I am an avid weight lifter who happens to have type 1 diabetes. Recently, a friend told me about a supplement called Hydroxi-Rip that is supposed to help with lifting. However, on the side of the bottle, there is a warning for people with diabetes that says it contains chromium. I read that chromium is beneficial to type 2 people. Would it be possible to take this? Would it raise or lower my blood levels?

I am personally not familiar with the particular supplement that you mention, but I am aware of something similar. Chromium itself appears to play a role in reducing insulin resistance in some people with type 2 diabetes, and therefore might lower blood sugar in those people. But more importantly, and regardless of whether you have diabetes or not, you should also be concerned with the other ingredients that this supplement may contain.

For example, be aware that “ephedra” from “ma-huang”, “Chinese ephedra”, or “sida cordifolia” is a common herbal ingredient in many such supplements which claim fat burning, increased energy, and weight loss. Ephedra enhances metabolism via altered hormone secretion, and in that capacity will most likely effect your blood glucose control. Unfortunately, ephedra has also caused such adverse reactions as nervousness and insomnia to hypertension, rapid heart beats, heart attack, cardiac arrest, seizure and stroke. The safety of ephedra is of great concern and is in question by the Federal Drug Administration. A highly respected medical publication, The New England Journal of Medicine, recently cited the dangers of ephedra in a November 2000 article. A web search for ephedra turns up countless mention of lawsuits and liability.

Talk with your healthcare team, physician, or pharmacist about the positives and negatives of any herb or supplement before taking it.

DMW