Diabetes. Vitamins help. Part II.

What can help?

Initially, before your insulin levels have normalized, you should severely restrict your carbohydrate intake. Try to divide your daily ration of protein, starch and fat approximately into six equal portions. Until your level of sugar in blood is normalized (i.e., not exceeding concentration of 140 mg / 100 ml), do not eat more than 5 g of carbohydrates of any type in any meal (in total, no more than 30 g a day).

Soluble proteins constitute part of polysaccharides ("complex carbohydrates") which slow down the absorption of the digestible starch contained in food, as well as fats. Soluble proteins contained in fruit are referred to as pectin, in grain cereals they are called bran – but whatever the name of these substances may be, their function is the same. If you are diabetic, you should strive to eat food containing not less than 50 g of soluble proteins every day, necessarily including vegetables. Nonetheless, be careful not to increase the amount of consumed proteins very quickly, especially at night, to avoid severe abdominal distension, gases and intestinal colic.

Recommendations: set yourself a goal to consume at least 50g of soluble proteins every day, gradually increasing your soluble protein intake to that point, “gradually” being the key term. Start with a diet which includes protein-rich vegetables and a small amount of fruit; do not eat a lot of melon and berries in each of the six meals. Once this diet is established, slowly introduce soluble protein from one of the adsorbing powders available over the counter (Konsyl, Metamucil, Citrucel), which are made from vegetables. In the beginning, with your breakfast, take a quarter of a teaspoon of such powder for the first week, washing it down with a citrus drink without sugar. The next week increase the dose by a quarter of a spoon with your lunch, and finally take a quarter of a teaspoon with each meal four-six times a day. Slowly, in weekly intervals, increase the dose to half of a teaspoon from four to six times day, then make it three quarters of a spoon, a full spoon, one and a half spoons and eventually two teaspoons from four to six times a day. This form of supplementation will provide, in addition to the proteins obtained from other foods rich in proteins, approximately 30-40g of soluble proteins. It is most important to keep to a constant consumption level of such proteins. For example, in one day do not consume 60g, 10g the next three days and then 60g again the day after that. Be persistent in the observance of the regimen - and you should be able to control you blood-glucose levels perfectly.

Vitamin C plays an essential role in the maintenance of good health if you suffer from diabetes. Together with the regular function of body tissue, vitamin C protects proteins against oxidation that results in an increase blood-glucose levels, an increase in the integrity of small blood vessels (in which waste is accumulated in case of diabetes). It also improves the body’s tolerance to carbohydrates and reduces the level of "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides (a form of body fat).

Recommendations: take at least 1g of vitamin C per day. Be aware that people with diabetes suffer from a metabolic disorder of ascorbic acid, which can lead to a surge of waste polluting the internal walls of the blood vessels. You can prevent this by taking vitamin C together with bioflavonoids.

Biotin raises the sensitivity of tissues to insulin and helps lower blood-glucose levels. It may also be beneficial if you feel a numbness, pricking or pains in your feet, legs or hands, know as diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Recommendations: take about 15 mg of biotin per day. If you take insulin or oral diabetes medication, you should check the level of sugar in your blood every day because even when taking your usual dose of medicines this level can unexpectedly fall too low. If you start to use vitamins while taking insulin in the form of injections, you should make sure that you have the help of the attending physician to carefully check your sugar levels, since these vitamins are capable fundamentally affecting the sugar concentration in the blood. With the help of your doctor, you can adjust the dose of medicines taken, bringing it down to the necessary minimum.

Vitamins from the B group are important, especially in for the prevention or the facilitation of neuropathy (diseases of the peripheral nervous system), which frequently arises as a consequence of diabetes. B vitamins act more effectively if they are all used together. Even if you take an additional dose of any of these vitamins, you should still take at least the minimal dose of the other vitamins in the group.

Recommendations: 100 mg per day of B vitamins together, with the increased dose of any particular vitamin in this group.

Nicotinic acid (vitamin В3) is part of a substance which is referred to as the “glucose tolerance factor" (GTF) and which plays an important role in the regulation of insulin and sugar in the blood. In a research study which had been carried out with insulin-dependent diabetics, additional intake of nicotinic acid helped 66% of the participants completely discontinue insulin injections. In the study, all the subjects were adult diabetics whose need for insulin surpassed the ability of their body to produce it; they were therefore forced to take injections and to introduce additional insulin into their bodies to control blood-glucose levels. That is, the participants were Type 2 diabetics; they did not suffer from juvenile diabetes, where the body does not develop enough insulin, if at all.

Recommendations: If you are an adult diabetic routinely using insulin, start taking 500 mg of nicotinic acid (in the form of nicotinamide) from three to six times a day (1.5 to 3g a day, in total) and, while carefully monitoring blood-glucose levels, you may slowly reduce the dose of insulin, under the supervision of your physician. If you are not taking insulin regularly, you may raise your carbohydrates (glucose) tolerance by taking 500 mg of nicotinic acid once or twice a day. Caution: nicotinic acid may causes rushes of blood to the face (blushing).

Thiamine (vitamin B1) must be present in the organism to properly assimilate glucose. A deficiency of this vitamin can not only worsen the regulation of blood-glucose levels, but also promote numbness, pains and pricking in feet, legs, fingers and hands, which are common for many diabetics.

Recommendations: take 100-200 mg of thiamine daily for at least two weeks to and observe your reaction to the vitamin. If you notice an improvement in the state of your health and a reduction in the fluctuation of your blood-glucose levels, continue to take this dose until the symptoms described above cease. After that point, continue to take 50 mg of thiamine a day.

The level of vitamin В6 (pyridoxine) has been observed to fall sharply in diabetics who suffer from diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Regular supplementation reduces the disturbance to the nervous system caused by diabetes. Additionally, some believe that a pyridoxine insufficiency increases insulin resistance in the cells, which is the fundamental cause of diabetes.

Recommendations: take 50 mg of vitamin В6 (pyridoxine) three times a day for four to six weeks to assess whether it helps your condition. If your condition improves, continue to take 50 mg of this vitamin daily. Caution: do not exceed the recommended dosage. Even such small doses as 200 mg a day, continuously taken for several years, may cause an incurable nervous disorder in some individuals.

A deficiency of vitamin В12 can also increase the sensation of numbness, pains and pricking in the extremities. For best results, a vitamin B12 treatment should be taken in the form of injections; although, pills are also effective.

Recommendations: contact your physician to prescribe injections of vitamin В12 (in the form of cyancobalamine). The recommended dose is 300-500 mcg a week until your condition begins to improve. Once your condition has improved, lower the dose to 500 mcg a month and keep to this dose permanently. Pills of vitamin В12 may be taken sublingually (under the tongue) in 500 to 1000 mcg weekly doses for four to six weeks, keeping close observation of their effect. Such a course of treatment may not be as effective as injections, but may be used as a viable treatment.

Vitamin Е possesses antioxidant properties that may help prevent some common complications of diabetes, such as the dysfunction of the heart, eye or small-sized blood vessels. If you are insulin dependent, supplementation with this vitamin can help, although, cautions is advised since vitamin Е can reduce the need for insulin and, in some individuals it may raise the blood pressure.

Recommendations : start with 100 IU of vitamin E. Watch your blood-glucose levels and blood pressure closely. Under the supervision of an attending physician, you can reduce the dose of insulin with each increase in the dose of vitamin E. If at any dose you notice a stabilization of the fluctuation of your blood-glucose levels and if your blood pressure does not exceed 140/90, increase the dose of vitamin Е up to 200 IU. Again, while supervising your blood-glucose levels, adjust the dose of vitamin E according to the reduced dose of insulin so that within a week or two it is stable. If sugar and blood pressure levels return to normal after each increase in the dose of vitamin Е, set yourself the goal to reach the daily dose of this vitamin within the reasonable limits of 600-800 IU a day.

The depletion or absence of inositol in the muscular proteins of blood vessel walls and in neural tissues can promote damages to small-sized blood vessels (which causes an increase in blood pressure and hardening of the arteries), and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. For some, inositol is quite effective, although for others it is likely to produce no effect at all.

Recommendations: take 500 mg of inositol twice a day for two weeks, while observing for possible effects. If you feel an improvement of your condition, continue to take 500-700 mg a day.

Chromium, as well as nicotinic acid, is an essential component of GTF, the substance that improves the reaction of tissues to insulin and helps adjust sugar levels in the blood. A chromium deficiency not only impairs sugar metabolism, but can also lead to diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Recommendations: take chromium (in the form of chromium picolinate) - 200 mcg a day or chromium-containing beer yeast 9g daily doses. Within four-six weeks you should observe whether this treatment improves your blood-glucose levels, and also whether the unpleasant sensations of numbness, pains and pricking disappear.

Magnesium deficiencies are frequently observed in adult patients with diabetes, especially those that are insulin dependent. Magnesium plays a key role in the regulation of the blood-glucose level, manufacture of energy, release of insulin from pancreas, and also acts as a guard for the fragile beta-cells cells of the pancreas. When the level of magnesium falls too low, the risk of typical complications for diabetics, such as illnesses of the heart, eye and kidneys, as well as hypertension, increases.

Recommendations: take 1000 mg of magnesium twice a day for four weeks to evaluate its effectiveness on your condition. Additionally, take 1500 mg of calcium a day throughout the entire period. You should notice at least some improvements in the regulation of your blood-glucose levels and a normalization of blood pressure. These indicators should be followed by a decrease sense of fatigue. After four weeks, lower the magnesium dose to 500 mg a day, and the calcium dose to 1000 mg. It is also suggested that you review literature where magnesium and calcium are discussed, and especially, how these elements work together to better understand why they should be taken simultaneously.

The concentration of manganese in diabetics can fall to a level twice lower than that of people not suffering from diabetes. As manganese participates in the fixation of sugar in the blood and thereby lowers its concentration, a deficiency can cause a general intolerance of sugar in the body.

Recommendations: if you are insulin dependent, or take other medicines to lower blood-glucose levels, start with daily intake of 5-10 mg of manganese. (Manganese intake will cause the level of sugar in blood to decrease and therefore you should reset the doses of your blood-sugar-lowering medicines or insulin.) In two or three weeks increase the intake of manganese to 20 mg a day (and again adjust the dose of medicines, if necessary) and maintain that dosage.

A phosphorus insufficiency, also common in diabetics, can impair the regulation of the level of sugar in blood and lead to a pronounce feeling of fatigue.

Recommendations: take 1 g of calcium phosphate three times a day. (If you are taking this kind of calcium compound, you should stop taking calcium in other forms.)

A potassium deficiency can amplify the effects of a magnesium deficiency on the heart and kidneys and can affect the proper fixation of glucose (blood sugar) by the tissue.

Recommendations: eat potassium-rich food such as broccoli, tomatoes, bananas, and citrus.

Blood analyses of zinc concentration levels in diabetics may turn up normal even in situations when a deficiency exists. Zinc deficiency impairs the regulation of the level of sugar in blood and changes the biochemical mechanism of fat exchange in the body.

Recommendations: take 10 to 20 mg of zinc in the form of a complex compound (e.g. aspartate, picolinate or zinc gluconate), daily. Caution: intake of zinc in the ionic form can cause deficiency of other elements, such as copper, due to their competition for absorption in the intestines. The complex form of these compounds prevents such competition in the organism, allowing the body to assimilate all these elements completely.

Diabetes influences the metabolism of essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and cod-liver oil and changes the mechanisms responsible for transforming these fats in the body, thereby reducing the overall level of "good" and increasing number and quantity of "bad" eicosanoids. The diabetes disorder has been linked to several prevalent complications: high blood pressure, insufficient blood circulation, heart diseases, inflammation of nerves, increases of cholesterol and fat levels in blood and a decrease in the elasticity of arteries. The occurrence of some of these conditions is caused by excess of "bad" eicosanoids. If you tip the balance towards "good" eicosanoids, you can improve the general state of your health.

Recommendations: remember that it is necessary to begin with a suitable basic diet. To this healthy diet add linoleic acid and cod-liver oil in a 1:4 ratio, one to three times a day. The ready-made product called Omega 3 contains an adequate mix of these essential fatty acids. (Caution: cod-liver oil can cause blood-glucose level fluctuations in some diabetics. Carefully monitor your blood-glucose levels if you use preparations with cod-liver oil and stop taking them if blood-glucose levels become difficult to control.)

Bioflavonoids prevent the abnormal metabolism of vitamin C, which is a common affliction amongst diabetics. If the supplementation you are taking already includes vitamin C (and I strongly recommend that it should), you should also take bioflavonoids. Many preparations containing vitamin C sold both in drugstores and in specialty shops already contain bioflavonoids as well. If you are taking massive doses of vitamin C in the form of crystalline powder, you should strongly consider adding bioflavonoids to the taken medications.

Recommendations: take 250 to 500 mg of the bioflavonoid Rutin with your dose of vitamin C. Alternatively, you may mix different bioflavonoids that can be found in drugstores and health shops into a bioflavonoid complex, and add a dose of 1 g of this complex to every 4 g of vitamin C you take.

What can make things worse?

Alcohol can increase your resistance to insulin – and, in fact, it is this resistance to insulin that forms the basis of the disorder. If you are a diabetic with very good analyses (blood-glucose is lower than 140 mg/dl, you do not experience numbness, pains or pricking in feet, legs or hands, you have normal blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides levels), a moderate quantity of alcohol, the equivalent of 30g of pure alcohol, e.g. a glass wine or a can of beer a day, will probably not affect the state of your health. Larger quantities of alcohol, however, will inevitably worsen your condition.

Recommendations: unless your diabetes is under control on a consistent basis, you should completely exclude alcohol from your diet.

Some diabetics develop higher-than-normal concentrations of ferritin, a ferruginous protein which transfers iron to the blood. This condition can be treated by a certain chemical substance (referred to as desferrioxamine) which binds iron in a complex compound that makes it possible to egest it from the body. It has been observed that this treatment improves the patients’ condition, allowing them not only to reduce or even to completely cease the intake of insulin and of other blood-sugar-lowering medications, but even to lower the level of cholesterol and triglycerides. Based on the studies in this field, it is difficult to say whether the use of iron in poly-vitamins can really lead to worsening of the condition in case of diabetes. And, on the contrary, whether a reduction in the consumption of iron should effect a change on the symptoms associated with diabetes. Nevertheless, the reactions of patients with a high level of iron to such treatments are impressive.

Recommendations: It is strongly recommended that you ask your physician to check the level of iron in your blood and if it is high, to consider treatment by the method described above. Moreover, if you are not suffering from an iron deficiency or anemia, it is recommended that you do not take any kind of compounds with iron.

Some modern studies (1990) testify that proteins from cow milk can promote the development of diabetes in children.

Recommendations: though this conclusion does not seem to have a strong basis, it may be prudent to avoid dairy products for members of the household that have juvenile (Type 1) diabetes.