Natural Health Support for Diabetes

Diabetes has two forms -- one develops in early childhood (type I) in which the insulin secreting beta islet cells of the pancreas are destroyed (often by a viral infection and type II or what is often referred to as adult onset diabetes (in which insulin remains plentiful, but the body does not respond in a normal way to it.

Conventional treatments for type I diabetes include insulin injections and a strict diet. Type II diabetes can be ameliorated by changes to one’s lifestyle, such as increased exercise, weight loss and improved nutrition. Oral drugs such as metformin are also employed to help manage type 2 diabetes, although insulin injections may be necessary in some cases.

Natural Measures for Diabetes

 There are a number of things diabetes might consider doing in terms of augmenting traditional diabetes management. These can help stabilize, reduce or eliminate the need for medication in some instances, or correct nutritional deficiencies associated with the condition. However, given that diabetes is a dangerous disease with that can spawn many complications, alternative treatment should not be substituted for conventional medical care.

Other natural treatments may be useful for the prevention and treatment of the more common complications of diabetes, such as peripheral neuropathy, cardiac autonomic neuropathy, retinopathy, and cataracts.

Chromium is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in the metabolism of glucose. A number of published studies suggest that chromium supplementation may help bring blood sugar under control in type 2 diabetes but this is far from definitive. For example: A 1997 4-month placebo-controlled study was carried out in which 180 Chinese men and women with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to one of three groups:  One group groups received  1000 mcg chromium daily, a second group chromium 200 mcg, and a third a placebo. The results showed that HbA1c values (a measure of long-term blood sugar control) improved significantly after 2 months in the group receiving 1000 mcg, chromium, and in both groups on chromium after 4 months. The participants fasting glucose (a short-term measure of glucose) was also lower in the group taking the higher dose of chromium. The placebo group showed no significant changes in the values measured.

Ginseng also appears to improve glucose regulation. In a series of double-blind studies carried out by a single research group, the use of American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) was shown to improve serum glucose regulation in some, but not all of the studies. Many experts think the conflicting results were due to the fact that certain ginsenosides (found in high concentration in some products of American ginseng) may lower blood sugar, while others (which are found in high concentration in some Panax ginseng products) can raise it.

 Cinnamon has been widely heralded as an effective treatment for type II diabetes as well as hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). The primary basis for this claim is a study carried out in Pakistan over a 40 day period. In the study, 60 people with type 2 diabetes received cinnamon at a dose of 1, 3 or 6 grams per day. The results revealed that the use of cinnamon improved glucose by 18% to 29%, total cholesterol by 12% to 26%, LDL cholesterol by 7% to 27% and triglycerides by 23 % to 30%. These results were statistically significant compared to pretest values and also with reference to the placebo group.

However, this study has some odd characteristics. For one thing it found no significant difference between the different doses of cinnamon consumed by study participants

In an attempt to replicate the original findings, a group of Dutch researchers conducted a carefully designed 6-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 25 people with type II diabetes. All participants received 1. 5 grams of cinnamon daily. The results did not show any detectable effect on blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol or profile. On the other hand, a double-blind study involving 79 people who used 3 grams of cinnamon daily did show significant reductions in serum glucose.

With respect to type I diabetes, a study of 72 teenagers who took 1 gram of cinnamon daily failed to show any influence on serum glucose.

All-in-all, the studies on cinnamon for diabetes is very inconsistent, suggesting that if cinnamon is truly effective, its benefits are minimal at best and may show up only when 3 grams or more are consumed on a daily basis.

Other treatments that may help control blood sugar include:

The culinary spice fenugreek may have some blood sugar modulating effect, but the evidence is weak. In a 2 month, double-blind study of 25 people with type II diabetes, the use of fenugreek (1 g per day of a standardized extract) significantly improved some measures of glycemic control and insulin response. And HDL ("good" cholesterol) increased, probably due to improved insulin sensitivity. Similar benefits were noted in both animal studies and human trials

And a handful of preliminary studies suggest that the Ayurvedic (Indian) gymnema herbs can help improve blood glucose control. It may be useful for mild cases of type II diabetes when taken either alone or in combination with a standard treatment.

Combinations of Ayurvedic herbs have also shown some promise for improving glucose control in diabetics, as have some Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) formulations. For example, in one double-blind study more than 200 people were tested to see how the CTM Coptis Formula performed alone and when used with the diabetic drug glibenclamide. The results suggested that the Coptis formula enhanced the effectiveness of the drug, but is not powerful enough to treat diabetes by itself.

A relatively weak body of evidence suggests that genistein (an extract of soy isoflavones) can help control blood sugar.

Addressing nutritional deficiencies in diabetes

Diabetes and the drugs used to treat it can cause nutrient deficiencies. Bridging these gaps (whether through diet or the use of supplements) is something each diabetic need to consider in consultation with his or her doctor.

On study that undergirds the deficiency aspect of diabetes: A double-blind study found that people with type II diabetes who took a multivitamin/multimineral supplement were less likely to develop certain infectious diseases than those who took placebo.

People with diabetes have also been found to be deficient in magnesium, and inconsistent evidence suggests that magnesium supplementation can improve blood sugar control. Vitamin C levels were found to be low in many diabetics on insulin, although they were apparently consuming adequate amounts of this vitamin in their diets.

It should also be noted that the diabetic drug metformin can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency.

In a major study conducted in New Zealand it was found that a form of niacin called niacinamide (vitamin B3) might be able to reduce the risk of diabetes in children at high risk. In this study, more than 20,000 children were screened for diabetes risk by measuring specific antibodies in the blood (ICA antibodies). It was found that 185 of these children had detectable levels. About 170 of these children were then given niacinamide for 7 years. The results for children at high risk of developing diabetes were encouraging: The incidence of diabetes was reduced by nearly 60%.

One very popular slow release form of the B-vitamins including B-3 is NUTRACENE

 The terms "glycemic index and glycemic load" refer to the way in which certain foods stimulate the release of insulin. It was suggested that foods that rank high on these scales, such as white flour and sugar, maybe tend to tax the ability of the pancreas to modulate resulting rises in serum glucose levels, and this (in turn) leads to the onset of type II diabetes. For this reason, low-carbohydrate and low glycemic index, diets were promoted for the prevention of type 2 diabetes. However, the results from studies on the issue have been contradictory, and far from definitive.

 There is no doubt, however, that people who are obese have a much greater tendency to develop type II diabetes than those who are relatively thin, so weight loss (especially when accompanied by increase of the exercise) is of merit as a means of prevention. One study revealed that a reduction in weight of 7% -10% is sufficient to produce significant benefit.

One diet that appears to bring about gradual weight loss is the Stone Age diet or Paleodiet. This diet was born of the realization that a mismatch twixt our ancient metabolic machinery and modern eating habits has led to our developing certain chronic diseases including adult onset diabetes. The paleodiet focuses on foods we humans were adapted to handle before the advent of agriculture around 10,000 years ago. Not surprisingly, a growing body of evidence indicates that the grains, cereals and such introduced since the birth of agriculture are not processed or otherwise handled well by most modern populations, and peoples on a Stone Age diet or paleodiet fare better health-wise than those who do not.

A Brief Look at a Few Other Natural Treatments

In a large double-blind study, the use of 600 IUs vitamin E every other day failed to reduce the risk of type II diabetes in women.

Also, an observational study failed to find that the high consumption of lycopene reduces the risk of developing type II diabetes

But on the plus side, several observational studies have, however, suggested that vitamin D may help prevent diabetes. One source of the most active form of Vitamin D is BONEGENESIS