Can Nutritional Supplements help you control diabetes?

Today the lifestyle that we lead has resulted in many health issues. Adding fuel to this is the wrong food advertising that has lead to a significant rise in the number of cases with diseases like diabetes. Finally, to cure these diseases, we consume medicines made from ingredients which can potentially have long term health implications.

With the increase in dissemination of knowledge of ancient Indian healthcare practises, there is a paradigm shift seen towards discovering nutritional supplements that not only helps lower blood sugar naturally but also assists in preventing the onset of diabetes.

Simple lifestyle changes coupled with regular intake of natural nutritional health supplements help in not only stalling Diabetes but also strengthens the internal body functioning practically eliminating the forced need to consume chemical ingredients which have short term benefits but with potential long term serious implications on your health

WHO has reported, about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, and about 1.6 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year.  For people who don’t know what diabetes is all about, here are some details.

Diabetes is a medical condition which impairs the body’s ability to process blood glucose, also commonly known as blood sugar. The pancreas is primarily responsible for generating insulin in the body. Insulin is responsible for ensuring that the food we eat is passed from the bloodstream into the cells that help produce energy. The proper functioning of the internal bodily functions utilises the energy produced.

All the carbohydrates that we consume breaks down into glucose in the body. Finally, it is the insulin that helps the glucose get into the cells in the body. However, when the body stops producing insulin, the glucose levels in the blood increase, thus creating high sugar levels in the body.

Having too much sugar in the blood for long periods of time can cause serious health problems if it’s not treated. Hyperglycemia can damage the vessels that supply blood to vital organs, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, vision problems, and nerve problems

Depending on the intensity of the level of diabetes, the patients often find themselves taking various dosages of insulin at times, even multiple times a day. This process can become very tedious for the patient.

Hence, there is a considerable demand for how to cure diabetes naturally without medication; and for supplements to prevent diabetes or even diabetes supplements at work.

The viability of various nutritional supplements for diabetes is being considered and tested. Now let’s talk about some of the natural ingredients that have known to help in controlling blood sugar levels.

Fenugreek

Fenugreek seeds are part of our ancient traditions that help with various health ailments and even behaves as one of the best supplements for diabetes. they are also known as one of the best supplements for prediabetes.

It contains fibres that help in lowering the blood sugar levels. The chemicals and fibres in fenugreek seeds help by slowing down the digestions of nutrients like sugar and carbohydrates.

The intake of fenugreek seeds have seen –

• Higher levels of insulin in the body.
• Reduction in the blood sugar levels
• Reduction in the cholesterol levels

Foxtail Millets

Millets, or specifically foxtail millets, are not only healthy as far as a nutritious diet is concerned.

Other than this, Foxtail millet also helps as a blood sugar control supplement for diabetes. Due to the lower GI scores of Foxtail Millet, the speed of rising in blood glucose levels is lowered.

Studies have shown that foxtail millets can be considered Blood sugar control supplements, due to the following reasons.

• It helps increase concentrations of leptin, the satiety hormone.
• Helps in decreasing the insulin resistance
• Helps in reduction of inflammation

Flax Seeds

As mentioned earlier, the insulin generated by the pancreas plays a significant role in the regulation of blood sugar.

Insulin resistance is when high amounts of insulin are required to lower the blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance can be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. While discussing the insulin resistance, we also need to talk about insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity informs us about how sensitive the body is to insulin. Increase in insulin sensitivity is a must for the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Flax seeds are potent antioxidants, due to the presence of lignin in high quantities. Antioxidants help in improving insulin sensitivity and thus slowing down the development of diabetes. Hence flax seeds can be excellent supplements for diabetes type 1.

Jowar

Another standard recommendation for a person who has diabetes have rotis made of jowar, instead of the standard wheat rotis. Jowar acts as a nutritional supplement for diabetics for the following reasons –

• The low GI or the glycemic index ensures that the glucose is released slowly into the body. They are thus preventing any spikes in the blood sugar levels.
• The antioxidants present in Jowar help reduce inflammation and presents any free radical damage in diabetics. Also, the antioxidants present in Jowar are known to be beneficial when it comes to fighting obesity or even further worsening of the diabetics condition.

Black Rice

Again black rice is another supplement for diabetes type-2.

The crucial factor for diabetics is to keep the blood sugar in the normal range. One of the best ways to achieve this, without insulin, is to consume foods higher in protein and fibre. Regular white rice has a high carbohydrate content vs the protein content. Thus it works on sending the blood sugar level rocketing within a short span.

Also, the protein forms one of the critical nutritional supplements for the body in the case of bodybuilding, as well as cutting down on the sugar spikes that are experienced due to the intake of carbohydrates.

All of this makes black rice, one of the best supplements for diabetes.

Speaking of black rice as a nutritional supplement for diabetics, it contains 8.5 grams of protein in a 100-gram serving; while, on the other hand, for the same 100-gram serving, red and brown rice contains 7 grams and 8 grams of protein respectively

.White rice on the other hand contains only about 4.2 grams of protein along with the potential to cause a significant spike in your blood sugar levels.

Conclusion

The perfect combination of such natural ingredients coupled with medicinal herbs is the solution to manage and control your diabetes, encouraging your body to perform the way it is meant to, while strengthening the internal body functioning. Diab’O’vita by Holin is one such nutritional health supplement for managing and controlling your diabetes.

References

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• The lowdown on the glycemic index and glycemic load (n.d.).https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-lowdown-on-glycemic-index-and-glycemic-load
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• Flaxseed and Diabeteshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26561065/