Alzheimer's response to chromium

Some months ago, the daughter of a man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease, wrote to me that she had read Lifting Depression: The Chromium Connection and was intrigued by my discussion of insulin resistance and its symptoms. Her father and other family members were troubled by insulin resistance, especially carbohydrate craving and a tendency to develop type 2 diabetes. She suspected a connection between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer's disease and wondered if chromium might help people suffering from Alzheimer's disease. I replied that people with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, but I didn't know whether chromium would help her father. I asked her to let me know whether he responded to chromium. Recently she answered:

Hello Dr. McLeod,

Yes, I do think that chromium seems to have helped my father. Several months ago, when I first mentioned the possible benefits of chromium for Alzheimer's to him, he agreed to try it, but at that point I knew it was probably beyond his capability to remember to actually go out and buy it for himself. So, I bought a few bottles of chromium picolinate and mailed them to him. About a week later I asked him if he was actually taking the tablets that I sent him, and found out that he had completely forgotten about it. It turns out, he had put the bottle of chromium on the kitchen counter, and had somehow gotten it mixed up in his mind and thought he was supposed to take it in case of bird flu! I finally convinced him to start taking the tablets and explained all over again how it could help him, and at that point, with additional coaxing on my part, he did start to take chromium every day, both morning and afternoon.

These seem like subtle but very definite improvements in his memory and ability to execute tasks. I am very grateful to you for writing the book on the benefits of chromium, and explaining the scientific reasons of why it works. I see more and more information in the press lately about the link between insulin resistance and Alzheimer's, and the latest research demonstrates a link between obesity and Alzheimer's. I think that you are far ahead of most physicians in your knowledge of the benefits of chromium and how it is a key component of the puzzle of atypical depression, insulin resistance, diabetes, and now possibly Alzheimer's.

Thank you very much,
PS