Men with Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease have Lower Chromium

Chromium (trivalent form) improves insulin sensitivity which modifies the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Toenail concentrations of a mineral give a longer time portrait of the body's mineral level than checking other tissues. In this study men with both cardiovascular disease and diabetes had lower toenail concentrations of chromium than healthy men. This means that long term the diabetics were lower in chromium than were the healthy men. The study is published in the September 2004 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

Soy (Isoflavones) Help Prostate Cancer

A soy-rich diet improved the prognosis for men with prostate cancer in this study, and the benefit was immediate. Australian researchers added about 2 ounces of soy each day to the diets of men with prostate cancer. Within 1 month the PSA level fell by about 13% and the free-to-total PSA ratio improved by 27%. PSA exists in two forms, either bound to proteins or free of protein binding (free PSA). Men with prostate cancer have lower free PSA levels and a lower free-to-total PSA ratio. The 29 men, who were scheduled for a radical prostatectomy, ate soy grits added to four slices of bread. The study is published in the September 2004 issue of the journal Urology. In a study published in May, 20% of the men with early stage prostate cancer, the watch and wait period of slow growth - who drank milkshakes with a little over two ounces of soy daily for 3 months had a 3 or more point drop in their PSA level. The researchers feel it is the Isoflavone content of the soy that helps with prostate cancer. The study is published in the May 2004 issue of the journal Prostate.