Diabetes Supplements and High Blood Sugar

Diabetes Supplements - Can It Be?

We sometimes get asked about diabetes supplements. Are there nutritional supplements that can aid folks with diabetes?

First of all, many people are deficient in the necessary nutrition required to keep them healthy, not just folks with diabetes.

Supplements to your diet that provide you with additional nutrition not gained through the foods you eat are definitely a good idea for lots of folks.

With that said, it is felt that in the management of diabetes, supplements should play a major role.

What is Diabetes?

If you are suffering from diabetes you no doubt are familiar with what diabetes is.

For us folks who are not, we could soon be (suffering from diabetes, that is).

So let's take a brief look.

Diabetes comes in two main types: Type 1 and Type 2.

Type 1 Diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes have a pancreas that makes too little or no insulin at all. Insulin is what enables our bodies to metabolize or process the glucose (sugar) that we take in through our diets.

These folks have to inject themselves with insulin during the day to keep their glucose levels under control.

This type of diabetes usually begins in childhood and is called juvenile-onset diabetes. It is also called insulin-dependent diabetes.

This is the most serious form of the disease and is estimated that 10% of the folks with diabetes have this form.

About 90% of diabetics have this type and it usually occurs later in life.

Type 2 diabetes is called adult-onset diabetes. It is also referred to as noninsulin-dependent diabetes. With this type, the cells of a person's body are unable to respond to the insulin that it produces and is therefore unable to process glucose.

The inability of a person's cells to respond to insulin is what's called insulin resistance.

Folks that develop insulin resistance end up with lots of glucose (sugar) in their blood.

Unfortunately, high blood sugar causes lots of chronic problems down the road..

It is estimated that over 95 million Americans have some degree of insulin resistance and many more are at risk. The risk factors for developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes is physical inactivity (not enough exercise), being overweight, and our sugar packed diets.

What Diabetes Supplements Should I Consider?

Apart from insuring you are eating right and getting the proper amount of exercise, diabetes supplements are something you may want to consider.

It is suggested that you start with a good multi-supplement. Even the Harvard School of Public Health states that the "intake of several vitamins above the minimum daily requirement may prevent heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases."

Who are we to argue?

For folks with diabetes type 2, diabetes supplements such as chromium picolinate and ginseng have shown great promise in helping folks control their blood sugar.

Chromium Picolinate - One of the Well Researched Diabetes Supplements

In studies reported on in 'Diabetes', an official publication of the American Diabetes Association, chromium picolinate at 200 mcg., has been found to significantly improve blood sugar control.

Another study found that chromium picolinate decreased the requirements for insulin or oral medication in a significant percentage of cases.

We talk more about this diabetes supplement at our page on chromium picolinate.

Ginseng - Another of the Diabetes Supplements That Has Shown Promise

Ginseng is another supplement that has been shown to lower blood sugar levels.

In a study reported on in the Archives of Internal Medicine, ginseng taken before meals has been shown to lower blood sugar levels by up to 20% in folks with type 2 diabetes as well as folks without diabetes.

You can find out more about ginseng at our ginseng page.

Please don't feel you can stop taking your medications without first speaking with your health care provider

What Do We Think?

We speak about chromium picolinate and ginseng above and we speak about the importance of a healthy diet and a good multi-vitamin on some of our other pages.

Some folks ask though, where they might find the above nutrients in a convenient multi-nutrient formulation.