The glucose and lipid lowering effects of biotin are well known. A combination of biotin and chromium picolinate is approved as a drug for type II diabetes. The study below goes a step further. It mentions that in humans, 16mg of biotin daily for a week restored glucose metabollism in insulin-dependent patients for whom insulin therapy had been withdrawn. In other words, biotin effectively substituted for insulin therapy. In addition, the study replicated the reported results in humans by using a genetically diabetic mouse model. The biotin doses used in the mouse study were equivalent to 15mg and 30mg per day for a human, with the 30mg daily having stronger effect on lowering blood glucose and lowering hyperinsulinemia.
So, people here struggling with glucose issues can try biotin for a week, or a combination of biotin, pyridoxine, thiamine, niacinamide and riboflavin as they are all involved in glucose metabolism. I don't think it gets any better than that, as I don't know of any drug that acts as fast as biotin (1 week) and with such beneficial effects.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3280936
"...Because biotin treatment may lower blood glucose in insulin-dependent diabetes, we chose to study such an effect in non-insulin dependent diabetes. Twenty-six diabetic KK mice, moderately hyperglycemic and insulin resistant, were treated for 10 weeks: 9 animals with 2 mg of biotin/Kg, 8 with 4 mg of biotin/Kg, and 9 with saline (controls). Blood glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance, insulin response to oral glucose, and blood glucose decrease in response to insulin were quantitated. Compared to controls, biotin treatment lowered post-prandial glucose levels, and improved tolerance to glucose and insulin resistance. Serum immunoreactive insulin levels in biotin treated mice were like the controls."
"...Relationships between vitamin status, glucose metabolism and insulin have been demonstrated in animals and humans (1). Vitamin B6 deficiency induces intolerance to glucose (2-5). Treatment with pharmacological doses of B6 improved carbohydrate tolerance in gestational diabetic women (6,7) and in women taking oral contraceptives (8). Riboflavin lowers or increases fasting blood sugar levels in riboflavin-deficient dogs (9-11): intake of high doses of vitamin C appears to be diabetogenic (1). Glucose tolerance is impaired in vitamin A-deficient rats (12). Biotin deficiency has been linked to hyperglycemia and decreased utilization of glucose (13-15). High-dose biotin (16 mg/day) for one week lowered fasting blood glucose levels in non-biotin deficient, insulin-dependent diabetic patients when insulin was withdrawn during biotin administration (16). Because biotin treatment may lower blood glucose levels in insulin-dependent diabetes, we initiated a further study on such a biotin effect in noninsulin-dependent diabetes."
So, people here struggling with glucose issues can try biotin for a week, or a combination of biotin, pyridoxine, thiamine, niacinamide and riboflavin as they are all involved in glucose metabolism. I don't think it gets any better than that, as I don't know of any drug that acts as fast as biotin (1 week) and with such beneficial effects.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3280936
"...Because biotin treatment may lower blood glucose in insulin-dependent diabetes, we chose to study such an effect in non-insulin dependent diabetes. Twenty-six diabetic KK mice, moderately hyperglycemic and insulin resistant, were treated for 10 weeks: 9 animals with 2 mg of biotin/Kg, 8 with 4 mg of biotin/Kg, and 9 with saline (controls). Blood glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance, insulin response to oral glucose, and blood glucose decrease in response to insulin were quantitated. Compared to controls, biotin treatment lowered post-prandial glucose levels, and improved tolerance to glucose and insulin resistance. Serum immunoreactive insulin levels in biotin treated mice were like the controls."
"...Relationships between vitamin status, glucose metabolism and insulin have been demonstrated in animals and humans (1). Vitamin B6 deficiency induces intolerance to glucose (2-5). Treatment with pharmacological doses of B6 improved carbohydrate tolerance in gestational diabetic women (6,7) and in women taking oral contraceptives (8). Riboflavin lowers or increases fasting blood sugar levels in riboflavin-deficient dogs (9-11): intake of high doses of vitamin C appears to be diabetogenic (1). Glucose tolerance is impaired in vitamin A-deficient rats (12). Biotin deficiency has been linked to hyperglycemia and decreased utilization of glucose (13-15). High-dose biotin (16 mg/day) for one week lowered fasting blood glucose levels in non-biotin deficient, insulin-dependent diabetic patients when insulin was withdrawn during biotin administration (16). Because biotin treatment may lower blood glucose levels in insulin-dependent diabetes, we initiated a further study on such a biotin effect in noninsulin-dependent diabetes."