The Benefits of Diabetes Supplements

Diabetes of any kind can be difficult to control. A diabetes supplement could help you maximize your control. For people with type 2 diabetes, it is necessary for them to take pills so as to jumpstart their pancreas releasing insulin. One or two pills a day works for most people but some take more than this. If type 2 requires insulin, this means their diabetes could be getting worse. Just pills are good enough for some cases because diabetes supplements could be added to a person with type 2 diabetes’ regimen. 

Lowering or maintaining stable blood glucose is a huge chore for most people with diabetes of any type. Supplements help maintain glucose levels at a near-normal level as that is what is required to make sure that the patient does not deal with diabetes complications. Check with your doctor to make sure that you can use the supplement in question.

Types of Supplements

Cinnamon is the number one potential diabetes supplement because even the actual ground-up cinnamon can lower your blood sugar. Cinnamon in a powder form or an extract can be ingested, which has been shown to drastically improve blood sugar control. Cinnamon can lower blood sugar by 11%-14%. 

However, other minerals such as chromium and magnesium are able to have an effect on diabetes control. 

Chromium is a diabetes supplement that can lower glucose by convincing the body to use glucose more effectively. Magnesium, in particular, can work very well in a person with type 2 diabetes’ body, although it may work better if the person already has a magnesium deficiency rather than using it when you do not have one. Getting magnesium levels up helps with this problem. However, it is wise to take precautions on how to use tools such as diabetes supplements. 

Diabetes multivitamins designed to lower blood sugar do exist, and they can make a huge difference in your control. Diabetes of any kind can be difficult to manage with insulin or pills alone. However, even both could be a hazardous mix. With all forms of diabetes, the better the control, the tighter the control, the fewer complications to having none. Diabetes supplements are many, and you have to make an educated decision. 

Ginseng is a popular remedy with American ginseng being a variety you can find in the United States. Ginseng works by lowering post-meal blood sugar 20%. This means that your cell’s response to insulin or pills may be helped tremendously. You generally take 1 gram up to two hours before each meal. It should be noted though that ginseng may lower the effectiveness of warfarin. Other supplements such as probiotics is designed to improve your bodies’ handling of probiotics that have more than one species of bacteria, decrease fasting blood sugar. 

Aloe vera, for example, could interact with medications. In particular, it can interact with digoxin, a heart medication. Those with fasting blood sugars above 200 mg/dl have taken aloe vera with great results. There are quite a few medicines that have to be treated with caution. It is wise to prove that you have a vitamin deficiency rather than just taking one. 

Check with Your Doctor

Your doctor and pharmacist ought to check for drug interactions for supplements you want to take. You should do your research to make sure that supplements will not interact with your existing medications. Cinnamon is by far, the safest type of supplement to take. You need to make sure your doctor runs anything you take through a drug interaction database. There are thousands of supplements out there but be cautious in deciding which ones to take along with your insulin or pills.

Kenneth Bennett

Atticus Bennett: Atticus, a sports nutritionist, provides dietary advice for athletes, tips for muscle recovery, and nutrition plans to support peak performance.