Supplements for Type 2 Diabetes

Dr. Heather Stone | Functional Medicine Doctor. (2020, August 3).

As patients finish their program they always want to know what supplements they should keep taking.

The first answer is check with your provider for your specific needs.

However, the following supplements should be considered as part of your lifetime health regimen.

Essential Fatty Acid Support:  Our bodies are often deficient in the critical nutrient known as essential fatty acids.  In particular omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils and olive oil for example.  Each person requires a different type and amount of omega-3's so please be in touch with your provider.

Vitamin D:  I can’t recall the last time I tested a patient with adequate levels of vitamin D.  For various reasons we are in the midst of an epidemic of low vitamin D levels.  Vitamin D deficiency creates a tremendous amount of strain on the body and in particular can increase your risk and cause type 2 diabetes.  This actually should be done under the supervision of a healthcare provider as V. D dosage often needs to be high and should be monitored for negative effects.

Blood Sugar Support:  As a diabetic, or “former diabetic”, it’s a good idea to be on a comprehensive blood sugar support formula moving forward.  Your provider can recommend one for you.

Antioxidant Support:  We live in an ever increasing toxic and stressful world.  Toxicity and stress, along with many other factors, promote oxidation.  Oxidation disrupts and destroys normal function in the human body and should be combated as much as possible.  A regimen of antioxidant support is one of the most intelligent steps you can take to protect your health.  Talk to your provider about formulas that best suit you.

Detoxification:  As stated our world is increasingly toxic.  One of the most important steps to detoxification is a biochemical process called methylation.  Interestingly we find many patients have a deficiency in their ability to methylate, and thus can’t detox efficiently.  A comprehensive methylation formula can do wonders to reduce your body’s toxic load.

Scientist David Schmidt talks about COVID 19 options

"This is one of the best videos I have seen describing ways to keep healthy during the Coronavirus outbreak."Click on the YouTube video below. John Fisher

In the webinar, scientist David Schmidt cites studies that show people can take supplements to increase their immunity against coronavirus. Studies show coronavirus is killed by copper and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

1. He suggests taking a minimum of 1000mg of Vitamin C daily as this is converted into H2O2.

2. H2O2 may be taken with aloe vera as a supplement.

3. In the case of an infection, a hospital can administer an IV drip of H2O2. Only a medical doctor should do this because of the risks of doing IVs.

4. Ozone may also be injected. It is more powerful than H2O2 in fighting the coronavirus. 

5. Very high doses of Vitamin C can be administered by IV. This approach is very safe. 10 grams of Vitamin C and higher can be administered by IV.

7. Research also suggests gargling with hydrogen peroxide. 

Other antivirals can also be used for fighting coronavirus. Some are listed below.

1. Garlic extract is made from the garlic plant . The plant has long been considered a beneficial plant for health and has been used as an antihelmintic, a rubefacient, an anti-infective, and an antihypertensive.

2. BHT reduces and prevents viral infections such as herpes, thus terminating their outbreaks. Also BHT is effective against many different human and animal viruses including CMV (cytomegalovirus), pseudorabies, genital herpes, HIV, and some strains of influenza. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) is listed as “generally recognized as safe.”

3. Oregano oil is an effective natural antibiotic and anti-fungal, and may also help you lose weight and lower your cholesterol levels.

4. Olive leaf extract have been shown to treat infection caused by a large number of viruses as well as bacteria, and parasitic protozoans. 

5. Colostrum is rich in antibodies.

6. Fasting can help build immunity. One approach would be to eat during an eight hour period and fast for 16 hours. 

Below are some other possibilities for fighting the corona virus.

1. L-Glutamine increases production of T-cells (which are the immunity cells in the body).

2. Ginger root is a very strong anti-bacterial and is anti-viral.

3. Elderberry extract prevents viruses from replicating.

4. Zinc gluconate lozenges kill viruses.

5. Vitamin D supports immune response.

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Vitamin D Shows No Major Effect on Pain or Slowing Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis

CHICAGO – In a two year randomized trial, patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis who received vitamin D supplementation did not have a significant difference in knee pain or cartilage volume loss compared to patients who received placebo, according to a study appearing in the January 9 issue of JAMA. 

“Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a common age-related musculoskeletal disorder that has significant functional impact and has considerable societal costs through work loss, early retirement, and arthroplasty. Despite its impact, there are no medical treatments established to influence the course of the disease,” according to background information in the article. “Some studies have suggested that vitamin D may protect against structural progression.”

Timothy McAlindon, D.M., M.P.H., of Tufts Medical Center, Boston, and colleagues conducted a clinical trial to examine whether vitamin D supplementation is associated with reductions in symptomatic and structural progression of knee OA. The 2-year randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial included 146 participants with symptomatic knee OA (average age, 62 years; 61 percent women), who were enrolled in the study between March 2006 and June 2009. Participants were randomized to receive either placebo or oral cholecalciferol, 2,000 IU/day, with dose escalation to increase serum levels to more than 36 ng/mL. Eighty-five percent of the participants completed the study.

The primary measured outcomes for the study were knee pain severity (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities [WOMAC] pain scale, 0-20: 0, no pain; 20, extreme pain), and cartilage volume loss measured by magnetic resonance imaging. Secondary outcomes included physical function, knee function (WOMAC function scale, 0-68: 0, no difficulty; 68, extreme difficulty), cartilage thickness, bone marrow lesions, and radiographic joint space width.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels increased by an average 16.1 ng/mL in the treatment group and by an average 2.1 ng/mL in the placebo group. Knee pain at the beginning of the study was slightly worse in the treatment group (average, 6.9) than in the placebo group (average, 5.8). Knee function at the beginning of the study was significantly worse in the treatment group (average, 22.7) than in the placebo group (average, 18.5). In the subset analyses for the WOMAC pain outcome, the effects were generally similar, and nonsignificant. The researchers found that knee pain decreased in both groups by an average -2.31 in the treatment group and -1.46 in the placebo group, with no significant differences at any time. The percentage of cartilage volume decreased by the same extent in both groups, by about 4 percent. There were no differences in any of the secondary clinical end points.

There were 31 serious adverse events in the vitamin D group and 23 in the placebo group but the number of participants who experienced an event was 16 in each group.

“… additional results from epidemiologic studies that emerged during the course of this study have been mixed demonstrating positive and negative associations. Two studies appeared to show strong associations of bone density with the development of knee OA, but some of those investigators later published concerns about the possibility of such associations arising as a result of contingent confounding. Therefore, together with the results of this clinical trial, the overall data suggest that vitamin D supplementation at a dose sufficient to elevate 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to more than 36 ng/mL does not have major effects on clinical or structural outcomes in knee OA, at least in a U.S. sample,” the authors conclude.

(JAMA. 2013;309(2):155-162)

Editor’s Note: This study was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, NIAMS, and the Office of Dietary Supplements, a grant from the National Center for Research Resources, and a grant from the Houston Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.

Low vitamin D levels linked to prediabetes and prehypertension

Prediabetes and prehypertension have been associated with low vitamin D levels. In a recent issue of the journal Diabetes Care, scientists report a correlation between reduced vitamin D levels and prediabetes and prehypertension in adults. Both prediabetes and prehypertension are estimated to exist in at least one-fourth of disease-free adults.

Researchers analyzed data from 898 men and 813 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2006. Blood pressure measurements were obtained during examinations conducted upon enrollment, and blood samples were evaluated for glucose, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and other factors.

Prediabetes was defined as having a fasting serum glucose of between 100 and 125 milligrams per deciliter, and prehypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure of 120 to 139 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. Prediabetes was 33 percent higher among those with vitamin D levels of 76.3 nmol/l (30.5 ng/ml) or less compared to those with higher levels. Prehypertension was evident in 61 percent of those with the lower vitamin D levels. Participants with undiagnosed diabetes and untreated hypertension had even lower vitamin D levels on average. Serum vitamin D levels tended to decline with increasing age and body mass.

When the risk of having both conditions was considered, those with low vitamin D levels had 2.4 times the risk of that experienced by subjects with higher vitamin D levels. 

It is reasonable that among those with prediabetes or prehypertension, vitamin D supplementation resulting in increased serum vitamin D levels may help reverse subtle changes in fasting serum glucose and resting blood pressure that may lead to more advanced disease states.

Alok K. Gupta, MD, Meghan M. Brashear, MPH and William D. Johnson, PHD. Prediabetes and Prehypertension in Healthy Adults Are Associated With Low Vitamin D Levels. Diabetes Care March 2011 vol. 34 no. 3 658-660.

FromUSANA Health Sciences usana@updates.usana.com