Employee Health Screening

There are 17 million diabetics in the United States and 80 million more who are in some stage of insulin resistance. A diet high in carbohydrates and lack of nutrition are the two main factors in creating insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a “pre-diabetic” condition, which, when it gets extreme, becomes type 2 diabetes. Below are two doctors clarifying how this condition develops and its effects on the body:

When cells become resistant to insulin, the receptors on their surfaces designed to respond to insulin have begun to malfunction.

It simply means that the receptors require more insulin to make them work properly in removing sugar from the blood. Whereas before they needed just a touch to lower it, now they need a continuous supply of excess insulin to keep blood sugar within normal range.

As time goes by, blood sugar rises higher and stays up longer after the carbohydrate meal despite the immense amount of insulin mustered to lower it. Bear in mind that were your doctor to check blood sugar during this stage of developing insulin resistance, your blood sugar would be perfectly normal. The major silent change taking place is the ever-growing quantity of insulin needed to keep it that way.

excerpted from Protein Power by Doctors Michael and Mary Eades

“The liver becomes resistant first, then the muscle tissue, then the fat. What’s the effect of insulin on the liver? It is to suppress the production of sugar by the liver.

The sugar floating around in your body at any one time is the result of two things, the sugar that you have eaten and how much sugar your liver has made. When you wake up in the morning it’s more of a reflection of how much sugar your liver has made. If your liver is listening to insulin properly it won’t make much sugar in the middle of the night. If your liver is resistant, those brakes are lifted and your liver starts making a bunch of sugar so you wake up with a bunch of sugar.”

“The next tissue to become resistant is the muscle tissue. What’s the action of insulin in muscles? It allows your muscles to burn sugar for one thing. So if your muscles become resistant to insulin it can’t burn that sugar that was just manufactured by the liver. So the liver is producing too much, the muscles can’t burn it, and this raises your blood sugar.

Well the fat cells become resistant, but not for a while. It is only after a while that they become resistant. It takes them longer. Liver first, muscle second, and then your fat cells.”

“So for a while your fat cells retain their sensitivity. What’s the action of insulin on your fat cells? To store that fat. It takes sugar and it stores it as fat. So until your fat cells become resistant you get fat, and that is what you see. As people become more and more insulin resistant, they get fat and their weight goes up.

But eventually they plateau. They could plateau at three hundred pounds, two hundred and twenty pounds, one hundred and fifty pounds, but they will eventually plateau as the fat cells protect themselves and become insulin resistant.”

“As all these major tissues, this massive body becomes resistant, your liver, muscles and fat, your pancreas is putting out more insulin to compensate, so you are hyperinsulinemic [having an abnormally high level of insulin in the blood] and you’ve got insulin floating around all the time.

Insulin floating around in the blood causes a plaque build up. Insulin causes the blood to clot too readily. Insulin causes cells that accumulate fatty deposits. Every step of the way, insulin’s got its fingers in it and is causing cardiovascular disease. It fills it with plaque, it constricts the arteries, it increases platelet adhesiveness and ability of the blood to coagulate [clot]. Any known cause of cardiovascular disease, insulin is a part of.”"”

If you want to know if insulin sensitivity can be restored to its original state, well, perhaps not to its original state, but you can restore it to the state of about a ten year old.

You can increase sensitivity by diet and a lot of supplements.

The next question perhaps would be – What’s blood sugar testing? – It is mainly a test of the amount of glucose in one’s system. It will show whether one has below or above normal levels of sugar in his blood. Correspondingly, conditions of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia may become more obvious after such tests.

If asked, what is blood sugar testing frequency appropriate for one? It’ll all depend on your current situation and your doctor’s advise. If one has pre-diabetes, the doctor may require testing on regular intervals. If you are a known diabetic however, you may be asked to closely monitor your glucose levels several times a day – prompting you to do self-checks at home, with the use of blood sugar meters. A hemoglobin A1c test might also be ordered by your doctor along with blood sugar testing for a better monitoring of glucose over a period of time.

Blood sugar testing may however be done to healthy, asymptomatic individuals for screening of diabetes. As one may know, diabetes starts with a few symptoms and thru such tests – one will be able to find concrete results of his true health standing.

In emergency settings – perhaps where symptoms of fainting and unconsciousness are seen, blood sugar testing may also have to be administered. Such tests would determine whether an abnormal glucose level – low or high – is contributing to the symptoms of the patient.

In workplace health programs, an information drive is usually done to answer –  ”what is blood sugar and blood sugar testing?” – And actual blood sugar testing is also being done here. Public health fairs also have this.

In routine physical exams, blood glucose testing may form part of the tests one has to undergo. It’ll help screen and diagnose diabetes. The sooner one knows his true condition, the earlier the appropriate treatment can be administered to him – and preventive measures can be taken to control one’s glucose levels to normal.

Why is blood sugar so important for your body? Energy. That’s right. Blood sugar provides the body with energy that your body needs to function properly. Glucose (comes from sugar) helps fuel and replenish the body so that it processes like it should. Besides giving your body energy and stabilizing it, you may ask, “Why is blood sugar really important?” Here’s why: High or low levels of blood sugar can actually be dangerous to your health. Unusual amounts of blood sugar can lead to sweating, dizziness, confusion, shaking, seizures, a fast heart rate, and other complications. A couple of well-known blood sugar disorders are Diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Blood sugar levels can depend on

(1) overeating

(2) unhealthy eating

(3) lack of exercise

(4) stress

(5) medication and

(6) by disease or infection.

Now you’re probably thinking, “What’s the best way to combat all that?” A healthy diet and exercise will help you maintain normal glucose levels. Choosing the right foods to eat and exercising regularly will balance your glucose levels so they don’t skyrocket on you. This does not mean you can’t enjoy all the foods you’ve loved your whole life. There are natural and safe substitutes that will allow you to keep the “sweet” in your diet.

Xylitol, a common sugar alcohol, is a naturally occurring substance that looks and tastes like sugar, but is healthier for you. Sugar alcohols, also known as polyols, are commonly used as sweeteners and bulking agents. Table sugar and other carbohydrates can elevate blood sugar to unhealthy levels or cause reactions to the insulin that is subsequently produced. The great thing about xylitol is that it’s absorbed into the blood stream much slower than table sugar and other carbohydrates and that means it carries 40% less calories.

Sugar alcohol comes in a variety of forms (e.g., xylitol, mannitol, sorbitol, and others). These can be found in an assortment of foods such as soft drinks, candy, chewing gum, cookies, and many other “sugar-free products.” Xylitol is crystalline in form and a normal substance found in everyday metabolism. The FDA has given xylitol its safest rating as a food additive which means it’s perfectly healthy and safe for human consumption. It’s even safe to consume for those with diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Blood sugar and sugar alcohol are closely related to stabilizing, maintaining, and assisting the body process and function properly. If not closely watched, blood sugar levels in the body can cause serious health issues. Sugar alcohols can help reduce calories and keep blood sugar levels in areas that they need to be so that you can live a healthier and more energetic life.

Many people have their predispositions about the word “diet.” Do you remember Richard Simmons’ line? “Don’t die it; live it!” You may have your own, and that’s okay. But, can I tell you, friend, that I’ve an acronym of “diet” that is empowering and useful? Here it is –

Doing what’s right

Identifying the bad food vs. the good food

Energizing your heart, mind, and body

Taking control of your life

This acronym is nothing like a ball-and-chain or a weight to hold you down and depress you! It’s a helpful tool to remind you that a diet plan has many wonderful rewards. Doing what has right has to do with following your doctor’s prescribed diabetic diet plan to maintain your healthy glucose levels. Learn to identify the bad food versus the good food by looking at the labels when grocery shopping. Energizing your heart, mind, and body is a result from these healthier lifestyle options. Make certain to take control of your healthy life. This involves living life to the fullest with the ones who love and care for you. What can be better than that?

Still skeptical about the diabetic diet foods, huh? Well, I’ll answer any questions you have. Let’s get started!

What are the foods that I should eat? Do not worry, I am not going to say bark or dried-out chicken! These foods are healthy and tasty!

o  Broccoli

o  Spinach

o  Green Beans

o  Unsweetened oatmeal

o  Strawberries

o  Sparkling Water

o  Fish and Lean Meats

o  Cinnamon

o  Yogurt

o  Fruit

That is right! You can have tasty and healthy foods!

Do I have to give up all my favorite foods? Healthier options is the answer, my friend. Yes, the best answer is to give up those dangerous foods for good, but reality and real life is present. Moderation and complete exchanges of unhealthy foods for healthy and tasty foods is the best answer. I know this is going to be hard, so I will give you some helpful hints –

o  Exchange high-fat foods for low-fat foods.

o  Disguise the small portions by serving it on a dessert or salad plate.

o  When eating out, ask for a “to-go” box and put half of your meal in the box before you eat.

o  By drinking a glass of water 10 minutes before each meal, you will not eat as much.

o  If you’re still hungry after your meal, wait 20 minutes.

o  Do not eat with the TV on.

Okay, I know how to eat, but how much should I eat? Portion control is a sensitive subject, is not it? Well, it’s much easier controlling the amount of food that it’s taking huge amounts of medication. Here are some helpful portion comparisons –

o  A deck of cards is one serving of meat.

o  A slice of bread is one serving of bread.

o  A scoop of ice cream equals one serving of pasta.

Why should I keep to a healthy diet? The rewards are endless and are very healthy –

o  Healthful glucose levels.

o  Steady and healthy weight management.

o  Your family.

o  Your life.

Diabetes. High blood sugar. Isn’t that an â..old people’ disease? Doesn’t that only cause problems for your grandparents or other elderly relatives and friends? Is that the disease where you have to give yourself shots every day? That’s the disease that you get from eating too much sugar, right? Isn’t it true that only fat people get that illness?

Before we go much further, let’s go over some basics about diabetes. First, about 5.5 million Americans are currently being treated for diabetes. Studies imply that 5 million more Americans have undetected diabetes and another 20 million have an impaired glucose tolerance that may lead to diabetes. That’s a significant amount of people. The National Institutes of Health state that millions of people lose their vision annually due to undetected diabetes. Most important to note is that the third leading cause of death in the United States is the complications of diabetes.

There are two different forms of diabetes and it’s not the Type I and Type II that you always hear about. The first form is called Diabetes Insipidus. This kind of diabetes is very rare and has two causes. There may be a low level of a hormone called vasopressin or the kidneys cannot effectively respond to the vasopressin. The key symptoms of this metabolic malfunction are an extreme thirst and high urine output.

The more common form of diabetes is called Diabetes Mellitus. It is the result of a problem with the pancreas and its production of insulin. The body’s blood sugar level is dependent on the proper amounts of insulin produced to breakdown the glucose (sugar) in our diet. Diabetes mellitus is a chronic illness of carbohydrate metabolism. Genetics definitely plays a part in developing diabetes but a diet of highly processed, low-fiber foods has been seen as a major contributor in most cases. This type of diet leads to obesity resulting in overweight individuals having a higher risk of diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is the Type I and Type II diabetes that you’ve heard about. Type I, known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes. This form of diabetes involves the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. It is most common in children.

Individuals with Type I diabetes show the following symptoms:

o  Irritability

o  Frequent urination

o  Abnormal thirst

o  Nausea/Vomiting

o  weight loss

o  Fatigue

o  Weakness

o  Unusual hunger

o  Frequent bedwetting (in children)

Type I diabetics are also susceptible to episodes of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Either of these conditions can cause serious medical problems.

Hyperglycemia can sneak up gradually over a period of hours or days and it is most common during an illness. A chief warning sign is the inability to keep down fluids. Possible complications include stroke, coma, blindness, kidney failure, and nerve damage. Hypoglycemia, in contrast, comes on rapidly and can be caused by skipping meals or exercising too much. The signs of hypoglycemia include dizziness, hunger, confusion, sweating, and tingling lips. Complications can be double vision, trembling, disorientation, and coma.

Type II diabetes is most likely to happen in individuals with a family history of diabetes. This form of diabetes is slightly different. The pancreas produces insulin but it doesn’t work properly. As a result, the blood sugar level remains high because the glucose cannot get into the body’s cells as quickly as it should.

Folks with Type II diabetes exhibit the following symptoms:

o  Blurred vision

o  Itching

o  Unusual thirst

o  Fatigue

o  Slow wound healing

o  Numbness in hands and feet

o  Skin infections

o  Lingering flu symptoms

o  Loss of hair on legs

o  Increased facial hair

o  Small, yellow bumps on the body

A common first indicator of diabetes in men is a condition known as balanoposthitis. This condition is an inflammation of the penis and foreskin and usually accompanies frequent urination.

There is a wide range of natural health options that are available to diabetics. Maintaining a proper diet and participating in an exercise programare two of the most important ways to control diabetes. Your physician and dietician will be most helpful in developing a food plan that will be best for you. A rule of thumb for a diabetic diet is to eat foods that contain complex carbohydrates, low fat, and high fiber. That means plenty of fruits and vegetables, including juices. The complex carbs enter the system more slowly, the fiber helps slow the blood sugar spikes, and the low fat keeps the fat levels in your bloodstream down. Prevent the simple sugars and the saturated fats.

Exercise is of equal importance since obesity is a major contributing factor in Type II diabetes. Your physician and therapists can help you develop a weight reduction program to fit your needs.

In addition to diet and exercise, there are nutritional supplements that have been found helpful for diabetes. These supplements are:

Chromium picolinate – enhances the effect of insulin resulting in lower blood sugar levels

L-Glutamine – reduces sugar cravings

Biotin – helps in glucose metabolism

Manganese – important for repair of the pancreas

Don’t take any supplements that contain cysteine, an amino acid. It can cause problems with the ability of the cells to absorb insulin properly.

Vitamins B, C, and E are also helpful as antioxidants. They work toward the prevention of secondary complications of diabetes such a vision and vascular problems. However, large doses of Vitamin C or B1 should be avoided because they could inactivate insulin.

Several herbs are also advocated for diabetes. These herbs are cedar berries, huckleberry, ginseng, bilberry, dandelion root, buchu, and uva ursi. Each herb has a specific role in maintaining proper glucose levels.

Because diabetes causes problems with the circulatory system, it’s vital to avoid tobacco in any form. Tobacco constricts the blood vessels and slows the circulation. Tobacco use provides less oxygen to the extremities. This lack of oxygen plays a major role in the development of foot ulcers commonly seen in diabetics.

There are many reasons to try to prevent the onset of diabetes. It threatens your overall health and can lead to a wide range of complications. Here are just a few.

Diabetic Retinopathy – This is damage done to the retina and is the leading cause of blindness in the United States.

Diabetic Nephropathy – This is damage done to the kidneys and is the leading cause of death in diabetics.

Diabetic Neuropathy – This is damage done to the nerves and is characterized by numbness, tingling, and pain. It affects the feet, legs, and hands.

It has been said that diabetes is deceptive, insidious, and inconvenient. If you feel that you are experiencing signs of diabetes, check with your primary care provider.

Chia’s soluble fiber slows and regulates the uptake of glucose into the blood stream thus blood blood sugar levels rise evenly and steadily rather than quickly.  Steady and even insulin levels can calm cravings for sugar, junk foods, or simple carbohydrates (e.g., processed or refined white flour products or foods containing concentrated sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrups or refined sugars, as well as certain artificial sweeteners.)

Insulin levels follow blood glucose levels, therefore there is no spike in insulin, and no corresponding “crash” in glucose levels…thus keeping energy levels steady, and lowering hunger (due to the body’s not requiring additional sugar to compensate for suddenly low glucose levels).

Chia’s soluble fiber allows for the slow, even release of food sugars into the blood stream during and after digestion. This unique characteristic of chia seeds allows for a smooth insulin response that is exactly the opposite of the “highs” and “lows” that accompany processed sugars.

Besides its soluble fiber chia seed oil consist of 64% omega 3 fatty acid which balance out the high omega 6 fatty acid intake of our modern western diet. Chia seeds are well known to elevate stamina. Not only do chia seeds give you a boost of energy that lasts it also provides stamina and endurance. Sun runners and Aztec warriors where known to carry them (The Mayan word for chia is strength).

Each chia seed can absorb liquids many times its own weight (makes for great recipe ideas), wont go rancid like flax seeds and can be stored for many years without losing nutrients or flavour.

Having diabetes myself, I know what the symptoms of low blood sugar can be like. Often times it feels like you have no control of your body and you cannot figure out what or why’s happening. Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of low blood sugar, and how it can affect your health.

Did you know that many people have symptoms of low blood sugar, yet don’t know it? Think of how many times you have felt tired and worn out between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM? It is a tell tale sign of low blood sugar. Here’s how most people handle it. When they begin to feel a tired and worn down, or maybe even depressed and irritable, they will usually down a soda, some coffee, or eat a sweet snack of some kind. Boom, now all of a sudden they feel like they have been re-energized. Well, it’s caused by a spike in their blood sugar.

Also, what’s the problem with that? While this might appear to be normal for many folks, it’s not normal. The reason for the tiredness at lunchtime is because of your diet. Most likely, you ate a high carbohydrate, high sugar, high starch breakfast. Next, the lack of energy at 3:00 PM is from the same type of lunch you ate. Are you able to see how this is just a vicious cycle? It is a roller coaster ride that you should get off of in order to maintain your health.

Are you a smoker? Are you aware that use of tobacco cigarettes will create a rise in your blood sugar level? It is due to the nicotine in the cigarette mixing together with the adrenal system. When this happens, blood sugar levels go higher.

The symptoms of low blood sugar can last all day and evening. Make certain to keep track or what happens when you eat a sweet snack, or drink a cup of coffee, etc. You will notice your energy level immediately rising. But, it does not last long, maybe an hour or so tops. For this reason you see people who drink 10 cups of coffee a day, or are constantly drinking soda all day, or have to smoke a cigarette every hour.

We all know that coffee, soda, tea, etc., contain sugar, but they also contain caffeine. The two of these ingredients can be brutal to our bodies health structure. Our blood sugar goes up at the expense of our liver glycogen. It depletes liver glycogen levels, while the lack of proper nutrition does not replenish it. This is just one of the many reasons why a proper diet is so important in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Spotting the symptoms of low blood sugar is not difficult when you know what to look for. Here’s another good example. The early mornings are usually the absolute worst times for your blood sugar level. It’s due to them being at there lowest levels. Have you known people who were so irritable in the morning that you didn’t even want to speak to them until they had their cup of coffee, or ate breakfast? You can also take note that the vast majority of marital spats happen during the morning hours. Why’s that?

Because of low blood sugar. Now, give these same people 2 cups of coffee, or a nice breakfast, and notice what happens. It’s like they are completely different. Their personality changes and they are happy. They have energy to go tackle the day. Most of all, you’ll notice that often times they will forget the fact that they just hurt your feelings earlier. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde.

When you notice your loved one having the symptom of low blood sugar, keep an eye on it. It could be due to having pre-diabetes, or even from being a diabetic and not being aware of it. Have them see their doctor and get checked out. Having your blood glucose tested only takes a second, and it’s a simple test. Do not let the symptoms of low blood sugar take control of your health.

A diet rich in fiber has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood sugar in diabetics. Many diabetics can significantly lower their blood sugar, and as a result, reduce their diabetic and cholesterol medications or stop taking them altogether, by eating lots of high fiber foods.

A recent research study  published in the May issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that blood sugar levels were lowered by 8.9% on a high fiber diet. It also lowered cholesterol and triglycerides.

Fiber comes from the cell walls of plants. Additionally, fiber and water work together to keep the bowels regular.

Unfortunately, the majority of high fiber foods also contain a high amount of carbohydrates, and if you are diabetic, those will increase your blood sugar levels dramatically.

Below are lists of low-carb foods that are also high in fiber, along with the approximate number of grams of fiber they contain.

The fiber content shown is for a quantity of 1/2 cup.

Low-Carb Fruits

 Blackberries, 4.9 grams

 Avocado, 3.8 grams

 Medium-sized Apple, 3.6 grams

 Raspberries, 2.6 grams

 Blueberries, 2.1 grams

 Cherries, 1.5 grams

 Strawberries, 1.4 grams

Low-Carb Vegetables

 Brussels Sprouts, 3.1 grams

 Broccoli, 2.7 grams

 Greens, cooked, 2-4 grams (beet greens, collards, kale, spinach, and turnip greens)

 Mushrooms, canned, 2.0 grams

 Green Beans, 1.4 – 2 grams (broad beans, pole beans, and snap beans)

 Asparagus, 1.8 grams

 Okra, 1.6 grams

 Zucchini, 1.3 grams

 Yellow Summer Squash, 1.3 grams

 Cauliflower, 1.4 grams

 Onions, 1.3 grams

 Celery, 1.1 grams

 Peppers, 1.1 grams

Including more of the above foods in your diet will help in lowering blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

You ought to make changes to your diet to include more high fiber foods, and do it gradually. Just add a few grams at a time so that your digestive system can adjust.

It’s best to increase the amount of fiber in your diet over several weeks. This avoids problems with stomach-aches, bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

Many of us suffer from our blood sugar level being out of balance. If you have high glucose levels (diabetes), then you will hopefully be under the supervision of a medical practitioner. This article is about low glucose levels, sometimes referred to as hypoglycaemia.

There are many causes of low blood sugar, including stress, food allergies and nutritional deficiencies. However, here we are focusing on three ways in which we can all make changes to our habits to greatly reduce the likelihood of suffering low blood sugar – our intake of sugar, coffee and tobacco.

Sugar

Refined grains and refined white sugar are probably the most significant factors involved in hypoglycaemia. As well as the sugar we ourselves add to drinks and food, surprisingly large quantities of sugar are added to many processed foods and drinks, even savoury ready meals. Refined grains are stripped of their nutrients and only a few are replaced. E.g. up to 98% of chromium is lost and 78% of zinc. These two minerals are crucial for blood glucose control. Refined grains are not only depleted of nutrients, but they use your body stores of nutrients in the process of trying to deal with them.

Solution: Purchase only natural ingredients and resist the temptation to add sugar to your food and drinks!

Coffee

Coffee can drastically lower your blood sugar level. Coffee stimulates the adrenal glands, which encourages the liver to breakdown its glycogen stores, and release it back into the blood stream as glucose. The dependable quick fix of a cup of coffee with sugar is like a double â..whammy’. The body is flooded with an immediate source of sugar into the blood stream, while coffee adds to the total sugar load by acting through the adrenal glands and liver.

Solution: Try to cut back your coffee consumption, and gradually reduce the amount of sugar you take with it.

Tobacco

Studies have shown that nicotine rapidly increases blood sugar levels by as much as 36 percent, followed by a rapid drop shortly after the cigarette is put out. This sudden drop in blood sugar level after a cigarette helps to explain the addictive nature of nicotine and the craving for the next cigarette soon after. Although the mechanism isn’t clearly understood, smoking can cause a severe deficiency of vitamin C. This vitamin has many roles in the body and a deficiency is associated with many degenerative diseases.

Solution: Quit tobacco use if you can. If you can’t, bettering your diet by eating more fruits and vegetables can help to reduce cravings, thus making it easier to quit tobacco use in the long run.

In fact, there are several well-known and highly respected glucose support herbs that might help control glucose levels for diabetes sufferers. In fact, in the past two decades there has been an explosion of interest in natural medicine as millions of people around the world have an ever-increasing appetite for information on diet, nutrition, nutritional supplements, medicinal herbs, and natural remedies.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention to you that the most important aspect of managing diabetes is ensuring that you eat a healthy, balanced diet, maintain a healthy weight, and get regular exercise. Further, supplements work best, including glucose support herbs, when you also make these health enhancing lifestyle changes.

Now, before we delve into herbs that may be helpful for diabetes sufferers, it’s important to understand that herbs and/or dietary supplements are not meant to replace the advice of your physician and you should never stop using your medications or insulin, or alter your dosage, without your physician’s approval. Indeed, you should always talk with your physician before taking any glucose support herbs and/or any dietary supplements.

That said, let’s take a look at some of the most highly respected glucose support herbs that may possibly help you or a loved one.

Gymema Sylvestre, also known as the “sugar destroyer,” is highly touted as one that has the ability to block the taste of sweetness, and, as such, it helps to stave off the “cravings of sweets.” Gymema Sylvestre has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for a lot of centuries to regulate blood sugar levels. In fact, gymnema is a well-known and highly respected Ayurvedic remedy used to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Bitter Melon- Ayurvedic physicians for centuries have used bitter melon, often along with other herbs, to treat type 2 diabetes. Bitter melon is said to regulate blood sugar levels. Truly, one of the chemical components of bitter melon called polypeptide-p is said to lower blood-sugar levels in people with type 1 diabetes. As reported by the well renowned tome Prescription for Herbal Healing written by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC who states –

Since, unlike insulin, polypeptide-p does not stimulate the movement of fat into fat cells, it has been considered as a replacement for at least some of the injected insulin that people with type 1 diabetes must take each day, although the herb cannot completely replace insulin. When used to treat this type of diabetes, polypeptide-p is effective only in injection form. (Page 32).

Fenugreek seeds are among the list of glucose support herbs. It’s been shown to reduce cholesterol and glucose levels in clinical and experimental studies. Clinical studies in India have found that large doses of fenugreek seeds lowers blood-glucose levels in kind 1 and kind 2 diabetes. However, there is a negative side to this glucose support herb. You’ve to take a lot (15 to 100 grams daily) of fenugreek seeds to obtain an effect, and it’s also associated with mild gastrointestinal upset.

Banaba Leaf Extract – Banaba is a medicinal plant that grows in India, Southeast Asia and the Philippines that is climbing the charts as a one of the glucose support herbs. Truly, banaba has been used in the Philippines to promote blood sugar control. Banaba contains a compound known as corosolic acid, that is believed to have actions in stimulating glucose transport into cells and, as such, plays a role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. In Japan, there has been some research done with banaba. However, we have not come across published human studies on this glucose support herb. Conversely, our research indicates that there has been at least one human study with corosolic acid, that is an extract found in banaba and it showed to be effective in reducing blood sugar levels in kind II diabetics.

But wait, there are more glucose support herbs…

Garlic and Onions are best known for decreasing cholesterol. However, according to two Indian studies, this duo has also shown to lower blood sugar levels.

Ginseng was found effective in lowering glucose levels. In a small Finnish study, people newly diagnosed with non-insulin-dependent (Type II) diabetes received either 100 or 200 milligrams of a ginseng extract or placebos every day. Compared with individuals in the placebo group, the people in both ginseng groups not only reported lower glucose levels, but also greater improvement in mood in addition to enhanced performance on physical and psychological tests. However, those taking 200 milligrams of ginseng experienced more benefit than those who took 100 milligrams.

Bilberry is an herb that is traditionally advised to promote healthy blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. In addition, it is used to promote healthy insulin production as well. However, there’s more to this herb. Bilberry is a powerful antioxidant, which makes it an great source to help fight against the continuous onslaught of free radicals. Bilberry is also hailed for its ability to promote vision health. It appears to strengthen the tiny blood capillaries that carry oxygen to the eyes, which may account for its wide use in Europe to treat diabetic retinopathy.

Other glucose support herbs that may help lower or improve blood-sugar levels include –  Garlic, Psyllium, Burdock, and Nopal (prickly pear cactus).

Nutritional-Supplement-Educational-Centre’s Opinion on Glucose Support Herbs

In fact, people with diabetes can benefit  greatly from a number of herbal and dietary supplements, but before you begin to ingest any of these glucose support herbs, please have a discussion with your doctor to see if they are appropriate for you.

It’s important to note that the mineral chromium seems to help lower glucose levels and is worth discussing with your physician.

Lastly, there are many different comprehensive diabetes formulas that are designed to support diabetes health. For  instance, the product may be formulated using carefully selected ingredients to help maintain healthy insulin levels as well as the health and functioning of the liver, heart and pancreas. Therefore, it’s important to understand the how and why of what makes some of these comprehensive diabetes formulas useful, that is an important factor in making an informed option.