subject: Dietary Supplements For Type 2 Diabetes - The Truth Revealed! [print this page] Dietary Supplements For Type 2 Diabetes - The Truth Revealed!
Many sufferers use dietary supplement for type 2 diabetes. Long-term users of these products presumably believe them to be efficacious. Medical studies are less definite; they do not always find the dietary supplements to be of benefit. Indeed, studies confirm that incorrect dosages of some supplements may have negative effects.
The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has conducted a review of medical studies and published its impartial assessment on its website. Its conclusions deserve consideration.
Type 2 diabetes represents about ninety percent of all diabetes sufferers. All diabetes sufferers have bodies with diminished ability to produce enough insulin or with cells that are not efficiently stimulated by insulin, or both. Insulin is a hormone that assists body cells to absorb glucose and convert it into energy. Without treatment, diabetes sufferers experience a growing amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Over a prolonged period, high blood sugar can harm body organs including the heart, eyes, skin, feet and kidneys.
Mainstream medicine manages these issues by managing blood sugar level. It prescribes a regime that typically includes strict menu, regular exercise, prescription medicines, insulin injections, frequent measurement of blood sugar and regular consultations with a physician.
Some diabetes sufferers also opt to take dietary supplements that claim to enhance control of blood sugar. Common supplements for diabetes sufferers include chromium, omega-3 fatty acids and thioctic acid.
Chromium is a trace mineral essential for the human body. Only a tiny amount of it is required and the mineral is present in many foods. The NCCAM finds little evidence to conclude chromium supplements are effective for diabetes patients. It also found that too much chromium could cause blood sugar to sink too low. Too much chromium can also cause other serious problems, including kidney malfunction, a major issue for diabetes sufferers.
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated and beneficial for well-being. They are present in few foods. As in the case of thioctic acid and chromium, the NCCAM finds little evidence that omega-3 supplements improve blood glucose control for be diabetes patients.
Thioctic or alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant. It protects body cells against damage. The substance is present in many commonly available foods. As in the case of chromium and omega-3s, the NCCAM concludes that there is little evidence to confirm this supplement improves management of blood sugar level. Indeed, thioctic acid supplements may be harmful by overly decreasing blood sugar below a safe level. The NCCAM cautions diabetes patients who take this supplement to calculate dosage precisely, measure blood sugar carefully and consult a physician on the matter.
The National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine is the country's leading federal authority for research on non-conventional medical products, processes and systems. It finds that there is little evidence to support a conclusion that the three above mentioned diet supplements assist the control of blood glucose. It emphasizes this is only a tentative judgment since the available evidence is inadequate to support a strong conclusion.
And now, if you suspect that you have diabetes, you should see your doctor and get an accurate diagnosis.
Do you know that there is a highly advanceddietary supplement for type 2 diabetes which aims to address efficient insulin production and secretion, helps reduce the risk of potentially fatal diabetic-related diseases and regenerate insulin producing cells in the pancreas.
Check it out now at -http://www.prevent-diabetes.info
