Diabetes Supplement Guide

8/13/2019 Diabetes Supplement Guide

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Diabetes Supplement Guide

Copyright 2011 SupplementZone.org


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Table of Contents

Introduction to Diabetes..................................................................... 8Magnesium...................................................................................... 11

Aloe Vera......................................................................................... 13DHEA .............................................................................................. 14L-Carnitine....................................................................................... 15

Bitter Melon ..................................................................................... 16Coenzyme Q10 ............................................................................... 17Prickly Pear ..................................................................................... 18Caffeine........................................................................................... 20Chromium........................................................................................ 21Ginseng........................................................................................... 23Glucomannan and Guar Gum.......................................................... 24Milk Thistle ...................................................................................... 25


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Disclaimer

This site does not treat, diagnose/assess medical conditions,

prescribe medication or provide medical advice. The opinions,

information and resources contained within this site are for

informational purposes only and do not constitute medical practice

nor medical advice.

We are not medical doctors. We cannot assure that the articles

published herein were written by medical doctors. Before starting any

type of medical program, consult your physician to determine the

options best suited to your individual needs.


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Diabetes Caution

Since some of the supplements in this guide have been proven to

help lower blood sugar, always tell your doctor before you begin

taking them. If you change your blood sugar levels, it may alter the

amount of insulin you require. Blood sugar that drops too low can

result in hypoglycemia, a dangerous condition resulting in confusion,

and even coma and death in extreme cases.


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Introduction to Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that affects around 300 million people

worldwide. Coming in two varieties, a childhood version (type I) and

an adult version (type II), diabetes leads to hyperglycemia, a

condition of abnormally high blood sugar levels that can do extensive

damage to major organs. Type I is generally seen to have a stronger

genetic component than type II, which is at least somewhat related toobesity and is possibly avoidable in some people.

Sugar enters the bloodstream from either food recently eaten, or from

storage in the liver. After it enters it needs to be transported into cells

to create energy, and this is where insulin comes in. Insulin is

released from the pancreas in response to the presence of blood

sugar, and transports this sugar into the cells. What happens in

diabetes is either insulin stops being produced altogether (type I), or

cells become resistant to insulins ability to transport sugar (type II).

As a result, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, and over time this

can lead to serious damage to major organs. Most commonly, this

leads to heart disease, increased infections, foot damage, neuropathyand numbness in the limbs, damage to vision, and so on. This kind of

damage happens over a length of time with high blood sugar, and so

blood sugar needs to be controlled.


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Risk Factors

Type I, childhood onset diabetes, is mainly an inherited autoimmunedisease. The bodys immune system begins attacking the pancreas,

and it loses its ability to produce insulin.

The genetic trigger for it comes from a combination of two different

genes, but the presence of this particular gene does not guarantee

the existence of diabetes type I; studies on identical twins haveshown that diabetes is present in both twins only about half the time,

despite the fact that they both carry identical genes. This points

toward an environmental trigger. Theories include viruses and diet,

although no specific trigger has been found.

Type II diabetes also has a strong genetic component, but is also

often triggered by obesity and lack of exercise. Unlike with Type I

diabetes, people with Type II still produce insulin but their cells have

become resistant to allowing insulin to escort sugar into them, and so

sugar builds up in the blood instead.

Management

The goal of diabetes management is to get blood sugar levels down

to normal and carefully monitor them. This is primarily done using

insulin injections, a diet low in fast carbohydrates, and with regular


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exercise. There are also various medications that can help keep

blood sugar low, like metformin.

But there are also several over the counter nutritional supplements

that have some promising research behind them as methods of

lowering blood sugar.

Keep in mind that research is still ongoing on many of these

supplements, and if you decide to take any you MUST inform your

doctor. If any of them actually work in lowering blood pressure, then it

could drastically alter your need for insulin and you could be at risk of

hypoglycemia: very low blood pressure that can result in confusion

and coma.

This list is for informational purposes only, and not intended as

medical advice.


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Cinnamon

A very popular supplement for diabetes control is cinnamon,especially considering some recent studies on its effectiveness. As

with many supplements, however, there are conflicting studies and so

it isnt currently known how effective it is.

One study from 2003 followed 60 patients, and those who took

cinnamon had lower glucose levels than

the ones taking placebos. However,

other studies have not been able to find

any effect. One theorized reason for this

discrepancy is that the earlier studies

involved diabetics who were not already

taking sugar-lowering medications, compared with later studies on

diabetic who were.

Thus, it is unknown if cinnamon can help lower blood sugar or not.

However, there are no shortages of anecdotal stories of diabetics

taking cinnamon and noticing much lower blood sugar levels.

Fortunately, cinnamon is fairly safe to take and so can be added tothe diet if you like, and it comes in capsule form as well if youd prefer

that. It bears repeating that you inform your physician, as lowered

blood sugar levels will change the amount of insulin you require.


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Aloe Vera

Well known as an ointment for treating burns, the juice of this

succulent plant is also taken orally as a way of easing digestion. It

has also been of interest to

researchers as a way to treat

diabetes.

One study of 3,000 diabetics involved

giving aloe vera gelatin baked into

bread. All the ones eating the bread

had improved glucose levels.

Another study on only five patients

found improved glucose levels in

those taking half a teaspoon of aloe vera per day.

Aloe vera might not be completely safe to take long term. There is

some indication of potential liver damage in rare cases.


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DHEA

The adrenal steroid hormone 5-Dehydroepiandrosterone is popular

as a potential anti-aging supplement (even though evidence is

scarce). It has also been examined as a possible diabetes

supplement, and some evidence has been found that it may help

reduce cardiovascular disease in diabetics.

However, studies have been rare and small, and so there is not much

evidence that it is useful as a diabetes supplement.


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L-Carnitine

L-carnitine is an amino acid, one of the building blocks of protein, and

is sold as a nutritional supplement. It is involved in breaking up fatty

acids (like omega 3 and omega 6), so that they can be transported

into the cells during metabolism.

There i some evidence that it can help improve glucose metabolismand insulin sensitivity in Type II diabetics. A 1999 study published in

the Journal of the American College of Nutrition studies 15 diabetic

patients, and found that l-carnitine doe help to improve fat oxidation

and insulin sensitivity.

L-carnitine is probably relatively safe to take, but as with many

diabetic supplements, research is still preliminary as to whether it is

effective or not.


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Bitter Melon

A tropical fruit that is widely used as a food in Asia, bitter melon may

also help to increase insulin

sensitivity. A very recent paper

in the Journal of

Ethnopharmacology found that

2000 mgs per day of bittermelon may help lower blood

sugar, but metformin did the job

better.

Since it is widely eaten in Asia, it is probably a fairly safe supplement

to take.


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Coenzyme Q10

A vitamin like substance that is required for metabolism, CoQ10 is

most often used as a supplement to treat congestive heart failure.

There is no evidence that it can affect blood sugar.


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Prickly Pear

A type of cactus native to the Americas, prickly pear has some

evidence of effectiveness in lowering blood sugar. However, the

evidence only related to one

particular species of prickly

pear (Opuntia

streptacantha), and othersdid not show the same effect

and in fact some of the other

species may cause kidney

damage.

With supplements you buy in the store, it is usually impossible to tell

which species the supplement comes from and so it might be wise to

avoid it.


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Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant, a chemical that can clean up loose

molecules called free radical that can cause all kind of organ

damage. It is sold as a dietary supplement over the counter. Unlike

most antioxidants, alpha-lipoic acid is water soluble and hence can

work throughout the body.

There is some evidence that alpha-lipoic acid may help improve

symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, a disease caused by diabetes

that involves tingling and pain in the extremities.

This may be useful for some diabetics, and is probably a safe

supplement to take. One study on diabetic neuropathy found that 600

mgs per day was the optimal dose to relieve symptoms without also

bringing on side effects.


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Caffeine

Coffee has long been of interest as a possible way of reducing the

risk of diabetes Type II. The active chemical was long thought to be

caffeine, but recent studies

have suggested that caffeine

actually increases blood sugar

about as much as diabeticmedications decrease it.

Researchers have concluded

that there may be a different

compound in coffee that provides a protective effect against diabetes,

but it remains to be seen what that is.

Therefore, caffeine is probably not a good diabetes supplement.

However, there is still support for a possible protective effect against

heart disease in people over aged 65 who do not have high blood

pressure, and so may still provide some benefit.


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Chromium

Chromium is a metal that may affect sugar metabolism in biological

organisms, although there is plenty of ongoing debate about this and

so far little conclusive evidence. Chromium in supplement form is

mixed with picolonic acid and sold as chromium picolinate. Actually

chromium deficiency is very rare, and so interest in this supplement

comes mostly from claims that it can help diabetics control sugar.

There have been several studies, and in many of them it did seem to

help control sugar metabolism. However, many of these were small

studies with poor controls (such as randomized double blindness. A

2010 study in the journal Endocrine Practice failed to find any

evidence that chromium helped reduce risk of acquiring diabetes.

But a 2008 study in Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews did

find some evidence that it can help control glucose levels in Type II

diabetics, especially when combined with diabetic medications like

metformin.

As for safety, there has been some concern that chromium picolinatemay lead to damage to DNA, based on studies on rodents. But there

is controversy over this and some subsequent studies have found

that it is safe in normal doses (up to 1.6 mgs per day) without any

apparent ill effects.


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Flaxseed

Flaxseed oil contains omega 3 fatty acid, which are now well known

to be quite useful for reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It

has also been studied as a potential diabetes treatment, but research

is inconclusive.

A 2010 study found that it did not help improve glycemic control inType II diabetics who already had well-controlled blood sugar. The

University of Maryland Medical Center actually lists the rise of blood

sugar as one side effect of flaxseed, especially when combined with

diabetic medication like metformin or insulin.

As a result, caution should be exercised when taking flaxseed if you

are diabetic, but it does still have other benefits that may be worth

considering. As mentioned, it contains omega 3 which can reduce the

risks of heart disease (although fish oil omega 3 is more efficient),

and eating the flaxseeds themselves are a good source of dietary

fiber.


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Ginseng

Ginseng is an Asian plant species that has long been used as a

stimulant and aphrodisiac, as well as an anti-anxiety herbal

supplement. It has also been popular as a way of lowering blood

sugar in diabetics.

As with many of the supplements for fighting blood sugar, research isconflicting. There have been several studies on both the American

and Korean Red varieties that have shown promise in lowering blood

sugar levels in diabetics. But then other studies have not found much

of an effect.

One problem with buying ginseng supplements is that you cant

always tell what species of ginseng you are getting, and what the

concentration is, and so results may vary wildly. The main side effect

is insomnia, but some studies have not been able to corroborate that

effect. Overdose is rare.


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Glucomannan and Guar Gum

Glucomannan is a fiber from the Konjac plant, a tropical plant found

in Asia and popularly known as elephant yam (although not related to

real yams). As a fibrous material, there is some evidence that it may

help slow the absorption of carbohydrates into the digestive system,

providing a more level amount of blood sugar after eating. Some

research has been promising, but there havent been any studies onit in several years.

Guar gum is similar in mechanism. A compound found in the Indian

guar bean, it too may help to slow down carbohydrate absorption and

keep blood sugar levels more even. Research has suggested that it

may work well combined with diabetic drugs.


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Milk Thistle

A prickly flower mostly found in the Mediterranean region, milk thistle

contains a chemical called

silymarin which has been

used in several studies as a

diabetic supplement. A

2007 study published in theJournal of Medicinal Food

concluded that 200 mgs of

silymarin per day helped

reduce both fasting and

after-meal blood sugar levels.

Silymarin is probably safe to take. In studies on rodents, toxicity

levels were much higher than what you would be able to take by

supplement.

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