The present invention is directed to methods for improving glycemic control in humans and animals comprising the step of administering a composition comprising an amino acid content including 4-hydroxyisoleucine in an amount between about 60% and about 70% of a total weight of the amino acid content, together with one or more amino acids selected from the group consisting of glutamate, aspartate, arginine, cysteine, threonine, serine, glycine, alanine, valine, methionine, isoleucine, and histidine (inclusive of any chemical salts, anhydrides, or isomers of any of the foregoing), in addition to, alkaloids, glycosides, volatile oils, saponins, sapogenins, mannans, flavonoids, fatty acids, vitamins and provitamins, minerals, and carbohydrates. Fasting blood glucose and glucose tolerance were studied in normal human subjects, in human subjects diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome X, and in diabetic rats by means of dosing the subjects with compositions comprising 4-hydroxyisoleucine in an amount between about 20% and about 30% of the total weight of the composition, wherein improving glycemic control in standard glucose tolerance tests.