Glucose Support-Diabetes Vitamins

Diabetes Vitamins may play an important role in helping healthy blood glucose levels, in addition to diet and exercise.

DiaHerbs

DiaHerbs is a special formulation of Five Herbs that have been shown to support healthy glucose levels already in the normal range.* In DiaHerbs, Dr. Sarfraz Zaidi, MD has put together the most beneficial herbs in the appropriate proportions.

FENUGREEK (Trigonella foenum graecum)

A number of studies have shown that fenugreek can lower blood glucose level in diabetics. In a recently published study (1), researchers analyzed data from 10 clinical trials of Fenugreek in diabetic patients. They found that fenugreek significantly decreased fasting blood glucose by about 18 mg/dl (0.96 mmol/l), 2 hour post-meal glucose by about 40 mg/dl (2.19 mmol/l) and hemoglobin A1c by 0.85%, as compared with control interventions.

Clinical trials (2-6) have also demonstrated that fenugreek treatment not only lowers glucose level, but also reduces serum triglycerides level and total cholesterol level without lowering HDL cholesterol level in Type 2 diabetic patients.

BITTER GOURD/ MELON (Momordica charantia)

Bitter gourd is also called bitter melon. It is vegetable that is commonly used in many Asian countries. In one animal study (7), bitter gourd supplementation reduced fasting blood glucose by 30% in rats. In another animal study (8), bitter gourd not only lowered blood glucose, but also normalized the oxidative stress in diabetic rats.

In a recent review article (9), the authors critically evaluated the studies that were designed to investigate the effects of bitter gourd on diabetes. They concluded that some of the studies do indicate anti-diabetic effects for patients. They also concluded that bitter gourd treatment is safe for humans.

GURMAR (Gymnema Sylvestre)

Gymnema Sylvestre is an herb, which is cultivated worldwide. In Hindi, it is known as gurmar, which means “sugar killer.” In an experimental study (11), Gymnema Sylvestre leaf extract given to diabetic rats reduced blood glucose by 13.5 -60.0%. In a human study (12), an extract from the leaves of Gymnema Sylvestre, was given to 22 Type 2 diabetic patients for 18 – 20 months as a supplement to their oral anti-diabetic drugs. There was a significant reduction in blood glucose and HbA1C (glycated hemoglobin). In many of these patients, the dose of their anti-diabetic drugs could be decreased. Five of the 22 diabetic patients were able to discontinue their anti-diabetic drugs and were able to maintain good control of their diabetes with Gymnema Sylvestre leaf extract alone.

In addition to lowering blood glucose, Gymnema Sylvestre is also found to decrease weight, lower serum triglycerides, leptin, glucose, apolipoprotein B (LDL cholesterol), and significantly increase HDL-cholesterol and antioxidant enzymes levels in liver tissue (13). These effects are highly desirable in Type 2 diabetics, who often are obese and have elevated triglycerides level, low HDL cholesterol, elevated Apo B (LDL cholesterol) and high oxidative stress.

JAMUN OR JAMUL (Eugenia Jambolana)

Eugenia Jambolana (Jamun) grows abundantly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Malayasia. It has been used in traditional folk medicine from ancient times.

Jamun has been used in various alternative systems of medicine and before the discovery of insulin, was a frontline anti-diabetic medication, even in Europe. The brew, prepared by boiling Jamun seeds in boiling water has been used in various traditional folk medicine in India (14).

There are several studies showing the beneficial effects of Jamun on diabetes. In an excellent, placebo-controlled, prospective clinical study (15), researchers investigated the effects of Eugenia Jambolana seeds in Type 2 diabetic patients. They had three groups: 10 patients on no anti-diabetes drugs, 10 patients taking oral hypoglycemic drugs (with history of inadequate control) and a control group of non-diabetics.

Each group was given dry powdered seeds of Eugenia Jambolana for fourteen days. On the 15th day, fasting blood and urine samples for glucose were taken. The results were impressive. In every patient, there was a marked decrease in fasting blood glucose in patients on anti-diabetic drugs as well as in patents on no anti-diabetic drugs. Moreover, there was no decrease in the blood sugar of normal, non-diabetic individuals.

No individual experienced any side-effects except for mild headaches, which authors attributed to as psychosomatic in nature. No one experienced low blood sugar.

NOPAL (Opuntia Streptacantha)

Nopal (Opuntia Streptacantha) or the prickly pear cactus has been used for glucose control by Mexicans for centuries. Studies have reported improvement in glucose control and a decrease in insulin level indicating a decrease in insulin resistance.

One such excellent study (16) was carried out in three groups of patients with Type 2 diabetes. Group one (16 patients) ingested 500 grams of broiled nopal stems. Group 2 (10 patients) received only 400 ml of water as a control test. Three tests were performed on group 3 (6 patients): one with nopal, a second with water and a third with ingestion of 500 grams broiled squash. Researchers found that serum glucose and serum insulin levels decreased significantly in groups 1 and 3, whereas no similar changes were noticed in group 2. The mean reduction of glucose reached 17% of basal values at 180 minutes in group 1 and 16% in group 3; The reduction of serum insulin at 180 minutes reached 50% in group 1 and 40% in group 3. This study shows that the stems of Nopal (O. streptacantha Lem.) lowers blood glucose as well as insulin level in patients with Type 2 diabetes. The mechanism of this effect is a reduction in insulin resistance.

References:

1. Neelakantan N¹, Narayanan M, de Souza RJ, van Dam RM. Effect of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) intake on glycemia: a meta-analysis of clinical trials. Nutr J. 2014 Jan 18;13:7

Bordia A¹, Verma SK, Srivastava KC. Effect of ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) and fenugreek (Trigonella foenumgraecum L.) on blood lipids, blood sugar and platelet aggregation in patients with coronary artery disease. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 1997 May;56(5):379-84.
Hannan JM¹, Ali L, Rokeya B, Khaleque J, Akhter M, Flatt PR, Abdel-Wahab YH. Soluble dietary fibre fraction of Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek) seed improves glucose homeostasis in animal models of type 1 and type 2 diabetes by delaying carbohydrate digestion and absorption, and enhancing insulin action.Br J Nutr. 2007 Mar;97(3):514-21
Maleppillil Vavachan Vijayakumar,¹ Sandeep Singh,¹ Rishi Raj Chhipa,¹ and Manoj Kumar Bhat.¹The hypoglycaemic activity of fenugreek seed extract is mediated through the stimulation of an insulin signalling pathway. Br J Pharmacol. Sep 2005; 146(1): 41–48.
Etsuko Muraki¹ Yukie Hayashi,² Hiroshige Chiba,¹ Nobuyo Tsunoda,¹ and Keizo Kasono^1.Dose-dependent effects, safety and tolerability of fenugreek in diet-induced metabolic disorders in rats. Lipids Health Dis. 2011; 10: 240.
R.D. Sharma. Effect of fenugreek seeds and leaves on blood glucose and serum insulin responses in human subjects. Nutrition Research. Vol.6, Issue 12, Dec 1986; 1353–1364
Shetty AK¹, Kumar GS, Sambaiah K, Salimath PV. Effect of bitter gourd (Momordica charantia) on glycaemic status in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2005 Sep;60(3):109-12.
Sathishsekar D¹, Subramanian S. Beneficial effects of Momordica charantia seeds in the treatment of STZ-induced diabetes in experimental rats. Biol Pharm Bull. 2005 Jun;28(6):978-83.
Habicht SD, Ludwig C, Yang RY, Krawinkel MB¹. Momordica charantia and Type 2 Diabetes: From in vitro to Human Studies. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2014 Jan;10(1):48-60.
Sasa M¹, Inoue I, Shinoda Y, Takahashi S, Seo M, Komoda T, Awata T, Katayama S. Activating effect of momordin, extract of bitter melon (Momordica Charantia L.), on the promoter of human PPARdelta. J Atheroscler Thromb. 2009;16(6):888-92.
Sugihara Y¹, Nojima H, Matsuda H, Murakami T, Yoshikawa M, Kimura I. Antihyperglycemic effects of gymnemic acid IV, a compound derived from Gymnema sylvestre leaves in streptozotocin-diabetic mice.J Asian Nat Prod Res. 2000;2(4):321-7.
Baskaran K¹, Kizar Ahamath B, Radha Shanmugasundaram K, Shanmugasundaram ER. Antidiabetic effect of a leaf extract from Gymnema sylvestre in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients. J Ethnopharmacol. 1990 Oct;30(3):295-300.
Kumar V¹, Bhandari U², Tripathi CD³, Khanna G⁴. Anti-obesity effect of Gymnema sylvestre extract on high fat diet-induced obesity in Wistar rats. Drug Res. 2013 Dec;63(12):625-32
Baliga MS¹, Fernandes S, Thilakchand KR, D’souza P, Rao S. Scientific validation of the antidiabetic effects of Syzygium jambolanum DC (black plum), a traditional medicinal plant of India. J Altern Complement Med. 2013 Mar;19(3):191-7.
Waheed A, Miana G.A., Ahmad S.I. CLINICAL INVESTIGATION OF HYPOGLYCEMIC EFFECT OF EUGENIA JAMBOLANA IN TYPE-II (NIDDM) DIABETES MELLITUS. Pakistan Journal of Pharmacology. Vol.24, No.1, January 2007, pp.13-17
Frati-Munari AC¹, Gordillo BE, Altamirano P, Ariza CR. Hypoglycemic effect of Opuntia streptacantha Lemaire in NIDDM. Diabetes Care. 1988 Jan;11(1):63-6.

Glupride Multi

Glupride multi contains Alpha Lipoic Acid-Chromium Picolinate-Cinnamon in high doses.

Patients with Typ2 diabetes get depleted in many vitamins and minerals due to their excessive losses in the urine. In addition, they also need special vitamins and minerals to deal with the excessive oxidative stress. In this way, patients with type 2 diabetes have special nutritional needs for vitamins and minerals. Glupride Multi is a unique vitamin/herbal formula designed to promote healthy glucose levels naturally already within the normal range.

GLUPRIDE Multi, different from other Multivitamins

Most multivitamins contain Potassium. The majority of patients with diabetes are on an Ace-inhibitor drug (such as Altace, Vasotec, Accupril, Zestril, etc.) or an ARB drug (such as Cozaar, Avapro, Atacand, Benicar, Diovan, etc.) These drugs can increase the potassium level in blood, which can be life-threatening. Potassium in a multi-vitamin can further increase this potassium level. Patients usually don’t tell their physicians they’re taking vitamins that contain potassium. When a physician encounters a patient with a high potassium level, they often stop the Ace-inhibitor or ARB drug, inadvertently depriving the patient of the beneficial effects of these helpful drugs. In contrast, all they had to do was to stop the multivitamin that contained potassium and advise the patient on a low potassium diet.

Another problem:

Most multivitamins contain vitamin K1 which may increase the amount of clotting factors in the body. Most diabetics have underlying insulin resistance, which increases the level of many clotting factors, which in turn increases risk for clot formation and acute vascular events, such as a heart attack and stroke. An extra dose of Vitamin K1 in multivitamin preparations may actually be harmful in these patients. It’s like adding fuel to the fire. Also, many of these patients are on Warfarin. Vitamin K1 interferes with Warfarin and it becomes extremely difficult to find the right dose of Warfarin in these patients.

Caution:

Vitamin K1 is different from Vitamin K2, which actually can prevent from heart disease.

Another problem:

Most multivitamins also contain calcium and iron, both of which can interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone, which many diabetic patients take.

Compared to many other Multivitamins, Glupride-Multi is designed to be free of Potassium, Vitamin K1, or Iron .

Active Ingredients Of Glupride multi

Glupride Multi contains 21 different vitamins, minerals and herbs. It contains Alpha-Lipoic Acid, Chromium Picolinate, Cinnamon and Coenzyme Q 10 in addition to B vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and essential minerals including Selenium, Zinc, Vanadium and Magnesium.

Alpha-Lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid is normally produced in cells in small amounts and helps in the normal metabolism of glucose. Alpha-lipoic acid functions as a strong anti-oxidant in the body (1, 2).*

The cells of diabetic patients are under a tremendous amount of daily oxidative stress. That’s why it makes sense to use Alpha-Lipoic acid as a dietary supplement in people with diabetes.*

A number of scientific studies have shown that alpha-lipoic acid promotes normal insulin sensitivity and thus may promote healthy glucose levels already in the normal range (2).*

Several studies have also shown alpha-lipoic acid to be helpful in promoting nerve health in humans (3).*

In Germany, Alpha-lipoic acid has been used for over 30 years. The amount of Alpha-lipoic acid is important! In these studies, the amount used was 600-1800 mg per day. Some multivitamins add a tiny amount of Alpha-lipoic acid, such as 100 mg per day. In contrast, we use a dose of 600 mg per day in Glupride Multi.

Chromium picolinate

Chromium picolinate is required for the normal metabolism of glucose.* Several studies have shown beneficial effects of chromium supplementation in promoting healthy glucose levels.*

One large clinical trial tested chromium picolinate in 833 Type 2 diabetic patients and found a significant improvement in their blood glucose values (4).

The amount of chromium picolinate is also important. Many multivitamins contain only a small amount of chromium picolinate. In contrast, we use a large dose of 600 mcg per day as was used in these clinical studies.*

Cinnamon

Physicians have long been intrigued by the beneficial effects of cinnamon on human health.

In December 2003, an excellent scientific study was published in Diabetes Care, (5) in which cinnamon powder was used in 60 patients with Type 2 diabetes. Three daily doses, 1 gram, 3 grams and 6 grams were used. There was a decrease in blood glucose by 18-29%. Serum triglycerides also decreased by 23-30%. Patients consuming 6 grams of cinnamon powder per day appeared to have achieved results earlier (at 20 days), but at 40 days, all doses had the same efficacy in lowering blood glucose and triglycerides level.*

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is a strong antioxidant.* It may help to improve diastolic dysfunction of the heart in patients with hypertension.

Statin drugs such as Lipitor (atorvastatin), Zocor (simvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin) and Crestor (rosuvastatin) are commonly used in diabetic patients. Unfortunately, these drugs not only reduce cholesterol level, but also may reduce CoQ10 level in the muscles as was demonstrated in a recent study from investigators at Columbia University in the U.S. (6). This phenomenon may explain the muscle aches these patients often experience while on a statin drug. Co Q10 may help to prevent these muscle aches and pains.*

Selenium, Zinc and Magnesium have all been shown to be beneficial to promote healthy glucose levels already in the normal range.*

References:

Symptoms Of Magnesium Deficiency

Common symptoms of low Magnesium level include:

Muscle spasms and cramps
Fibromyalgia
Irritability
Anxiety
Insomnia
Seizures
Irregular heart beat/heart arrhythmias/Atrial fibrillation
High blood pressure
Chest pain to spasm of coronary arteries
Chronic fatigue
Migraine headaches
Menstrual cramping
Menopausal symptoms
Tics
Lack of appetite
Nausea/vomiting
Lack of balance
Vertigo
ADD/ADHD
Dementia
Constipation

Dietary Sources Of Magnesium

The best way to get Magnesium is through foods that are high in Magnesium. Good dietary sources of Magnesium are seeds, nuts, dark leafy green vegetables and fish. These foods are also important for your overall health, especially if you are a diabetic.

Other foods that contain some quantities of Magnesium include beans, lentils, whole grains and figs.

Magnesium Supplements

If you cannot increase the ingestion of foods that are high in Magnesium, then the alternative is a Magnesium supplement. The daily recommended dose of Magnesium is about 400 mg. In general, Magnesium supplements are safe in individuals without any kidney disease, but toxicity can develop in patients with kidney disease. Oral supplements can sometimes cause loose stools, indicating a need to reduce dosage or change the type of Magnesium supplement.

Potential Health Benefits of Zinc Supplementation

1- Help boost up energy

2- Prevention/treatment of excessive hair loss

3- Prevention/treatment of brittle nails

4- Fight off infections (such as common colds, pneumonia, infectious diarrhea)

5- Wound healing

6- Prevention/treatment of diabetes

7- Prevention/treatment of AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration)

Good Dietary Sources Of Zinc

The best way to get your Zinc is through selecting foods which are not only high in Zinc, but also good for your overall health.

Seafood: Oysters (cooked), Crab, Lobster

Meats: Beef, lamb, chicken and pork

Plants: wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, nuts, especially cashews.

Cooked oysters have the highest quantities of Zinc, followed by wheat germ (roasted), beef, pumpkin seeds and cashews.

Please note that whole-grain breads, cereals and legumes contain substances called phytates which bind zinc and inhibit its absorption. Therefore, the best sources of Zinc are animal based foods such as beef, chicken and seafood.

Zinc and Copper work in concert in your cells. Excess Zinc intake (more than 60 mg per day) on a chronic basis can cause copper deficiency, which can manifest as anemia and neurologic symptoms. For this reason, it makes sense to take a Zinc supplement that also contains Copper.*