Vanadium sulfate, a compound of vanadium, sulfur, and oxygen, has insulin-like effects and is commonly found in dietary supplements marketed for strength training. However, its effectiveness for this purpose has not been scientifically validated, and long-term accumulation of vanadium can cause health problems due to its toxicity at high levels. Scientific studies have shown that vanadyl sulfate can improve insulin sensitivity in diabetics, but it often causes gastrointestinal problems and reduces hemoglobin levels. In scientific tests, subjects who took vanadyl sulfate as a supplement to strength training showed no improvement in performance compared to other subjects.
Vanadium sulfate is a compound of vanadium, sulfur and oxygen with the chemical formula VOSO4. At standard atmospheric pressure (100 kilopascals or 1 bar), it has a melting point of 105°F (221°C) and is a blue solid at room temperature. It can mimic some of the effects of insulin. It is a popular ingredient in dietary supplements, especially those intended to aid in strength training, although its effectiveness for that purpose in humans has not been scientifically validated.
It is commonly produced in the process of extracting vanadium from the environment. It is most commonly the result of the reaction of vanadium(V) oxide (V2O5), also known as vanadium pentoxide, with sulfur dioxide (S2O4), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and water (H2O). Vanadium sulfate is the form the average person is most likely to encounter vanadium in, but it is rarely found in nature.
Vanadyl sulfate has insulin-like effects and scientific studies have shown that it can improve insulin sensitivity in diabetics. However, it also often causes problems with the gastrointestinal tract when people first start taking it, causing cramping, nausea, and diarrhea that usually last about a week. More seriously, studies in human patients indicate that vanadyl sulfate reduces hemoglobin levels, perhaps by interfering with the collection of iron in red blood cells. Long-term effects in humans are unknown, but existing human and animal research suggests that long-term accumulation of vanadium can cause health problems due to its toxicity at high levels.
Dietary supplements containing vanadyl sulfate are commonly marketed as an aid to weight training and bodybuilding due to the substance’s purported ability to improve strength and muscle development. This idea is based on the insulin-like properties of vanadyl sulfate. Insulin provides cells with energy by helping glucose pass through cell membranes into cells in the body, where the glucose is metabolized for energy. Insulin also aids in the entry of enzymes that build and repair cellular structures and aid in muscle growth. Thus, it has been proposed that vanadyl sulfate may supplement the body’s natural insulin to enhance these desirable effects.
However, medical research has not supported this idea. When muscles need more energy during strenuous exercise, they increase glycogen uptake by becoming more sensitive to insulin rather than through increased insulin levels throughout the body. Therefore, artificially increasing the amount of insulin or insulin-mimicking chemicals in the bloodstream did not have the desired beneficial effects, and subjects who took vanadyl sulfate as a supplement to strength training in scientific tests showed no improvement in performance compared to other subjects.
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