Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body resists insulin or does not have enough insulin secretion.
You may have heard it called “adult-onset diabetes,” but this has recently changed. This is because it’s becoming more common in children.
In general, diabetes is when your blood sugar levels are out of balance.
There are several herbs and supplements that can be used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
These can help to control blood sugar levels, reduce insulin resistance, and prevent complications of diabetes.
So, what vitamins for diabetics are helping in managing this condition?
Get Your FREE Diabetes Diet Plan
- 15 foods to naturally lower blood sugar levels
- 3 day sample meal plan
- Designed exclusively by our nutritionist
When should you take supplements?
Many people can effectively manage their blood glucose levels with diet and lifestyle changes. When this isn’t working, your doctor will usually prescribe medication. These typically would be insulin therapy, metformin, sulfonylureas, or meglitinides.
Some supplements show promise through animal studies. Not all vitamins and supplements for diabetics have human evidence backing them up.
The best option is to get your nutrients through food. But if that’s not cutting it, then supplements are the next best thing!
According to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are more likely to use supplements than people without diabetes. There are different vitamins for diabetics available on the market.
Do keep in mind that you shouldn’t replace your prescribed diabetes medications with supplements. This could put your health at risk. Talk to your doctor before using any of the supplements we discuss below.
Remember that some of these products can interfere with other health conditions and medications you may be taking. Just because a product is natural does not mean it is safe for everyone.
When you look at anti-diabetic pharmaceutical medications, many of them cannot be taken by patients with liver dysfunction, kidney disease, and heart disease. This makes medication use in type 2 diabetes tricky. This is why taking supplements and vitamins for diabetics may be a good option.
Vitamins and Mineral Supplements for Type 2 Diabetics
Biotin
People with diabetes tend to have lower levels of biotin in their systems. Supplementation with biotin can help to improve metabolic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Biotin can also help to reduce pain from diabetic nerve damage. This is what we call diabetic neuropathy. Biotin is vital in the processing of glucose. Higher doses of biotin may reverse some of the effects we see from chronic low insulin levels on glucose metabolism.
Chromium
Chromium is an essential trace element in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Evidence shows that there is the efficacy of chromium supplements in improving type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Chromium is present in human tissues. It’s also found in our food. Although there is some evidence to show that chromium can be helpful in diabetes, research on chromium supplementation for diabetes treatment is mixed. In general, low doses are safe.
There is a risk that chromium could make blood sugar go too low. On the other hand, amounts that are too high could potentially cause kidney damage. It’s a tricky balance to maintain proper blood sugar control while also preventing organ damage.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential trace mineral that is responsible for hundreds of metabolic processes. It helps in the regulation of blood pressure, and it also improves insulin sensitivity. A diet that is high in magnesium may help to reduce your risk of diabetes.
Abnormal homeostasis of magnesium can lead to several metabolic disorders. One of these is diabetes, along with its complications. Furthermore, magnesium helps with the generation of energy. It is important in DNA and RNA synthesis, reproduction, and protein synthesis.
Magnesium also acts as a calcium antagonist. It protects cells against oxidative stress. Low magnesium in the blood inhibits glucose transporters, increases insulin resistance, affects lipid metabolism, induces oxidative stress, and impairs antioxidants. This is how low levels of magnesium can contribute to the start and worsening of diabetes and its complications.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is a cofactor for over 150 reactions in the body that regulate the metabolism of glucose, lipids, amino acids, NDA, and neurotransmitters. Studies show that low B6 levels are associated with a higher risk of diabetes, and vice versa.
Researchers have concluded that vitamin B6 may have a protective role against diabetes. You may also benefit from taking other B vitamins. Talk to your healthcare provider about this. It may be worth it to test for vitamin B12 deficiency since this is relatively common nowadays.
A vitamin B complex supplement is like a multivitamin supplement with several B vitamins in it. This usually includes thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folic acid, and B12. This may be a good option for you if you want to supplement with several B vitamins at once.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C supplements can improve hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) and lower blood pressure. This is important since patients with diabetes are at higher risk of hypertension (high blood pressure).
Vitamin C enhances the formation of prostaglandin E1, PGI2, and nitric oxide. Studies show that these compounds have protective actions on genes and cells. This means that they help to protect pancreatic beta cells and vascular endothelial cells. What are they being protected from? Toxins.
Vitamin C can help restore essential fatty acid metabolism to normal. Proper Vitamin C levels enhance the formation of lipoxin A4. This is a potent anti-inflammatory, blood vessel dilator, and antioxidant.
Vitamin D
More and more evidence shows that vitamin D supplementation might have a role in lowering the risk of diabetes. Vitamin D3 does this through both direct and indirect effects on the development of diabetes. Low vitamin D levels can lead to pancreatic beta-cell dysfunction. They also help to fix impaired insulin action and systemic inflammation.
Vitamin D can also help to lower overall average blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. If you have type 2 diabetes and vitamin D deficiency, then a vitamin D supplement may work particularly well for you.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E may help to improve diabetes through antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties.
One study showed that treatment with vitamin E significantly reduced serum creatinine. Low serum creatinine is an indicator of healthy kidney function.
Researchers concluded that vitamin E might be a valuable addition to current treatments for diabetic nephropathy, which is when diabetes begins to affect kidney function.
Antioxidant and Fatty Acid Supplements for Type 2 Diabetes
Alpha-lipoic acid
Alpha-lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant. Some studies say that it may help to reduce oxidative stress, manage insulin resistance, and lower fasting blood sugar levels. It can be helpful in the prevention as well as the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Alpha-lipoic acid has anti-inflammatory activity. The actions of alpha-lipoic acid are similar to that of insulin, which is why we say it’s an insulin-mimetic.
Alpha-lipoic acid plays an important role in mitochondrial reactions. It helps manage diabetic complications in the eye (diabetic retinopathy), nerves (diabetic neuropathy), and other vascular diseases. More research still needs to be done concerning alpha-lipoic acid and diabetes. Take it with caution since it can potentially lower blood sugar to a dangerous level.
Gamma-linolenic acid
Gamma-linolenic acid is converted into dihomogamma linolenic acid in your body. Dihomogamma linolenic acid then goes through oxidative metabolism to produce eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are anti-inflammatory.
Gamma-linolenic acid also affects the expression of different genes and regulates the levels of different gene products. These gene products play a significant role in immune functions and cell death.
Polyphenols
Significant evidence from studies shows that polyphenols in the diet can help manage and prevent type 2 diabetes. Polyphenols can naturally be found in the following foods:
- Coffee
- Guava
- Olive oil
- Propolis
- Chocolate
- Red wine
- Grapeseed
- Cocoa
The above polyphenols show anti-diabetic effects in type 2 diabetes. They do this by increasing glucose metabolism, improving metabolic function, reducing insulin resistance, and lowering the hemoglobin a1c levels.
Resveratrol is an example of polyphenol. Preliminary clinical trials showed that resveratrol has anti-diabetic activity in humans. It does this by improving glycemic control in diabetic patients with insulin resistance.
Another type of polyphenol is anthocyanins. They exhibit anti-diabetic properties by reducing blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels. They also improved insulin resistance.
Fatty acids
Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids is linked with a low risk of cardiovascular disease. It also helps to reduce inflammatory processes within the body. One study found that supplementation with 0.42 to 5.2 grams of polyunsaturated fatty acids per day for at least eight weeks can be an alternative treatment for type 2 diabetes.
One study shows that omega 3 fatty acids, in particular, can help with type 2 diabetes. This study showed that patients with type 2 diabetes who took omega 3 supplements for at least 24 weeks reduced proteinuria. Proteinuria is a protein in the urine, an indicator of potential diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage).
Berberine
Berberine contains compounds called isoquinoline alkaloids. Studies show that berberine’s compounds make effective hypoglycemic agents.
Both animal and human studies show that berberine can be helpful in the management of diabetes. More good news – berberine has beneficial effects not just on diabetes but also on complications related to diabetes.
There are very few adverse or side effects of taking berberine. Researchers concluded that berberine is a potential candidate in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Banaba
Banaba is a plant that can help to reduce blood glucose levels. It can also improve insulin sensitivity or glucose tolerance and has proven this through studies in patients with diabetes.
Research on banaba seems to be in its early stages. Researchers agree that it seems to help the body to use insulin more efficiently.
Cinnamon Bark
You may think of cinnamon as being sprinkled on top of your favorite dessert, but did you know that it’s medicinal? In fact, Chinese medicine has been using cinnamon for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.
Several studies are demonstrating its effect on blood glucose levels. Several studies show that cinnamon can be effective in improving glycemic control. Adverse reactions to cinnamon are rare and usually mild.
A study in 2011 showed that cinnamon helps to lower fasting blood glucose levels. This worked in both whole forms as well as in extract form. More studies are being done. However, cinnamon shows quite a bit of promise in terms of its ability to treat diabetes.
Ben’s Natural Diabetes Supplement: Glucose Control
Ben’s Glucose Control is a natural supplement for type 2 diabetes, containing clinically proven, natural ingredients to help stabilize and maintain an optimal blood sugar level.
Glucose Control works to regenerate your pancreas, aid weight loss, alleviate diabetic symptoms, prevent oxidative damage and prevent the progression of diabetes.
Why Choose Ben’s Natural Health Supplements?
At Ben’s Natural Health, our motto is to combine holistic healing with modern science.
Ben’s Natural Health is the world’s first high-quality, all-natural, scientifically proven clinical supplement company. Our supplements are effective, natural and 100% side effect free.
At Ben’s Natural Health, we have four rules for all our supplements:
- We only use the highest quality ingredients
- We only use them if they have been proven to work in independent, peer-reviewed double-blind studies
- With all our supplements, we find a way to get every ingredient into a single bottle
- We always formulate them in clinically significant doses of the most bioavailable form
We pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service. We offer a free health consultation where you can ask questions and receive tailored advice from our expert health consultants.
Conclusion
Clearly, several vitamins and supplements for diabetics are effective. A diabetes health pack could include several of the vitamins and supplements for diabetics listed above.
Do keep in mind that a few supplements can have adverse reactions with your diabetes medications and blood sugar. For example, zinc supplements can negatively affect your blood sugar levels.
Even some of the most effective supplements we discussed here could interact with your diabetes medications. It’s always best to check with your doctor before starting any vitamin or supplement for your diabetes.
If you have gestational diabetes, then several of these vitamins and supplements may not be suitable for you as they are not all safe in pregnancy.
If you have type 1 diabetes, you should speak to your health care provider about managing insulin levels as you transition onto supplements or vitamins for diabetics.
Explore More
