Vitamins, Minerals and Herbal Remedies
There are some studies that show that many vitamins and minerals can help those with blood sugar problems, but some of those that are the most helpful include antioxidants, and vitamins B, C & E*. The antioxidants are important because the excess sugar in the blood seems to cause a lot of free radical damage, and the antioxidant vitamins can help counteract that. This would include the B, C & E vitamins. The B Complex vitamins are often low in diabetics, perhaps because the excess sugar causes more B to be used up. C can also help reduce complications that come with diabetes, like heart disease and blindness*. It can also help to increase insulin tolerance and normalize pancreatic activity.* Vitamin E can also help prevent heart problems*, which are 2 to 4 times more prevalent in diabetics.
Vitamin A is also crucial to diabetics, and vitamin D is needed for the production of insulin*. These are both found in high vitamin cod liver oil; just make sure and get one with the natural forms of vitamins A & D – some cod liver oils take out the natural one, and add back in the synthetic forms! Cod liver oil has been shown to improve glucose response and other markers of diabetes in several studies*. It has also been shown to lower blood pressure caused by stress-elevated levels of cortisol*. The vitamin A in cod liver oil promotes healing and can protect the retina*, both concerns for diabetics. The vitamin D in cod liver oil promotes the absorption of minerals, like magnesium and calcium, and can therefore reduce blood pressure.* DHLA is a form of alpha-lipoic acid that is a vitamin-like enzyme needed for converting glucose into chemical energy, or ATP.
As far as minerals, there is some evidence that chromium can help insulin to work better, and so is very important for those with type II diabetes. Doctors in Italy found that those with type II diabetes that took 450 mg of magnesium per day did a better job of clearing sugar from their bloodstreams and producing more insulin than before they took the magnesium supplements. You can get magnesium from coral calcium in a very absorbable form along with calcium and trace minerals. Vanadium (found in olive oil) is needed to drive the sugar in the blood into the cells, and zinc is a co-factor in the production of insulin.
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