Survey Sez Supplements Help Diabetes Sugar Control

Every time we read about a new study for diabetes the same supplements seem to be beneficial for helping with blood sugars. Natural ways to help blood sugar health and diabetes include fiber, vitamin B-1, CoQ10, chamomile tea, exercise, addressing depression and L-Carnitine. Now a new study re enforces previous findings that calcium and vitamin D help with blood sugar health.

Since diabetes affects over 24 million Americans it is an important condition to get under control. As we already know this disease can lead to permanent disability, and numerous health complications like heart disease, stroke, blindness, chronic kidney disease, and amputations.

In the latest study, researchers analyzed calcium intake and vitamin D levels of 888 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and 1385 healthy women from the Nurses' Health Study who ranged in age from 40 to 75. They also looked at levels of a protein called C-peptide, since it is believed to be associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and other chronic diseases that are in part related to diabetes and insulin resistance, including colon adenoma and pancreatic cancer.

In women, the researchers found that those with a total calcium intake greater than 800 mg per day had C-peptide levels that were 11% lower than those with a total calcium intake less than 500 mg per day. No associations between calcium and C-peptide were seen in men. But men had 20% lower C-peptide levels with vitamin D levels of 88 millimoles per liter compared to 38 millimoles per liter. No significant associations were seen between vitamin D levels and C-peptide in women.

But when both calcium and vitamin D intake were looked at together, they found that men with the highest intakes had 35% lower C-peptide levels than those with the lowest calcium/vitamin D intakes. Women with the highest intakes had 12% lower C-peptide levels than those with the lowest intakes.

When looking at how calcium and vitamin D affect insulin function, they cite research showing insulin secretion to be dependent on calcium and that calcium is essential for insulin function in that it affects the sensitivity of muscle and fat cells to insulin. For vitamin D, the researchers suggest it may improve insulin sensitivity by controlling calcium levels both in and out of cells, thereby influencing insulin levels.

For the researchers, "The results suggest that calcium intake or vitamin D [blood levels], after adjustment for intake of dairy products, is associated with decreased insulin secretion."

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Sugar Control Is Crucial

Keeping your blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible can be a lifesaver. Tight control can prevent or slow the progress of many complications of diabetes, giving you extra years of healthy, active life.
But tight control is not for everyone and it involves hard work.

Good control means getting as close to a normal (nondiabetic) blood glucose level as you safely can. What this means is to keep your levels between 70 and 130 mg/dl before meals, and less than 180 two hours after starting a meal, with a glycated hemoglobin level less than 7 percent. The target number for glycated hemoglobin will vary depending on the type of test your doctor's lab uses.

There is a supplement from NOW foods called Glucose Metabolic Support that contains a new dietary ingredient that is an extract from the herb Lagestroemia speciosa. The active component called GlucoTrim'™s is corosolic acid, has been the subject of scientific studies that demonstrates its ability to support healthy blood sugar levels by helping to transport glucose into the cells.

This tablet also includes an extract from the herb Gymnema sylvestre, a small plant native to India. Extracts of Gymnema have been used for centuries by Ayurvedic medical practitioners for support of blood sugar levels and natural insulin production.

Glucose Metabolic Support does not contain any sugar, salt, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, milk, egg or preservatives.