Health Tips

Inositol ~ An Overlooked, Powerful Metabolic Regulator!

From benefits to the brain and mood, to the tips of your toes with diabetic neuropathy, Inositol, which used to be known as Vitamin B8, is an overlooked and underappreciated nutrient considered “conditionally essential” because it cannot be synthesized by the body in sufficient amounts for our daily needs.   It is so powerful and has so many brain-body benefits that, like many “natural medicines, it is being suppressed by Big Pharma-Big Medicine establishment.

Inositol has been studied as a supplement helping to improve glucose-insulin regulation in PCOS for many years, as I described in my book on PCOS in 2007 updated in 2017.  In the last few years, inositol has gained some additional attention for its many other health benefits, including anti-cancer properties.   In today’s Health Tip, I wanted to update you on the many exciting areas of research and uses for inositol, which is a major reason we included a powerful inositol complex supplement, TruInositol™ Complex, in our Truth for Health store products.

Chemically inositol is a complex sugar alcohol found in foods and can be synthesized to some degree from glucose, but it may become essential to supplement under certain conditions such as illness, stress, or rapid growth.

Inositol has a cyclohexanol structure, a six-carbon cyclic polyalcohol that occurs naturally in all living cells. which allows for the formation of nine different isomers.  Myo-inositol and D-chiro-inositol are the two most common and the most significant isomers in the human body.

Inositol is found in fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts.  But in an average 1800-2500–calorie daily diet, only about 225-1500 mg of myo-inositol is available. Of the nearly 100% of ingested myo-inositol that is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, more than half becomes lipid bound. The body also produces another 4 grams each day synthesized from glucose, primarily in the kidneys, but also in tissues where it’s needed, such as the brain, liver, ovaries, and testes.

Clinical studies showing inositol’s many health benefits have used doses up to 18 gms per day for a month and demonstrated effectiveness with minimal to no side effects. So unfortunately we may not be able to get all we need from just eating fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, and nuts.

Although I had known for a number of years about the earlier research using inositol in PCOS, I learned more about significant anti-cancer benefits of inositol in Dr. William Makis COVID INTEL newsletter on Substack “IP6 and Cancer – Inositol Hexaphosphate and the Latest Research since 2020”.   I have summarized below some of the key cancer benefits from Dr. Makis’ literature review in his article.

In addition, I wanted to explore, and share with our readers, the many other health benefits that directly applied to the patients I see in my medical practice:

  • Treating PCOS, a common endocrine disorder in young women caused by androgen excess, with insulin resistance and marked weight gain, acne, excess body hair, mood swings and menstrual irregularities leading to infertility.
  • Metabolic syndrome, also known as Pre-Diabetes, marked by  middle body weight gain, high triglycerides, hypertension, hyper-lipidemia (high cholesterol), abnormal glucose-insulin regulation.
  • Anxiety and mood disorders
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Hormonal imbalances.

I regularly include TruInositol Complex as a supplement added to prescription medications for an integrated treatment plan for these conditions.

Inositol’s health benefits are derived from its complex mechanisms of actions that basically result in three main functions, making it what I call “a Master Regulator” compound:

  • Insulin Signaling and Glucose Regulation – due to inositol’s function as a secondary messenger
  • Steroidogenesis and Hormone Regulation – influences steroid hormone production – that includes critical reproductive/metabolic hormones like estradiol, testosterone, DHEA along with others.
  • Antioxidant Capacity – modulator of oxidative stress to reduce damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Let’s look at these functions and benefits in more detail:

Metabolic Health

  • Improving Metabolic Syndrome: Inositol helps mitigate risk factors for metabolic syndrome, including excess abdominal fat, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar.
  •  Reduces total and LDL cholesterol levels
  • Reduces blood triglyceride levels
  •  Improves insulin resistance
  • Reduces blood sugar levels, which in turn helps lower Hemoglobin A1C
  • Supports blood sugar regulation: Inositol helps improve insulin sensitivity, which in turns helps lower body fat buildup from excess insulin in the bloodstream.  Improved insulin sensitivity, which gets worse as we age or gain middle body fat, potentially improves blood sugar control. This makes inositol especially beneficial for men or women with diabetes, or women at risk of pregnancy-induced (gestational) diabetes.
  • Inositol plus folic acid supplements during pregnancy have been found to help reduce the risk of gestational diabetes also helps reduce the risk of women giving birth prior to full-term pregnancy,

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS):  For more on this, read Dr. Vliet’s book on PCOS (2017 edition), available on Amazon Kindle App, and in the Truth for Health Foundation store. CLICK HERE!

  • Women struggling with the marked weight gain of PCOS:  Inositol can help improve symptoms of PCOS, such as insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure, and high triglyceride levels, and weight gain.
  • Significantly reduced total and free testosterone levels
  • Significantly reduced SHBG levels
  • Reduced fasting glucose levels and AUC-insulin levels
  • Reduced Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Reduction in the menstrual irregularity seen in PCOS, with improved menstrual cycle length in those taking inositol supplements.
  • Improved fertility in women with PCOS undergoing IVF by increasing the number of mature oocytes and improving fertilization rates.

 

BRAIN Benefits for Improved Mental Health, Reduced Anxiety:
Research has found that people with the following psychiatric-psychological disorders have lower levels of inositol in the brain!

  • Depression and Anxiety: Research has found that inositol influences brain chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, with a “calming effect” that helps reduce both depression and anxiety.
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Inositol shows benefit via serotonin pathways to reduce obsessive thinking and compulsions of  OCD.
  • Bi-Polar Disorder Researchers have found that some people with this challenging mood disorder have lower levels of inositol in their brain and can benefit from supplements of this important nutrient.
  • Panic Disorder: Inositol has been found to help reduce panic attacks and the “anticipatory” anxieties about having panic attacks.
  • Some research suggests inositol may be as effective as certain prescription medications.  Only 70% of patients respond to current treatments for panic disorder, and many discontinue drugs because of side effects.
  • For example: A double-blind, controlled, random-order crossover study was undertaken to compare the effect of inositol with that of fluvoxamine in panic disorder. Twenty patients completed 1 month of inositol up to 18 g/day and 1 month of fluvoxamine up to 150 mg/day. Improvements in anxiety scores were similar for both treatments. In the first month, inositol reduced the number of panic attacks per week (mean and SD) by 4.0 (2) compared with a reduction of 2.4 (2) with fluvoxamine (p = 0.049). Nausea and tiredness were more common with fluvoxamine (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Inositol is a very safe and attractive option because it is a natural compound with few known side effects, unlike the many adverse side effects of all the psychiatric medications!

Improving Nerve Function

  • Inositol has been shown to have many benefits in improving optimal nervous system function, including difficult to treat nerve pain syndromes, such as diabetic nerve pain.
  • In my profession opinion, based on research findings about its modes of action, inositol may be a valuable addition to treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, RSD pain syndromes, fibromyalgia pain syndromes, and many other similar conditions.

Sleep Regulation:

  • May improve serotonin receptor  – lowered from chronic sleep deprivation – and enhance better sleep
  • Acting via improved hormone production, inositol can help improve sleep via estradiol and testosterone effects on the brain’s sleep regulatory cycle.

Cancer Benefits:
Anti-cancer mechanisms:  You may want to refer to Dr. Makis’ Substack article for more details on this topic – this is my summary of actions.

  • Antioxidant – chelates iron and calcium, free radical scavenger
  • Inhibits cancer growth (breast, prostate, colon, cervix, leukemia, hepatoma)
  • Induces maturation – inositol induces differentiation and maturation of malignant cells, resulting in reversion to normal phenotype
  • Stimulates apoptosis
  • Stimulates cell cycle arrest
  • Inhibits inflammation – inhibits NF-kB
  • Inhibits angiogenesis – reduces VEFG
  • Cancer Stem Cells are inhibited by inositol
  • Inhibits metastasis – Inositol inhibits matrix metalloproteases (MMP) that are involved in the spread of cancers (metastases)
  • Reduces expression of glucose transporters in tumors at all stages
  • Stimulates immune system – increase activity of NK natural killer cells
  • Sensitizes cancer cells for treatment – overcomes drug resistance
  • Reduces the adverse side effects of chemotherapy via many of the above pathways
  • Improves the gut microbiome – increases beneficial lactococcus and lactobacillus and decreases harmful bacteria like Escherichia Shigella and Escherichia coli which are associated with colorectal cancer

The above mechanisms were found in research studies to be applicable to the following cancers but not necessarily limited to:

  • colon cancer
  • breast cancer
  • prostate cancer
  • lung cancer
  • pancreatic cancer
  • cervical cancer
  • melanoma

Use of inositol in my medical practice:
From the research based Clinical Applications for inositol, described above and the established clinical applications below, you can begin to see the many ways I find inositol can help people reduce symptoms and health risks and improve quality of life, as well as reduce reliance on Rx medicines!  Inositol
• Supports Relaxed Mood
• Supports Inhibitory Neurotransmitter and Second Messenger Functions
• Supports Neurotransmitter Balance and Neuronal Stabilization
• Supports Healthy Blood Pressure Levels Already Within Normal Range
• Addresses Brain Osmotic Regulation, Glial Cell Function, and Effective Neuronal Transmission.

In my medical practice, I want to use the highest quality, reliable supplements I can find, so that’s why we added the premium quality supplement TruInositol™ Complex in our Truth for Health store products.
Let’s look at the unique features to our TruInositol™ Complex:

  • Inositol is present as the distinct myo-inositol combined with synergistic ingredients to form a unique supplement designed to promote a calm, relaxed, well-balanced emotional and physiological state.
  • TruInositol Complex comes in powder form that is quicker to absorb than capsules and is rapidly absorbed into blood stream.
  • In addition to myo-inositol, TruInositol Complex contains gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an amino acid manufactured in brain cells from glutamate. This primary neurotransmitter, abundant in the cerebral cortex, increases the production of alpha waves for a relaxed, yet mentally focused state, while decreasing beta waves that are associated with hyperactivity, nervousness, and fleeting thoughts. Sufficient GABA results in the smooth, calming, regular rhythmic flow of electrical impulses in the brain needed for emotional well-being. Supplementation in humans has shown support for the maintenance of healthy cortisol and secretory IgA levels while under stress, and important for a healthy immune system.
  • Contains Taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid).  Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid that maintains cell volume via osmoregulation (a process that corrects excessive or insufficient concentrations of electrolytes). Taurine also stabilizes cell membranes in the heart and brain. This helps maintain normal function of cardiac muscles, essential for proper heart contractions, enhances exercise capacity, and may protect against coronary heart disease and help reduce blood pressure. In the brain, taurine has neuroprotective effects with a potential therapeutic benefit for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke. Taurine is also important in normalizing neurotransmitter activity and influences cognitive processes, mood, behavior, memory, learning, and anxiety. Taurine also protects brain cells from environmental toxins and excitotoxicity which can damage brain cells. Taurine supplementation also increases GABA.
  • Contains L-Theanine (N-ethyl-L-glutamine) L-Theanine, provided as Suntheanine®, is protected by more than 40 US and international patents for its various physiological efficacies and L-isomer-specific production processes. A naturally occurring, biologically active, free-form amino acid, L-theanine gives green tea its characteristic taste. Although notable for its relaxation support, L-theanine may also support nerve health and cognition. Theanine lowers glutamate levels by preventing transport of glutamate’s precursor, glutamine. It may also inhibit neurotransmission, cause inhibitory neurotransmission via glycine receptors, and thereby reduce neuronal overstimulation. L-theanine’s ability to relax the mind without inducing drowsiness has been documented by an increase in alpha wave activity during EEG recording.
  • Contains Magnesium, which is often referred to as “the relaxation mineral” and mainly found in the brain, bones, and muscles. Magnesium assists in the transmission of nerve impulses and is essential to more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. Magnesium supplementation has been shown to support a healthy mood, including during the menstrual cycle when mood changes are common. Magnesium also helps regulate blood pressure, heart rate, bowel mobility, and is critical for bone formation –along with its many other functions.

In summary, Our Truth for Health product, TruInositol™ Complex, is an innovative powdered drink mix. It contains a blend of ingredients that supports the body’s natural synthesis of catecholamines, the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, hormonal balance, and healthy glucose metabolism. TruInositol™ Complex aims to promote a calm, relaxed, well-balanced emotional and physiological state.
I encourage you to give a try if you are experiencing any of the symptoms I described above!

 

And to insure optimal health, I encourage you to consider our other natural medicines with our top quality, cGMP-compliant professional formulas for TruImmune™Boost, TruNAC™, TruImmunoglobulin,™ TruC with BioFlav™ (Vitamin C with complete Bioflavonoids), Tru BioD3™, TruZinc™, TruMitochondrial Boost and TruProBiotic™ Daily to replenish critical bifidobacteria depleted by COVID shots, viral illnesses, and antibiotic therapy.

To Your good health and improving resilience!
Dr. Vliet

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