Is it possible to control your diabetes with nutritional supplements?
Inadequate nutrition contributes to the onset of diabetes, but can be a nutrition a powerful appropriate treatment for this disease. (1) This disease is so closely related to diet and nutrition, scientists have studied how nutritional supplements can effectively treat diabetes. In the investigation of vitamin supplements, researchers have found that many vitamins and herbs can help effectively to reduce blood sugar. Some of these supplements of vitamin C, vitamin B complex, minerals like chromium and vanadium sulfate, and herbs such as Gymnema Sylvestre we can all help reduce blood sugar. If you combine these supplements together, in synergy can work together to lower blood sugar. First let us see what is diabetes is and then we can discuss how these supplements work.
The foods we eat are digested and broken down into simpler forms, most carbohydrates broken down into sugar known as glucose. These sugars are absorbed through the intestinal tract into the bloodstream where it is distributed throughout the body to feed the cells.
Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas. The pancreas is a long thin body that is located behind the stomach adding enzymes in food digestion. Insulin helps carry nutrients and sugar from the bloodstream into cells where it is needed. The energy from sugar supplies to various organs like the heart and lungs, such as heartbeat and breathing lungs that keep us alive as a result of energy supply sugar. (2.3)
There are two kinds of Type I and Type II. Type I diabetes is sometimes called insulin dependent, juvenile onset diabetes or child. This type usually starts at a very early age and the pancreas stops producing insulin. When the body produces no insulin, sugar remains in the bloodstream instead of into the cells where needed. This can be fatal, so a person with type I diabetes needs an insulin injection every day for your body to function correctly (to survive).
Type II diabetes usually starts in adults and is the most common type of diabetes in America. Most people with diabetes have type II, which is about 90% -95% of all diabetics in the United States. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas produces enough insulin but the body does not use insulin effectively. This is called insulin resistance, the body's cells do not respond to insulin and the pancreas produces more and more insulin to compensate for this resistance. When the blood sugar begins to rise in the bloodstream in this way, the medical doctor (MD) diagnosed with diabetes II. Most type II diabetics need a prescription drug for lowering blood sugar because a change of diet is not enough to control their problem sugar in the blood. (4)
In both cases, the blood sugar is too high in the bloodstream and cause several problems. The first problem is the cells can not absorb sugar for energy, are starving and begin to die. Secondly, an excessive amount of sugar in the blood leads to disease cardiovascular disease, hardening of the arteries, nerve and eye damage and kidney damage.
Scientists are not exactly sure what causes diabetes Type I, but I know it has something to do with the immune system. A healthy immune system protects us from colds and cancer cells (the body's cells that are damaged). The immune system can become confused and begin to attack the good cells in some cases, healthy pancreas cells that produce insulin, that causes diabetes. (4)
Type II diabetes has been associated with people who are overweight. These individuals who are overweight have high blood pressure and cholesterol high, so can also lead to this form of diabetes. Being overweight makes your body becomes resistant to insulin and excess weight is necessary to remove a could reverse Type II diabetes (rare).
If you think you have diabetes, you should look for these symptoms. Type I diabetics usually have frequent urge to urinate due to high blood sugar, the kidneys are trying to balance the body's bloodstream. The kidneys are forced to remove all the nutrients unused sugar in the blood in the kidneys and work, if not controlled can lead to kidney damage. If you have thirst, your body is trying to replace fluids lost through frequent urination. It is possible that increased hunger but will not gain weight when you do eat more. This is because the body's cells need more nutrients, but since these cells can not absorb nutrients from insulin and starves the body.
With type II diabetes may not notice any symptoms. The Type II diabetes usually occurs very gradually and you do not know about it until there are complications of diabetes, then it is too late. (3.4)
All complications of diabetes are caused by hyperglycemia. The higher the blood sugar is not controlled better your chances of complications. sugar the blood causes cardiovascular disease. The blood vessels begin to thicken from excess fat in the blood because high blood sugar increases fat circulating in the blood. When the vessels thicken circulation becomes poor and those with poor circulation your ability to heal is affected. Heart attacks, heart pain and stroke are common in diabetics due to poor circulation and blocked arteries form all the fat in the blood vessels.
Nerve damage is another complication of diabetes. Diabetics may notice numbness in the arms and legs due to nerve damage caused by hyperglycemia. These nerves do not can send signals to the brain relaying pain and touch sensations. Most diabetics will notice numbness in the feet and legs before other body parts are carried out. (3.4)
The complication of the day, eye damage. A severe complication, because it is not pleasant blind for anyone. The eye is very delicate small vessels in the retina, these vessels will help to see when the light shines on them in the eye. When blood vessels become weak, can hemorrhage and leak fluid into the eye. This causes swelling and blurred vision. There is a clear gel in the eye to keep it solid and round, if the blood is filtered this gel, your vision may be blurred or altered completely. As the eye continues to get damaged, the eye tries to repair itself by growing new vessels. These new vessels are fragile and can burst. Scar tissue can form and cause the retina away from the eyes, worst case causing blindness. (3.4)
The blood vessels of the network throughout the body. Your kidneys are composed of vessels and can be damaged as well. If the vessels in the kidneys deteriorate, waste not can be eliminated from the body and a form of treatment called dialysis may be necessary. If blood sugar is not kept under control, the kidney damage will remain to the point where a transplant may be necessary or required daily dialysis to remove wastes from the bloodstream. The good news is almost all complications that occur with diabetes can be prevented if care is taken right.
With a proper diet and nutrition can prevent diabetes successfully complications. Along with diet and nutrition, vitamins, minerals and herbs can also help reduce blood sugar and reduce complications that can occur. The best type of supplement is one that combines vitamins and herbs together to work together synergistically to blood sugar effectively. You might wonder what vitamins, minerals and herbs are good for blood sugar, your luck here is a list:
Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B-6, folic acid, Vitamin B-12, biotin, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, Gymnema Sylvestre, Bitter melon extract, fenugreek seed, berry cranberry extract, bioflavonoids and vanadium sulfate. Make safest ingredients in the formula are buying. How often you take these supplements should be listed in bottle you buy too. As a general rule that should be taken at least twice a day. Do not stop taking your normal multivitamin, diabetic formulas are a complement to what we currently do not have a replacement.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - keeps blood vessels healthy and diabetic kidneys. Vitamin C works with vitamin E for sugar from the blood and cells.
Vitamin E (natural tocopherols) - helps prevent nerve damage, helps to prevent kidney damage, blindness, and a heart attack. Vitamin E works with B vitamins to help maintain healthy pancreas.
Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine HCL) - works with folic acid to help prevent nerve damage and a heart attack.
Folic Acid - works with B-12 to help prevent stroke and loss of limbs due to complications of diabetes.
Vitamin B-12 (Cyanocobalamin) - Work with B-6 and folic acid to help relieve neuropathic pain.
Biotin - helps insulin work better and helps keep the pancreas works well to lower blood sugar.
Magnesium (Krebs cycle chelate) - helps insulin work more effectively and relieve neuropathic pain.
Zinc (picolinate, chelated) - helps insulin work better and helps shuttle blood sugar into cells.
Selenium (aspartate) - helps prevent nerve damage and protect blood vessels against sugar in the blood. Selenium mimics insulin blood sugar by helping cells.
Copper (picolinate) - helps protect the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas. In addition, copper helps prevent diabetes-related damage to blood vessels and nerves, and lowers levels of blood sugar.
Manganese - helps prevent damage to the nerves and blood vessels.
Chromium (picolinate) - Work with biotin to help bring blood sugar and maintains the pancreas works well.
Gymnema Sylvestre leaf extract - helps balance blood sugar and can protect us from gaining weight.
Extract Bitter melon whole fruit - helps pathways in the liver to function more efficiently, reduces the levels of blood sugar.
Fenugreek extract seed - helps the kidneys and liver metabolize blood sugar more efficiently.
Berry Bilberry extract - helps reduce the severity of diabetic cataracts.
Mixed bioflavonoids - helps protect vitamin C and E damage. Helps clear and tune in diabetics.
Vanadium sulphate - helps muscle cells and liver use insulin more effectively.
These supplements do not lower your blood sugar too much, but help take them to a more normal level. Diabetes is a disease that needs to be monitored several times a day throughout the day. When you start taking a supplement of diabetes to help balance blood sugar, control your blood sugar levels more often at first so you can get an idea of where the levels sugar reached before taking more insulin. A normal range of blood sugar for diabetics before a meal is 70 - 150 (1,2,5) and ideally 70-120.
The diabetic formula you can take to reduce blood sugar is not a license to eat the way you want. You still need to eat healthy and see your health care professional on a regular basis. Diabetes may feel overwhelmed, especially if they have recently been diagnosed with it. With proper exercise, diet and vitamin supplements may be well on your way to lower blood sugar level more manageable, and live a healthier life now.
References:
1. American Diabetes Association. In the news. Available at: www.ada.yellowbrix.com / pages / ada. Accessed December 10, 2001.
2. Guven S, Kuenzi J. Diabetes mellitus. In: Porth CM. Pathophysiology: Concepts of altered health states. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott, 1998: 810-830.
3. Guyton AC, Hall JE. Diabetes mellitus. In: Textbook of Medical Physiology. 10th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders Company, 2000:.
4. Grodner M, Anderson SL, DeYoung S. Diabetes mellitus. In: Fundamentals and Clinical Applications of Nutrition: a nursing approach. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby, 2000:540-548.
5. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney. Do your best. Available at: www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/dylb/chap1.htm # e. Retrieved on December 31, 2001.
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