Natural Supplements Can Help Normalize Blood Sugar and Reduce Complications of Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, perhaps more than any other disease is strongly associated with western culture and diet. Diabetes is the most common of the serious metabolic diseases of humans. It is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism, characterized by fasting elevations of blood glucose levels and a greatly increased risk of atherosclerosis, kidney disease and loss of nerve function. The percentage of individuals with diabetes in the United States is estimated at 4% of which 90 percent are Type II and the rest Type I. Type I diabetes is generally acknowledged to be due to insulin deficiency while Type II is due to insulin insensitivity.(1) Treatment for diabetes generally consists of supplementary insulin, usually by injection, along with dietary modification. Dietary modification is fundamental. A diet high in complex carbohydrates and plant fiber, low in fat and cholesterol, and avoidance of sucrose and refined carbohydrates.(l)

Certain vitamins, minerals and herbs have also been found helpful in managing blood sugar levels and reducing complications of diabetes such as atherosclerosis, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic nephropathy and diabetic foot ulcers.

Vanadyl Sulfate
Vanadyl sulfate, a salt of the mineral vanadium (vanadium oxysulfate), has demonstrated insulin-like effects on glucose metabolism in both animal and human trials.(2,3) Clinical trials have shown a significant decrease in insulin requirements by patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus after vanadyl sulfate therapy and a significant decrease in cholesterol levels in both insulin-dependent and noninsulin-dependent diabetics. There was an increase in basal mitogen-activated protein and S6 kinase activities in mononuclear cells from both groups that mimicked the effect of insulin stimulation in controls.(3)

Vanadyl sulfate given to diabetic rats stimulates glucose uptake and metabolism leading to glucose normalization. Rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were given vanadyl sulfate for three weeks. Although insulin levels were still depressed, glucose tolerance was normalized. There was a slight increase in insulin secretion from the pancreas (12% of the value of controls), but the islets in the pancreas were almost normalized to control size and insulin content and the rats remained normoglycemic, even after 13 weeks of withdrawal.(2)

Gymnema sylvestre
Experimental studies show that an extract of the Indian herb Gymnema sylvestre may enhance endogenous insulin production in both Type I and Type II diabetics. In an animal study, Gymnema sylvestre was given orally to rats made diabetic with streptozotocin. After 20 days, fasting blood glucose levels returned to normal. In the pancreas, the number of islets and number of beta cells both doubled and pancreatic weight increased by about 30%.(7) In a clinical trial, when 22 Type II diabetic patients on oral hypoglycemic drugs were given 400 mg. of Gymnema sylvestre extract daily for 19-20 months, insulin levels increased and there was a significant reduction in blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and glycosylated plasma proteins. Five of the patients were able to discontinue their hypoglycemic drugs and the others were able to decrease their dosage.(5) In another study with 27 insulin-dependent diabetics, insulin requirements were reduced by almost 50% and serum lipids returned to near normal levels. C-peptide levels were increased, suggesting greater availability of endogenous insulin.(6)

L-Glutamine
The amino acid L-glutamine can reduce cravings for sugar and carbohydrates by supplying an alternate source of energy to the brain. Besides glucose, glutamic acid is the only compound used for brain fuel. Glutamine readily crosses the blood-brain barrier (glutamic acid does not) where it is converted to glutamic acid.

Glutamine also boosts levels of the powerful antioxidant, glutathione, in the body. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center were able to reverse diabetes in mice by feeding them glutamine. In the experiment, diabetes-prone mice on high fat diets developed diabetes. Biochemist Emmanuel Opara explained that when the large amounts of dietary fat were burned, oxygen free radicals were generated "that interfered with or shut off the body's ability to metabolize sugar". The mice were then fed glutamine which caused glutathione levels to "skyrocket". The glutathione was then able to detoxify the destructive free radicals so they no longer hindered sugar metabolism and blood sugar levels fell.(8)

Chromium
As a key constituent of the "glucose tolerance factor", chromium is a critical nutrient in diabetes.(1) Chromium has an adaptogen effect. It normalizes blood sugar no matter what the imbalance, due to its ability to normalize insulin. In an Israeli research study, a daily supplement of 200 mcg. of chromium picolinate improved insulin resistance in 62% of women and 50% of men with Type II diabetes within ten days. Essentially, chromium "revs up" insulin action so you need less to do the job. In test-tube experiments, it attaches tightly to insulin, enhancing up to 100 times the hormone's main mission of converting glucose into carbon dioxide.(8) Organic "biologically active" forms of chromium are most effective. Chromium picolinate or niacin-bound chromium nicotinate are readily absorbed and used by the body and have been widely and successfully tested in both animals and humans.(8)

Aloe Vera
Aloe vera may also benefit patients with Type II diabetes by stimulating the synthesis and release of insulin. Patients in one study experienced a reduction in mean glucose levels from 273 to 151 mg/dl. In another study, aloe reduced blood glucose levels of diabetic mice by 40% over controls.(9) Topically applied aloe vera gel may help wound healing in diabetics and is especially useful in the treatment of diabetic foot problems.

• VITAMIN B-6: Diabetics with neuropathy have been shown to be deficient in vitamin B-6 and benefit from supplementation.(l)
• VITAMIN C: The transport of vitamin C into cells is facilitated by insulin. It has been postulated that, due to impaired transport or dietary insufficiency, a relative vitamin C deficiency exists in diabetics that may be responsible for increased capillary permeability and other vascular disturbances seen in diabetics.(l)
• VITAMIN E: Diabetic patients appear to have an increased requirement for vitamin E. Supplementation may help prevent diabetic complications through its antioxidant activity, inhibition of platelet aggregation and its role in fatty acid metabolism.(l)
• MANGANESE: is an important cofactor in the key enzymes of glucose metabolism. Diabetics have been shown to have only half the manganese of normal individuals.(l)
• MAGNESIUM levels are significantly lowered in diabetics and lowest in those with severe retinopathy.(l)
• VITAMIN B-12 supplementation has been used with some success in treating diabetic neuropathy.(1)
• CARNITINE supplementation of diabetic patients has resulted in significantly decreased total serum cholesterol and triglycerides. In addition, carnitine improves the breakdown of fatty acids, possibly playing a role in preventing diabetic ketosis.(l)
• ZINC is involved in virtually all aspects of insulin metabolism -- synthesis, secretion and utilization. Zinc also has a protective effect against beta cell destruction. Diabetics typically excrete too much zinc in the urine and, therefore, require supplementation.(l)
• POTASSIUM supplementation yields improved insulin sensitivity, responsiveness and secretion in diabetics. Insulin administration often causes a potassium deficiency.(l)
• BIOTIN has been shown to work synergistically with insulin and independently in increasing the activity of glucokinase, the enzyme responsible for the first step in glucose utilization.(1)
• BILBERRY ( Vaccinium myrtillus) contains anthocyanosides that have been found to increase capillary integrity and have been used successfully in improving diabetic retinopathy.(1)

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