The best supplements for diabetes are those that help you lower your blood sugar levels and improve your insulin sensitivity.
Best Supplements Diabetes
The list below includes some of the most popular supplements for diabetes, along with information on how they work and how to use them.
- Chromium: Chromium can help control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, but it’s not clear if it works in people who don’t have diabetes.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon has been shown to lower blood sugar levels after meals, but more research is needed before we know if it can be used as a treatment for diabetes.
- Inositol: Inositol may reduce the risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy by improving insulin sensitivity, which may help prevent weight gain and other complications during pregnancy. However, more studies are needed before we can say for sure if it helps with gestational diabetes or other forms of the condition.
The best supplements for diabetes are those that work well with your diet and exercise routine. They can help you manage your blood sugar levels, lower your cholesterol, and promote heart health.
Here are the top supplements for diabetes:
Fish Oil. Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation, which is thought to play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes. Fish oil contains EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexanoic acid), both of which promote heart health by reducing triglycerides and blood pressure while lowering blood sugar levels.
Gymnema Sylvestre. This herb has been shown to reduce blood sugar levels by blocking the absorption of carbohydrates in the small intestine and slowing down the entry of glucose into the bloodstream after a meal. It also increases insulin production in the pancreas, making it a valuable supplement for people with type 2 diabetes who don’t respond well to oral medications or insulin therapy.
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). ALA is an antioxidant that helps regenerate other antioxidants such as vitamin C and glutathione within cells so they can do their job more efficiently — protecting against free radical damage caused by high blood sugar levels and oxidative stress on
A healthful diet, regular exercise and a good night’s sleep are essential for managing diabetes. But if you’re not getting enough nutrients from food, or if you have trouble absorbing the vitamins and minerals you get from food, supplements can help fill in the gaps.
Supplements for diabetes include:
Chromium. Chromium helps regulate blood sugar levels. It’s found naturally in whole grains, meat and dairy products but many people don’t get enough of it from their diets. Good sources include broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic.
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA). ALA is an antioxidant that can improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. It also helps prevent damage to nerves caused by high blood glucose levels. ALA has been shown to improve nerve function after a stroke and may be helpful for preventing diabetic neuropathy as well.
Magnesium may help reduce high blood pressure in people with diabetes who are taking certain medications called ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Magnesium supplements taken by mouth may also reduce systolic blood pressure by 5 to 9 mm Hg in people with type 2 diabetes who haven’t been treated with these medications before
Diabetes is a disease that causes high levels of glucose in the blood. The body needs glucose, or sugar, to function properly. But when you have diabetes and your body doesn’t produce enough insulin or can’t use it effectively, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used for energy. This can lead to serious health problems over time.
The good news is that there are supplements that can help control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of complications from diabetes. Here are some supplements that have been shown to help manage type 2 diabetes:
Chromium: Chromium is a mineral found naturally in foods such as broccoli, potatoes and whole grains like oats. It helps regulate blood sugar levels by helping cells use insulin more efficiently. Studies have shown that taking 200 micrograms (mcg) of chromium daily may lower fasting blood sugar levels by 25 percent or more in people with type 2 diabetes1-3
Vitamin D: Vitamin D helps regulate insulin production and also plays an important role in muscle strength and function4-6 One study showed that people who were deficient in vitamin D were twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with those who had sufficient vitamin D levels7
Omega-3 fatty acids
The best supplements for diabetes are those that help you achieve and maintain your blood sugar goals. In addition, they should be easy on your digestive system and not cause unwanted side effects.
Here are the top supplements for diabetes that meet these criteria:
- Chromium Picolinate: This mineral works with insulin to lower blood glucose levels. It’s available in most health food stores and can be taken with meals to support healthy blood sugar levels. It has no known side effects, but some people do have allergic reactions to it so check with your doctor if you have diabetes and haven’t been tested for allergies before starting it.
- Alpha-Lipoic Acid: This antioxidant helps protect the cells from inflammation, which can damage them over time if left unchecked. It also helps cells absorb glucose better when blood sugar levels rise too high, which means this supplement can help prevent low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) as well as high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). Alpha lipoic acid is safe to take without a prescription but may cause nausea or diarrhea if taken in larger doses than recommended.
- Green Tea Extract: Green tea contains a compound called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which
Diabetes is a condition that causes a person’s blood sugar to be too high. The body can’t use the glucose (sugar) in the blood for energy because there isn’t enough insulin to bring the glucose into the body’s cells.
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps move glucose from food and in the blood into cells where it’s used for energy or stored.
Diabetes can cause serious health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and eye complications. The most common type of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for about 90-95% of all cases of diabetes.
What are supplements for diabetes?
Supplements are foods or nutrients that you take in addition to what you eat every day. They are not intended to replace any part of your diet but help to provide additional nutrients that may be missing from your diet or those that may need supplementing due to illness or other factors such as aging.
Diabetes is a common and chronic disease that affects your body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin. Insulin is necessary to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.
If you have diabetes, you may be at an increased risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. Diabetes can also lead to vision loss, amputations and nerve damage.
There’s no cure for diabetes, but you can manage it by keeping your blood glucose levels under control through diet and exercise — and possibly with medications or other treatments.
The best supplements for diabetes are those that can help keep your blood sugar at a healthy level. Here are the top supplements to consider:
Chromium
Chromium is a trace mineral that helps regulate insulin and blood sugar levels in the body. According to the National Institutes of Health, a lack of chromium can cause high blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. The recommended daily intake for chromium is 200 micrograms for men and women over 50 years of age, and 400 micrograms for men and women under 50 years of age.
Fish Oil
Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to reduce inflammation in the body, improve blood vessel function, lower triglycerides (another form of fat found in the blood) and decrease triglyceride levels in the liver — all factors that may contribute to heart disease and diabetes. However, experts recommend only taking fish oil supplements if you don’t eat enough fish or other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids on a regular basis. If you do eat enough fish, some health experts suggest taking fish oil supplements only if you have high triglyceride levels or heart disease risk factors such as high cholesterol
Diabetes is a chronic condition that is characterized by high blood sugar levels. Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, normally regulates the amount of sugar in the blood. In people with diabetes, either the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or cells do not respond properly to insulin. This causes sugar to build up in the blood instead of being used for energy.
Diabetes can lead to complications such as kidney disease, heart disease and nerve damage. People with diabetes are also at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes.
Many people are able to control their diabetes through diet and exercise alone, but some may need medications or insulin injections. Here are some supplements that may be beneficial for people with diabetes:
Chromium picolinate: Chromium helps insulin work better by increasing the sensitivity of cells to this hormone. It has also been shown to lower cholesterol levels and reduce symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Chromium picolinate is available as a supplement in tablet or capsule form at most health food stores or pharmacies. You should take 200 micrograms three times per day on an empty stomach between meals or 30 minutes before each meal if you take it before meals.
Folic acid
The best supplements for diabetes help to control blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation and improve overall health.
The benefits of these supplements are well documented in scientific literature, but some may be more effective than others.
There are many different types of supplements that can be taken by people with diabetes. These include vitamins, minerals, herbs and amino acids.
In this article we’ll look at the most beneficial supplements for diabetes, how they work and how to take them effectively.
Vitamin D3
Sunlight is the best way to get vitamin D, but it’s not always possible to spend enough time outdoors to get enough sunlight. Vitamin D3 is a hormone produced when sunlight hits our skin and converts cholesterol in our bodies into a form called calcitriol that regulates calcium levels in the blood and helps us absorb calcium from food sources such as milk or cheese. While vitamin D3 can be found naturally in small amounts in some foods such as fish oils and eggs, there’s no safe upper limit as far as we know.
