Part of the new generation of diet pills ? a great, great improvement over the older style of diet pill, that was essentially a barbiturate ? includes naturally occurring substances, such as vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements. In general, people feel safer with these natural substances than they ever would with pharmaceutical drugs, though this confidence is sometimes misplaced. There are some natural substances that are not the best thing for your body. Some of them react with pharmaceuticals, too. In general, though, natural substances are a great idea ? they are probably one of the most promising directions that medicine is taking in this day and age.

Chromium is a natural supplement that is very helpful in weight loss. If you are trying to lose weight and would like a head start, so to speak, or if you are in the process of losing weight and have hit a plateau, a period of time when you can't seem to lose any more, consider asking your doctor or naturopath about this supplement. Unlike most ?diet pills? (herbal or otherwise) chromium does not function by suppressing appetite. Instead, what it does is far more constructive ? it improves your insulin efficiency.

What does insulin efficiency have to do with losing weight? Quite a lot, as it happens, though it depends on where you carry your weight. Take a quick look in the mirror. If much of your extra weight is around your middle, you could probably benefit from improving your insulin efficiency.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas, and it is used to digest sugars and carbohydrates (which are, essentially, the same as sugars). If you eat a lot of sugar or refined carbohydrates, there is a chance that your supply of insulin will be unable to deal with the sudden rush of sugar in your blood. The chances are even greater if you are over forty. Over time, if you overuse your insulin, so to speak, by eating a lot of sugar, as you get older, you may not have enough of it or your insulin response might get weakened. When this becomes critical, we call it diabetes ? and there is no known cure.

Consider the following: During World War 2, there was a village in France whose supply of fresh drinking water was all but cut off. Supplies of wine were plentiful, however, and that's what people drank instead. You might expect that this would turn the whole lot of them into alcoholics ? it didn't, though. The French are pretty stable and balanced in their approach to alcohol. What did happen, though, was this: at the end of four years, about 75% of the village was diabetic! This is because of the high sugar content in wine. It's something to consider for today's youth, many of whom subsist on soft drinks, which are considerably higher in sugar than wine is. Is it only a matter of time before we have a whole generation of diabetics? This is a serious proposition, since there is no cure for diabetes. The condition often has to be controlled with insulin injections, and that's not a way in which any of us would choose to live.

If you are having trouble with your insulin response but have not been diagnosed with diabetes, the only manifestation of your condition might be an increase in fat around your belly. This should be considered an early warning sign of a serious health problem, besides being unsightly! It means that you are eating too much sugar and refined starch for your body's insulin to process. The excess sugar is turned to fat and stored around your middle. Over time, if you don't do anything to correct the situation, you may well end up with diabetes. You might also contract heart disease, because both diabetes and weight around the middle are warning signs for eventual heart disease.

Chromium supplements are not a ?magic bullet? ? you still have to curb your sugar and carbohydrate intake. However, to help you along, studies have shown that chromium can be effective. Chromium supplements improve the efficiency with which your body's insulin response occurs, and this can be a huge boon in terms of weight loss, avoidance of diabetes, and better heart health.