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There are two classes of diabetes type I and
type II. Type I diabetes is sometimes called insulin dependent,
juvenile or child onset diabetes. This type usually starts at a very
early age and the pancreas stops producing insulin. When the body
does not make insulin, the sugar stays in the bloodstream instead of
going into the cells where it’s needed. This can be fatal, so a
person with type I diabetes needs a shot of insulin every day for
his/her body to function properly (to stay alive).
Type II diabetes usually starts in adults and is the most common
kind of diabetes in America. Most people who have diabetes have type
II, that’s about 90% -95% of all diabetics in America. In this type
of diabetes, the pancreas is producing enough insulin but the body
doesn’t use the insulin effectively. This is called insulin
resistance, cells in the body do not respond to the insulin and so
the pancreas produces more and more insulin to over compensate this
resistance. When blood sugar starts to raise in the bloodstream in
this manner, the medical doctor (MD) will diagnose type II diabetes.
Most type II diabetics need a prescription drug to lower the blood
sugar because a diet change isn’t enough to control their blood
sugar problem. (4)
In both cases, the blood sugar is too high in the bloodstream and
will cause several problems. The first problem is cells cannot
absorb sugar for energy; they starve and start to die. Secondly an
excess amount of sugar in the blood leads to cardiovascular disease,
hardening of the arteries, nerve and eye damage, and kidney damage.
Scientists are not exactly sure what causes type I diabetes, but
they do know it has something to do with the immune system. A
healthy immune system protects us from the common cold and cancer
cells (cells in the body that go bad). The immune system can becomes
confused and starts attacking good cells, in some cases, the healthy
cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, which causes diabetes.
(4)
Type II diabetes has been linked to individuals who are overweight.
These overweight individuals have high blood pressure and high
cholesterol as well which may also lead to this form of diabetes.
Being overweight causes the body to become insulin resistant and by
dropping some excess weight one could possibly reverse type II
diabetes (rare).
If you think you have diabetes, you should look for the following
symptoms. Type I diabetics usually have frequent urination because
of the high blood sugar; the kidneys are trying to balance the
body’s bloodstream. The kidneys are forced to eliminate all the
unused nutrients and sugar in the blood over working the kidneys and
if left unchecked can lead to kidney damage. If you experience
intense thirst, your body is trying to replace the liquids lost from
frequent urination. You may experience increased hunger but you will
not gain weight when you do eat more. This is because your body’s
cells need more nutrients, but since these cells can not absorb the
insulin and nutrients the body starves.
With type II diabetes you might not notice any symptoms. Type II
diabetes usually happens very gradually and the person doesn’t know
about it till diabetic complications occur, then it’s too late.
(3,4)
All diabetic complications are caused
from high blood sugar. The longer the blood sugar goes unchecked the
greater your chances of having complications. High blood sugar
causes cardiovascular disease. The blood vessels begin to thicken
from excess fat in the bloodstream because high blood sugar elevates
the fat circulating in the blood. When the vessels thicken
circulation becomes poor and with poor circulation your ability to
heal is impaired. Heart attack, heart pain, and stroke are common in
diabetics because of poor circulation and blocked arteries form all
the fat buildup in the blood vessels.
Nerve damage is another complication of diabetes. Diabetics may
notice numbness in their arms and legs because of nerve damage
caused from high blood sugar. These nerves can not send signals to
the brain relaying pain and touching sensations. Most diabetics will
notice numbness in the feet and lower legs before other parts of the
body are effected. (3,4)
The next complication is eye damage. A more severe complication
because going blind is not pleasant for anyone. The eye has very
small delicate vessels in the retina, these vessels help you see
when light shines upon them in the eye. When blood vessels are
weakened, they can hemorrhage and leak fluid into the eye. This
causes swelling and blurs the vision. There is a clear gel in the
eye keeping it solid and round, if blood leaks into this gel, your
vision can become blurred or completely impaired. As the eye
continues to get damaged, the eye will attempt to repair itself by
growing new vessels. These new vessels are fragile and can burst.
Scar tissue can form and cause the retina to pull away from the eye,
worst case causing blindness. (3,4)
Blood vessels network throughout the entire body. Your kidneys are
made up of vessels and can become damaged as well. If the vessels in
the kidneys become impaired, waste cannot be eliminated from the
body and a form of treatment called dialysis might be required. If
blood sugar is not kept under control, damage to the kidneys will
continue to the point where a transplant might be needed or daily
dialysis is required to remove waste from the bloodstream. The good
news is practically all of the complications that occur with
diabetes can be prevented when the right care is taken.
With proper diet and nutrition one can successfully prevent diabetic
complications. Along with diet and nutrition, vitamins, minerals and
herbs can also help lower blood sugar and reduce the complications
that may occur. The best kind of supplement is one that combines
vitamins and herbs together so that they work together
synergistically to effectively lower blood sugar. You might be
wondering what vitamins, minerals and herbs are good for blood
sugar, your in luck here is a list:
Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B-6, Folic Acid, Vitamin B-12, Biotin,
Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Gymnema
Sylvestre, Bitter melon, Fenugreek seed extract, Bilberry berry
extract, Bioflavonoids, and Vanadyl Sulfate. Make sure most of these
ingredients are in the formula you buy. The frequency at which you
take these supplements should be listed on the bottle you buy as
well. As a rule of thumb they should be taken at least twice a day.
Do not stop taking your normal multiple vitamin supplement; diabetic
formulas are a complement to what you currently take not a
replacement.
Vitamin C (ascorbic Acid) – keeps diabetics blood vessels and
kidneys healthy. Vitamin C works with vitamin E to get sugar out of
the blood stream and into the cells.
Vitamin E (Natural Tocopherols) – helps prevent nerve damage, helps
prevent kidney damage, blindness, and heart attack. Vitamin E works
with the B vitamins to help keep the pancreas healthy.
Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine HCL) – works with folic acid to help prevent
nerve damage and heart attack.
Folic Acid – works with B-12 to help prevent stroke and the loss of
limbs due to diabetic complications.
Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin) – works with B-6 and folic acid to
help relieve neuropathic pain.
Biotin – helps insulin work better and helps keep the pancreas
working well to lower blood sugar.
Magnesium (Krebs Cycle Chelate) – helps insulin work more
effectively and relieves neuropathic pain.
Zinc (picolinate, chelate) – helps insulin work better and helps
shuttle blood sugar into cells.
Selenium (aspartate) – helps prevent nerve damage and protects blood
vessels against elevated blood sugar. Selenium mimics insulin
helping blood sugar into the cells.
Copper (picolinate) – helps protect the cells that produce insulin
in the pancreas. Also, copper helps prevent diabetes-related damage
to blood vessels and nerves, and lowers blood sugar levels.
Manganese – helps prevent damage to nerves and blood vessels.
Chromium (picolinate) – works with biotin to help bring down blood
sugar and keeps the pancreas working well.
Gymnema Sylvestre leaf extract – helps balance blood sugar and may
protect us from gaining weight.
Bitter melon whole fruit extract – helps pathways in the liver work
more efficiently; lowers blood sugar levels.
Fenugreek seed extract – helps our kidneys and liver metabolize
blood sugar more efficiently.
Bilberry berry extract – helps reduce the severity of diabetic
cataracts.
Mixed bioflavonoids – helps protect vitamin C and E from becoming
damaged. Helps clear and sharpen vision in diabetics.
Vanadyl sulfate – helps muscle and liver cells use insulin more
effectively.
These supplements will not lower your blood sugar too much, but help
bring them down to a more normal level. Diabetes is a disease that
needs to be monitored daily several times throughout the day. When
you start taking a diabetic supplement to help equalize your blood
sugar, monitor your sugar levels more often at first so you can get
a feel for where you sugar levels come down to before taking more
insulin. A normal range of blood sugar for diabetics before a meal
is 70 – 150 (1,2,5) and ideally 70 – 120.
The diabetic formula you may take for lowering blood sugar is by no
means a license to eat any way you want. You still need to eat
healthy and see your health practitioner on a regular basis.
Diabetes might make you feel overwhelmed, especially if you have
recently been diagnosed with it. With proper exercise, diet, and
vitamin supplements you can be well on your way to a lower more
manageable blood sugar level, and live a longer healthier life.
References:
1. American Diabetes Association. In the news. Available at:
www.ada.yellowbrix.com/pages/ada . Accessed on December 10,
2001.
2. Guven S, Kuenzi J. Diabetes mellitus. In: Porth CM.
Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States. 5th ed.
Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott; 1998: 810-830.
3. Guyton AC, Hall JE. Diabetes mellitus. In: Textbook of Medical
Physiology. 10th Ed. Philadelphia, Pa: W.B. Saunders Company;2000: .
4. Grodner M, Anderson SL, DeYoung S. Diabetes mellitus. In:
Foundations and Clinical Applications of Nutrition: A Nursing
Approach. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2000:540-548.
5. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases. Do your level best. Available at:
www.niddk.nih.gov/health/diabetes/dylb/chap1.htm#e . Accessed
December 31, 2001. |
