Dietary changes that may be helpful for Diabetes
L-carnitine
L-carnitine is an amino acid needed to properly utilize fat for energy. When people with diabetes were given L-carnitine (0.5 mg per 2.2 pounds of body weight), high blood levels of fats—both cholesterol and triglycerides—dropped 25 to 39% in just ten days in one trial.
Vitamin C
People with type 1 diabetes appear to have low vitamin C levels. As with vitamin E, vitamin C may reduce glycosylation. Vitamin C also lowers sorbitol levels in people with diabetes. Sorbitol is a sugar that can accumulate inside the cells and damage the eyes, nerves, and kidneys of people with diabetes. Vitamin C supplementation (500 mg twice a day for one year) has significantly reduced urinary protein loss in people with diabetes. Urinary protein loss (also called proteinuria) is associated with poor prognosis in diabetes. Many doctors suggest that people with diabetes supplement with 1 to 3 grams per day of vitamin C. Higher amounts could be problematic, however. In one person, 4.5 grams per day was reported to increase blood sugar levels.
One study examined antioxidant supplement intake, including both vitamins E and C, and the incidence of diabetic eye damage (retinopathy). A surprising finding was that people with extensive retinopathy had a greater likelihood of having taken vitamin C and vitamin E supplements. The outcome of this study, however, does not fit with most other published data and might simply reflect the fact that sicker people are more likely to take supplements in hopes of getting better. For the present, most doctors remain relatively unconcerned about the outcome of this isolated report.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is needed to maintain adequate blood levels of insulin. Vitamin D receptors have been found in the pancreas where insulin is made and preliminary evidence suggests that supplementation might reduce the risk of developing type 1 diabetes. Not enough is known about optimal amounts of vitamin D for people with diabetes, and high amounts of vitamin D can be toxic. Therefore, people with diabetes considering vitamin D supplementation should talk with a doctor and have their vitamin D status assessed.
Vitamin E
People with low blood levels of vitamin E are more likely to develop type 1 diabetes, but no studies have been done using vitamin E supplements to try to prevent type 1 diabetes. Animal and preliminary human data indicate that vitamin E supplementation may protect against diabetic eye damage (retinopathy) and nephropathy, serious complications of diabetes involving the eyes and kidneys, respectively, though no long-term trials in humans have confirmed this preliminary evidence. Glycosylation is an important measurement of diabetes; it refers to how much sugar attaches abnormally to proteins. Excessive glycosylation appears to be one of the causes of the organ damage that occurs in diabetes. Vitamin E supplementation has reduced the amount of glycosylation in many, although not all, studies of people with type 1 diabetes.
Zinc
People with type 1 diabetes tend to be zinc deficient, which may impair immune function. Zinc supplements have lowered blood sugar levels in people with type 1 diabetes.
Some doctors are concerned about having people with type 1 diabetes supplement with zinc because of a report that zinc supplementation increased glycosylation, generally a sign of deterioration of the condition. This trial is hard to evaluate because zinc supplementation increases the life of blood cells and such an effect artificially increases the lab test results for glycosylation. Until this issue is resolved, those with type 1 diabetes should consult a doctor before considering supplementation with zinc.
Antioxidants
Because oxidation damage is believed to play a role in the development of diabetic eye damage (retinopathy), antioxidant nutrients might be protective. One doctor has administered a daily regimen of 500 mcg selenium, 800 IU vitamin E, 10,000 IU vitamin A, and 1,000 mg vitamin C for several years to 20 people with diabetic eye damage (retinopathy). During that time, 19 of the 20 people showed either improvement or no progression of their retinopathy. People who wish to supplement with more than 250 mcg of selenium per day should consult a healthcare practitioner.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is needed for normal blood sugar metabolism. Animals with diabetes have been reported to be CoQ10 deficient. In one trial, blood sugar levels fell substantially in 31% of people with diabetes after they supplemented with 120 mg per day of CoQ7, a substance similar to CoQ10.118 In people with type 1 diabetes, however, supplementation with 100 mg of CoQ10 per day for three months neither improved glucose control nor reduced the need for insulin. The importance of CoQ10 supplementation for people with diabetes remains an unresolved issue, though some doctors recommend approximately 50 mg per day as a way to protect against possible effects associated with diabetes-induced depletion.
Fish oil
Glucose tolerance improves in healthy people taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements. And in one trial, people with diabetic nerve damage (neuropathy) and diabetic nephropathy experienced significant improvement when given 600 mg three times per day of purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—one of the two major omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil supplements—for 48 weeks. However, controlled studies have found that fish oil supplementation increases cholesterol in people with type 1 diabetes. Until the risk–benefit ratio of using fish oil is clarified, people with diabetes should feel free to increase their fish intake, but they should consult a doctor before taking fish oil supplements.
Glucomannan
Glucomannan is a water-soluble dietary fiber derived from konjac root (Amorphophallus konjac). Glucomannan delays stomach emptying, leading to a more gradual absorption of dietary sugar. This effect can reduce the elevation of blood sugar levels that is typical after a meal. This could lower insulin requirements for type 1 diabetics, but no research has been done to test this possibility.
Inositol
Inositol is needed for normal nerve function. Diabetes can cause a type of nerve damage known as diabetic neuropathy. Certain measures of the severity of this condition have been reported to improve with inositol supplementation (500 mg taken twice per day); however, in other trials, inositol was ineffective.
Manganese
People with diabetes may have low blood levels of manganese. Animal research suggests that manganese deficiency can contribute to glucose intolerance and may be reversed by supplementation. A young adult with insulin-dependent diabetes who received oral manganese (3 to 5 mg per day as manganese chloride) reportedly experienced a significant fall in blood glucose, sometimes to dangerously low levels. In three other people with type 1 diabetes, manganese supplementation had no effect on blood glucose levels. People with type 1 diabetes wishing to supplement with manganese should do so only with a doctor’s close supervision.
Quercetin
Doctors have suggested that quercetin might help people with diabetes because of its ability to reduce levels of sorbitol—a sugar that accumulates in nerve cells, kidney cells, and cells within the eyes of people with diabetes and has been linked to damage to those organs. Clinical trials have yet to explore whether quercetin actually protects people with diabetes from nerve damage (neuropathy), nephropathy, or eye damage (retinopathy).
By : Healthnotes
