Pls name some vitamins that can help lower blood sugar for diabetics?!
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As far as I know, there's no such thing as vitamins lowering one's blood sugar for either diabetics or non-diabetics, however, some physical activities can help to lower blood sugar a bit. So if you're diabetic and on insulin and/or pills to improve performance of insulin and you've elevated blood sugar a little without being at dangerous levels, then a brisk walk will help after a meal.
What you might have heard about is nicotinamide (the amide, a more water-soluble form of niacin [Vitamin B3], which has some effect on blood sugar levels but can in large dosage can be toxic to the liver.
There's an herb, gymnema sylvestre AKA gurmar, merosingi, originating in India, I believe that plays a role in glucose tolerance factor complex--it enhances insulin sensitivity; cinnamon has recently been newsworthy for potentially able to help with lowering blood sugar levels as well; fig leaf tea can help maintain blood sugar levels; and guava fruit juice can lower blood sugar. In any case, before you dose yourself with any of these things, consult your metabolic specialist about using these things with your insulin as some, particularly gymnema can have drug interaction problems if you're on certain types of medication.
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i don't think vitamins can do that. usually they use variants of hormones.
Nope
why do people think vitamin pills can magically fix everything.
what you need to do is change your diet, exercise, and if need be take medicine like insulin.
Talk to a doctor they can help.
Hi teresita. I find it interesting that the negative responders never support their 'opinions' with scientific evidence. I have spent a couple of hours doing a 'quick' search of the scientific literature on your question. I will offer answers and the scientific sources they came from.
A lot of scientific evidence is highly 'suggestive' that many vitamins and minerals can play an important role in managing diabetes, reducing the long-term damage to the body that results from diabetes, and in reducing some of the blood sugar and lipid abnormalities associated with diabetes. There is a great deal of medical research going on in this field. Definitive 'answers' are not yet available, but a lot of useful information is.
Here is what some of the research 'says':
"Tight glycemic control is the most effective way of preventing or decreasing complications (from diabetes mellitus).antioxidant micronutrients can be proposed as adjunctive therapy in patients with diabetes. Indeed, some minerals and vitamins are able to indirectly participate in the reduction of oxidative stress in diabetic patients by improving glycemic control and/or are able to exert antioxidant activity. This article reviews the use of minerals (vanadium, chromium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, copper) and vitamins or cofactors (tocopherol [vitamin E], ascorbic acid [vitamin C], .[ubiquinone; coenzyme Q], nicotinamide, riboflavin, thioctic acid [lipoic acid], flavonoids) in diabetes. Results show that dietary supplementation with micronutrients may be a complement to classical therapies for preventing and treating diabetic complications." - Treat Endocrinol 2004:3(1):41-52
Another recent paper reviewed the benefits of tocotrienols on diabetic patients. Tocotrienols are a subgroup of natural forms of vitamin E. They note that in animal studies tocotrienols decreased elevated blood glucose levels and glycated hemoglobin [HbA(1C)]. In their study on humans, the researchers showed that 60 days of tocotrienol treatment reduced LDL-cholesterol levels by 42%! (This is much better than statin drugs can achieve and much safer than statins.) These researchers conclude: "daily intake of dietary TRF (tocotrienols) by type 2 diabetics will be useful in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherogenesis." - Atherogenesis 2005 Oct;182(2);367-74
There is a lot of scientific evidence showing that Chromium plays an important role in insulin action and function of the insulin receptors on the cell membranes. In this review of Chromium treatment for type 2 diabetes the authors conclude that chromium supplementation has "some efficacy in reducing glucose levels in hyperglycemia". - Ann Pharmacother 2003 Jun;37(6):876-85
Several recent studies have shown that Zinc plays a role in the action of insulin. These researchers conclude: "Our results and the results of others suggest that zinc acts at multiple steps in amino acid and insulin cell-signaling pathways . and that the additive effects of zinc on these steps may thereby promote insulin and nutritional signaling." - Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2001 Jul;281(1):E25-34
These researchers report evidence for use of zinc and chromium supplements in diabetics. The conclude: "These data suggest the potential beneficial antioxidant effects of the individual and combined supplementation of zinc and chromium in people with type 2 DM (diabetes mellitus)." - Journal of the American College of Nutrition 2001;20(3):212-218
Finally, these researchers arrive at these conclusions:
1) "Chromium and vanadium are trace minerals offering great promise as . supplements to enhance insulin action in diabetes. The role of chromium in insulin action and glucose transport is well documented."
2) "Supplements of either vitamin E or vanadium appear to improve insulin action."
3) ".vitamins C and E appear effective . in the prevention of glycation (glycation is the damage that high glucose blood levels cause to proteins).
4)"Furthermore, vitamin C shows efficacy in the normalization of intracellular sorbitol concentrations." (Sorbitol is a very damaging molecule that builds up in some cells as a result of high blood glucose levels).
These quotes come from: Journal of the American College of Nutrition 1998;17(1):7-10
In summary (if you are still with me), there is a lot of evidence that many vitamins and minerals play important roles in controlling blood sugar levels and long-term damage in patients with diabetes.
Best wishes.
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