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My parents are diabetic: What supplements can I take?

More than 133 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes, so it’s important to understand that it’s not rare.

When you have the added concern of developing diabetes through genetics, you need to take extra care with your lifestyle to help reduce your risk or to help you manage the condition when you do develop it.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when blood glucose, or blood sugar, becomes excessively high.

Glucose, the body's primary energy source, is both made within our body and obtained from food. Insulin, a pancreatic hormone, helps glucose enter into cells for energy use.

In diabetes, insufficient insulin production or ineffective usage results in elevated blood glucose, posing risks to the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart. Diabetes is also associated with certain cancers.

Types of Diabetes

Type 1 Diabetes: where the immune system attacks and destroys pancreatic cells, resulting in minimal insulin production. Typically diagnosed in youth, individuals with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily.

Type 2 Diabetes: occurs when body cells resist insulin, or the pancreas doesn't produce enough. Common and associated with risk factors like obesity, it can develop at any age. Lifestyle changes, such as weight management, can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes has a stronger link to genetics than type 1.

Gestational Diabetes: developed during pregnancy, gestational diabetes usually resolves post-birth. However, it increases the risk of type 2 diabetes later in life.

Prediabetes: characterised by higher blood glucose below the type 2 diabetes threshold, prediabetes indicates a higher future diabetes risk and increased heart disease vulnerability.

Other Diabetes Types: while rare, monogenic diabetes can result from a single gene mutation. Diabetes can also stem from pancreatic surgery, cystic fibrosis or pancreatitis-induced damage.

How Can I Prevent Diabetes?

The best way to prevent the onset of diabetes is to eat a balanced and nutritious diet, exercise and maintain a moderate weight.

If your doctor finds that this is not enough to maintain your blood sugar levels, they can prescribe you medication.

Supplements can also be used to complement a sustainable, long-term diabetes management plan. Can diabetics take multivitamins? Yes, like most people, diabetics can benefit from taking a multivitamin, but there are a range of individual vitamins to also look out for.

The Best Supplements for Diabetics

While it’s always best to have the foods we eat provide the right vitamins for diabetes, there are a range of supplements that lower blood sugar, weight gain supplements for diabetics or simply supplements that can help in your overall health and diabetes management plan.

Chromium

Chromium helps in the metabolism of carbohydrates but has also been suggested to help reduce fasting glucose levels in type 2 diabetes. A chromium deficiency may also lead to high blood sugar levels, although this is rare. Don’t take chromium if you have kidney disease.

Magnesium

Taking magnesium supplements, such as a highly absorbable form like magnesium glycinate, may improve glucose levels in diabetics and improve insulin sensitivity in those at risk. Low magnesium levels are also common in those with type 2 diabetes. Since magnesium is needed for normal insulin secretion and action, it’s best to boost these levels.

Vitamin D

A link has been found between high vitamin D levels in the blood during childhood and a lower risk of type 1 diabetes, although more research is needed. If you’re low on vitamin D, taking a supplement can help, especially since vitamin D deficiency is considered a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes. It’s also a great way for diabetics to boost their energy.

Zinc

It’s been found that diabetics often have a zinc deficiency, with poor glycaemic control linked with low zinc levels, so taking a zinc supplement when diabetic can be beneficial. A meta-analysis found supplementing with zinc may improve glyceamic control, making it a potential preventer of diabetes, and may reduce type 2 diabetes by 13 per cent. It may also help due to its antioxidant properties. Remember, too much zinc can be toxic.

Coenzyme Q10

CoQ10 has been found to have benefits on glycaemic control and may improve vascular dysfunction. It may also lower cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic patients by reducing total cholesterol and LDL.

ALA

Alpha-lipoic acid is a strong antioxidant that can reduce oxidative stress and also may decrease fasting plasma glucose. It does, however, also have the potential to lower blood sugar levels to dangerous levels, so talk to your doctor before taking it. Don’t take if you have vitamin B1 deficiency.

B Vitamins

Many diabetics may suffer from a deficiency in Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), linked to diabetes complications such as blood vessel damage and heart disease. Research suggests that benfotiamine, a lipid-soluble form of thiamine, could potentially prevent these complications by better penetrating cell membranes.

Also, individuals managing type 2 diabetes, especially those using metformin, should consider B12 supplementation due to a common association between metformin use and lower vitamin B12 levels.

Probiotics

Probiotics benefit gut bacteria, which can degrade when taking antibiotics, which is linked with a higher risk of certain diseases, like diabetes. Taking probiotics may help your body handle carbohydrates and may decrease blood sugar by reducing inflammation and preventing the destruction of pancreatic cells that make insulin.

Hopefully, the supplements above give you an idea of how there actually are supplements good for diabetics on the market.

Before you create a personalised supplement plan, make sure to have a chat with your doctor as they can help you with any medical questions or needs. They can also tell you if there will be any potential interactions with any medications you take.

Xandro Lab Supplements for Diabetics

Did you know there is a range of Xandro Lab supplements that may help you manage your conditions or needs?

To help manage diabetic conditions, at Xandro Lab, we recommend taking:

Trans-Resveratrol

It’s interesting to note that the NCCIH is also funding research on the possible effects of components of grape skin on blood sugar control, which leads us to trans-resveratrol.

Why take Trans-Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is a chemical found in wine and grapes that has been found to prevent high blood sugar and oxidative stress in animal studies.

Resveratrol has been found to benefit type 2 diabetics by lowering blood glucose, glycated haemoglobin, insulin levels, insulin resistance and improve HDL levels and fasting blood glucose.

Along with this, it’s been shown to reduce body weight and lower systolic blood pressure.

Discover it’s benefits on your health, here.

POM-Q10

Why take POM-Q10?

Pomegranate juice is high in antioxidants, as well as polyphenols, anti-diabetic compounds and dietary fibre, which makes it great for controlling blood sugar levels. It contains a low GI and GL, making it beneficial for those with high blood sugar levels.

POM-Q10 combines pomegranate extract with CoQ10 (mentioned above) and alma fruit extract, which is a strong antioxidant which may help prevent or reduce hyperglycaemia.

Try it out! POM-Q10

Ashwagandha

Why take Ashwagandha?

Some studies have found that ashwagandha has some benefits for diabetics and those with high blood sugar levels, by reducing blood sugar, haemoglobin A1c, insulin, blood lipids and oxidative stress markers. It’s not a cure for the condition, but it has the potential to help people manage it, making it one of the best supplements to lower blood sugar naturally.

See how Xandro Lab’s Ashwagandha can help you today.

NMN Powder and Capsules

Why take NMN Powder/Capsules?

Studies in NMN have found that it has the potential to produce more insulin within the body, making it a supplement that may prevent diabetes. It’s also been found that NMN improves glucose tolerance and lipid profiles in aged-induced type 2 diabetes mice. In human studies, so far, it’s been found to have positive effects on insulin sensitivity and insulin signalling.

Get your hands on Xandro Lab’s Pure NMN Powder and Pure NMN Capsules!

Further Reading: Learn more of the exciting scientific research behind Xandro Lab’s supplements!

Foods that Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Think of these like food supplements for diabetics:

• Bitter melon: while research is limited, it’s been suggested to lower blood glucose levels in people living with type 2 diabetes.
• Green tea: contains antioxidants, the main being epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which may lower cardiovascular disease risk, improve glucose management and help with better insulin activity.
• Cinnamon: cinnamon has been found to potentially lower fasting blood glucose levels, helping treat diabetes. More studies are currently being conducted. If looking for herbs that lower blood sugar fast, don’t just take large amounts of cinnamon, especially cassia cinnamon, due to it containing the chemical, coumarin.
• American Ginseng: been found to decrease post-meal blood sugar by about 20 per cent in both healthy individuals and those with type 2 diabetes. Don’t take ginseng when taking warfarin as it decreases its effectiveness.
• Aloe Vera: one of the natural supplements for diabetes, aloe vera may help lower blood sugar levels in prediabetics and those with type 2 diabetes. Aloe vera should never be taken with the heart medication, digoxin.
• Gymnema: one of the best herbs for diabetes, it may reduce sugar absorption in the gut and promote cell sugar use in the blood, although it can enhance the effects of insulin, so speak with a doctor if you take insulin injections.

What Vitamins Should Diabetics Avoid?

If you have heart disease and take blood-thinning drugs, taking vitamin E and one of the herbal remedies, St. John’s wort, can have dangerous interactions. Taking niacin can also affect diabetes patients as it raises fasting glucose levels.

Remember, there’s no natural diabetes cure, but with a range of lifestyle changes and medications, you can help prevent or manage the condition and live a healthy life. Make sure to speak with your doctor when creating a personalised supplement plan that includes vitamin supplements for diabetics, as you don’t want to do your body more harm than good.

If you think you want to experience the benefits yourself, why not try Xandro Lab’s Trans Resveratrol 500 MG via our 30-day refund guarantee?