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org for more information on supplements

Visit http://www.supplementzone.org for more information on supplements

Visit http://www.supplementzone.org for more information on supplements

Diabetes Supplement Guide Copyright 2011 SupplementZone.org Visit http://www.supplementzone.org for more information on supplements

Table of Contents Introduction to Diabetes..................................................................... 8 Magnesium...................................................................................... 11 Aloe Vera......................................................................................... 13 DHEA .............................................................................................. 14 L-Carnitine....................................................................................... 15 Bitter Melon ..................................................................................... 16 Coenzyme Q10 ............................................................................... 17 Prickly Pear ..................................................................................... 18 Caffeine........................................................................................... 20 Chromium........................................................................................ 21 Ginseng........................................................................................... 23 Glucomannan and Guar Gum.......................................................... 24 Milk 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 to obesity 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, neuropathy and 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 autoimmune disease. 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 have shown 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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Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in carbohydrate metabolism, and there has been interest in it as a method of improving blood glucose metabolism. Some research has shown that it may help lower the risk of Type II diabetes in adults. One study followed 170,000 adults for 20 years, and found a reduced risk of Type II in those with higher magnesium levels. However, other studies have not found this effect, and so the jury is still out on whether it is a useful supplement for diabetes or not.

Foods rich in magnesium include dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, and also cashews, almonds, and whole grains. A good variety of fruits and vegetables will help keep your magnesium levels adequate.

Toxicity is probably fairly difficult to attain, as excess magnesium is just excreted in urine, but cases have occurred. One case of magnesium poisoning occurred in a young woman who took magnesium-containing antacids every few hours throughout the day. If you decide to take a supplement, be sure to stick within the recommended daily dose range, up to 350 mgs per day for an adult.

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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 to the 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 metabolism and 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 bitter melon 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 others did 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 diabetic medications 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 picolinate may 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. Visit http://www.supplementzone.org for more information on supplements

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 in Type 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 is conflicting. 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 on it 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 the Journal 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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