ALA is a powerful antioxidant and neuroprotectant that improves circulation, protects nerves against free radical damage, and even stimulates regeneration of nerves. In Europe, it is an approved treatment for diabetic neuropathy (the degeneration of the peripheral nerves). It also helps reduce blood sugar. ALA is both water-soluble and fat-soluble and can enter all parts of a cell to neutralize free radicals. In addition, its small molecular size allows it to enter both aqueous and fat tissues of the eyes to offer protection to both the lens and the retina.
American Ginseng
American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is an herbal adaptogen. Studies have shown that the herb is effective in lowering blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. One promising pilot study found that 1-3 grams per day can lower blood sugar by 20 percent.
Vitamins B6 and B12 and folic acid are water-soluble and therefore vulnerable to loss via excessive urination from diabetes. This leads to increased homocysteine levels and dramatically increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Low levels of B6 can cause glucose intolerance, depression, cracked lips, and dry skin. A B12 deficiency may have no obvious symptoms at first, but over time it can produce mental disturbances, anemia, and impaired nerve function. A lack of folic acid may bring on depression, forgetfulness, insomnia, irritability, and fatigue.
Benfotiamine
Benfotiamine is thiamine (vitamin B1) in a fat-soluble form, which makes it better absorbed into neurons. Diabetes promotes diabetic neuropathy by depleting your thiamine levels, so taking benfotiamine significantly improves pain and nerve function.
Biotin
Biotin is a B vitamin that works synergistically and independently in lowering blood sugar. It also promotes more effective glucose storage after meals.
Bitter melon ( Momordica charantia)
Bitter melon grows in tropical parts of Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. Early studies suggest that it has insulin-like properties. It has been shown to have blood sugar-lowering effects. Research is limited, but still very positive.
Chromium picolinate is an essential trace mineral that facilitates the action of insulin, glucose, protein, and fat metabolism. It enhances the body's sensitivity to insulin and reduces complications from diabetes by lowering blood glucose levels. Chromium is also essential for carbohydrate control and facilitates weight loss.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon has emerged as a blood sugar controller of significant importance. Research shows that an extract of cinnamon, methylhydroxychalcone polymer (MHCP), acts similarly to insulin and may be helpful in diabetes prevention and for blood sugar control. It appears to work synergistically with insulin.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
CoQ10 is a fat-soluble compound found in every plant and animal cell. As an essential component of the mitochondria, CoQ10 has a unique capacity to transfer an ionic charge across membranes, which in turn drives the production of ATP.
Studies show that CoQ10 helps keep blood sugar under control. Researchers speculate that insufficient CoQ10 in the mitochondria (power houses of the cells), could impair ATP (the energy for life) and lead to insufficient beta-cell function and impaired insulin secretion.
Recent research shows that 120 mg of water-soluble CoQ10 significantly reduces blood sugar. This finding supports previous research that demonstrated CoQ10's vital role in preventing glucose intolerance and insulin resistance.
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
Also known as banaba leaf, crepe myrtle is traditionally used as a tea for the treatment of diabetes. The leaves contain abundant corosolic acid, which possesses anti-diabetic properties and promotes glucose transport into cells, reducing blood sugar levels. The emerging science strongly supports the use of a standardized extract, GlucoTrim (previously known as Glucosol) for diabetes.
DHEA is the steroid hormone from which all our other sex hormones are derived. Research shows that DHEA supplementation can result in significant improvement in insulin sensitivity in elderly women and men. Although DHEA is available in many health food stores, it is a powerful hormone that must be used under the supervision of your healthcare provider.
Fenugreek can be used as an herb or a spice. Early studies show that fenugreek may lower blood sugar levels and may improve problems associated with high blood sugar levels, including frequent urination, excessive thirst, and nerve pain. It shows promise in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
GLA is derived from the essential fatty acid linoleic acid, commonly found in seed oils such as corn oil and sesame oil. GLA is integral to many functions in the body, and people with diabetes are almost always low in the essential fats. They also lack the enzyme systems necessary to convert linoleic acid into GLA, and therefore need to take supplemental GLA. The best GLA is derived from borage oil or evening primrose oil. And, nutritional supplementation of GLA has been shown to effectively slow down, stop, and even reverse the progression of diabetic neuropathy.
Gymnema Sylvestre
This is a plant native to India that, incredible as it may seem, appears to regenerate the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Gymnema has been demonstrated to lower blood sugar levels in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Since people with diabetes are at higher risk for heart problems, hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha), a spiny shrub native to Europe, can help protect their heart health. Hawthorn flowers and berries have been used in heart and circulatory preparations for centuries, and European physicians routinely prescribe this herb for heart-related disorders, including hypertension, angina, and poor circulation. Clinical trials show that hawthorn can lower cholesterol levels and prevent arterial plaque buildup. It also dilates blood vessels and inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme, the same mechanism by which drugs called ACE inhibitors lower blood pressure. Hawthorn has no side effects and can be taken for extended periods.
Patients who suffer from diabetic complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy, and high cholesterol often have significantly lower levels of L-carnitine than patients without complications. Studies have repeatedly shown that this amino acid is critical to your body's ability to move fat and glucose from the blood into the hard-working tissues of the heart muscle, and to lower blood glucose levels. There is also good evidence that it plays a role in reversing insulin resistance. It also improves nerve function, stimulates nerve fiber regeneration, and relieves pain.
This vitamin-like compound also helps deliver essential long-chain fatty acids-the body's critical fuel-burning nutrients-into the mitochondria. This increased energy makes your heart more efficient, so it pumps more blood with fewer beats.
Lutein
Lutein is a carotenoid that scavenges free radicals in the retina and absorbs damaging wavelengths of light. You can get lutein in your diet by eating leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, as well as egg yolks. But for optimal protection, you need to take it in supplement form.
This water-soluble nutrient is necessary to maintain the integrity of your organ systems. The cellular concentration of magnesium has been found to be dangerously low in people with diabetes, primarily because excessive urination washes magnesium out of the body. Reduced plasma magnesium levels are associated with insulin resistance and increased cardiovascular complications, as well as higher risk of diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, in animal studies, supplemental magnesium reduces neuropathic pain.
NAC is a derivative of cysteine, which is a component of glutathione, one of the body's chief antioxidants. Glutathione is a key part of your eyes' defense against free radicals, and numerous studies have shown that low glutathione levels can lead to deterioration of vision. By helping to maintain glutathione levels, you can protect your eyes against diabetes-related vision problems.
Niacinamide
Niacinamide is a form of niacin. A significant amount of research has shown that niacinamide can often prevent, slow the progression of, and, at times, even reverse diabetes.
Research shows that the highly purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) found in Norwegian fish oil can lower rising blood glucose levels.
People with diabetes also are at risk for heart problems, and omega-3s are known to improve many of the adverse metabolic effects of insulin resistance, such as high blood pressure and high triglycerides.Omega-3s also help improve blood flow, reduce the risk of blood clots, and help prevent atherosclerosis.
Glucose is normally escorted into cells by insulin. If glucose levels aren't tightly regulated, glucose alone diffuses into the nerve cells, where it's converted into compounds called polyols. These compounds can't diffuse back out, so they accumulate in the body. The nerve cells respond by taking in water, bloating, and eventually dying. Meanwhile, excess glucose in the blood transforms into compounds called advanced glycosylated end products (AGEs), which choke the blood flow to the nerve cells, causing inflammation and damaging their ability to repair themselves.
Quercetin, which is derived from apples and onions, is the most powerful anti-inflammatory flavonoid currently known to man. It has been found to block the formation of polyols inside nerves that have diabetic neuropathy.
Rutin, a bioflavonoid from buckwheat, provides diabetes-specific nerve protection. It repairs damaged capillaries that contribute to the death of peripheral nerves.
People with diabetes are at higher risk of problems with their vision and eye health. The retina has a higher concentration of taurine than any other tissue. This amino acid controls the electric charge across cell membranes and is essential for the function of nerve impulses. Humans make taurine, but not very efficiently, especially as they age, so supplementation is necessary.
Vanadium is a trace mineral that lowers blood sugar by mimicking insulin and improving the cells' sensitivity to insulin.
Numerous animal studies and a small, but growing, body of human research show that vanadium compounds, most notably vanadyl sulfate, consistently improve fasting glucose and other measures of diabetes. These benefits often extend for weeks after you stop taking it. In one animal study, three weeks of treatment resulted in complete resolution of diabetes, which lasted for 10 weeks after the mineral was stopped.
While there has been some concern over vanadium's toxicity, toxicity studies show that vanadium is retained in the tissues, and is safe and well tolerated by most people at dosage levels in the 100 to 150 mg range. A study presented at a 1997 symposium used doses as high as 400 mg per day. Although the patients using these higher doses reported having diarrhea, there were no serious side effects. The most common side effect is gastrointestinal upset during the first week of use.
Vanadyl Sulfate
Vanadyl sulfate is a form of the unique trace mineral called vanadium. It has been shown to be extremely effective in reducing the need for insulin in people with diabetes. In large doses, vanadyl sulfate works remarkably like oral insulin.
In addition, supplementation with vanadyl sulfate and other vanadium compounds markedly lowers fasting glucose and improves other measures of diabetes. And, vanadyl sulfate lowers blood sugar levels and improves insulin sensitivity by stimulating the growth of new insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that provides diabetes-specific nerve protection and reduces free radical oxidative stress in people with diabetes. In a Scandinavian study, men with the lowest blood levels of vitamin E were more susceptible to developing diabetes than men with normal levels. It is also essential for carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid that scavenges free radicals in the retina and absorbs damaging wavelengths of light. You can get zeaxanthin in your diet by eating leafy greens, such as kale and spinach, as well as egg yolks. But for optimal protection, you need to take it in supplement form.
Zinc
Zinc is water-soluble nutrient that is flushed from the body. As a result, many people with diabetes have low zinc levels. This deficiency may impair the immune system, particularly T-cell function, which could lead to more infections and non-healing ulcers. Zinc deficiency also can cause hair loss and diarrhea.
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