium is a trace metal found in our food and in our bodies, which is known to improve insulin sensitivity. A study conducted at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine is the first to document the benefits of vanadium in humans.
The researchers reduced fasting glucose levels by about 15%. They think that vanadium may turn on a signal at a crucial step in the cascade of insulin action, but they have no idea what else it may turn on in the process.
The study abstract was published in the May 1995 Supplement I of Diabetes.
Warning: People with diabetes should not try to self-medicate with vanadium products available in health food stores because toxicities remain unknown. Side-effects are likely, and the formulations currently available are not comparable to those used in the study.