Natural Support for Diabetes
Nutrition`s role in managing diabetes
In Canada today there are approximately 2 million people who have diabetes, and one third of them are undiagnosed. The rate is three to five times higher among Aboriginal people. The cost of diabetes in Canada is $9 billion annually. While there is still no cure, diabetes can be managed, postponed or prevented.
What is diabetes?
As you may know, diabetes mellitus is a disease that is characterized by elevations in blood sugar levels. There are two major categories: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is associated with complete destruction of the cells in the pancreas that manufacture the hormone called insulin. Your body needs insulin to convert the sugar found in food into energy. Diabetes prevents your body from either producing the right amount of insulin or using what it does produce properly. Individuals with type 1 diabetes require lifelong insulin injections for the control of blood sugar levels, while in those with type 2 diabetes, insulin levels are typically elevated, indicating a loss of sensitivity to insulin by the cells of the body.
Diabetes is a serious disease because it is associated with an increased risk of life-threatening complications such as a heart attack, stroke or kidney disease. Overall, the risk of death among people with diabetes for these catastrophic complications is about four times that of people without diabetes. In addition to an earlier death, diabetes also carries significant risks for serious complications such as blindness, the need for dialysis and limb amputation.
Can natural medicine help people with diabetes?
Absolutely. The most effective treatment of diabetes and other blood sugar problems requires a combination of healthy lifestyle and dietary changes in addition to key nutritional supplement strategies. When used properly, the natural medicine approach to diabetes can:
- Significantly reduce the risk for developing diabetes, even if many of your family members or ancestors are or were diabetic
- Possibly reverse type 2 diabetes
- Improve the sensitivity of cells to the action of insulin, resulting in improved glucose tolerance and normalizing blood sugar
- Promote weight loss and slow down or block the absorption of sugar from the intestinal tract
- Effectively reduce the complications of diabetes, including heart disease and retinopathy
- Improve the actions of drugs and insulin while at the same time reducing their negative side effects
Why is it important to achieve optimal nutrition?
A person with diabetes has higher requirements for many nutrients. Clinical studies have shown that supplementing with key nutrients can improve blood sugar control and help prevent or reduce the development of the major complications of diabetes. Furthermore, taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement has also been shown to boost immune function and reduce infections in diabetics.
Knowledge and awareness are the greatest allies for those afflicted with diabetes. A diabetic individual who makes a strong commitment to learning about their condition and takes a proactive approach in accepting their role in a carefully supervised blood sugar monitoring programme greatly improves the likelihood that they will lead a long and healthy life. On the other hand, individuals who remain ignorant about their disease and who refuse to undergo regular testing or self monitoring are far more likely to face years of unnecessary suffering and, more often than not, catastrophic health problems.
Incorporating natural remedies into a diabetic health regime can lead to definite improvements in blood sugar control. These improvements will subsequently be demonstrated by changes in monitoring test results, especially in self-monitored blood sugar levels.
One supplement that has been shown to aid type 1 diabetes uses a blend of soluble fibres. Fibre supplements have been shown to enhance blood sugar control, decrease insulin levels, and reduce the number of calories absorbed by the body. When taken with water before meals, this soluble fibre binds to the water in the stomach and small intestine to form a gelatinous, viscous mass which not only slows down the absorption of glucose (blood sugar), but also creates a sense of satiety (fullness) and reduces the absorption of calories.
Though several soluble fibre supplements have produced these effects in the past, the high dosage required to achieve the greatest benefit (20 grams or more) has often been difficult to ingest. However, there are advanced fibre blends with unique synergistic effects that are able to produce similar results at a dosage as low as 3 grams per day. Clinical studies have shown that these newer formulas have the ability to lower after-meal blood glucose by approximately 20 percent and also lower insulin secretion by approximately 40 percent, producing a whole-body insulin sensitivity index improvement of nearly 50 percent. This phenomenal accomplishment achieved by natural fibre is unequalled by any diabetes drug.
