Diabetes is in the rise, regardless of the type of it, from Type 1 to Type 2, from Diabetes Mellites to Diabetes Insipidus, and even pregnancy-related diabetes.
As the world population rises, the rise of diabetes is inevitable, but the concern is that most diabetes types increase beyond the world population growth.
The good thing is that today we are more aware of the disease, regardless of the stage of the disease we fight with.
Some of us have no diabetes, some at early stages of the disease (pre-diabetes) and some are with a formal diagnosis of diabetes.
Regardless you are a part of diabetes community or not, you must take measures to be away from diabetes (if you are not diabetic) and to manage the disease well (if you are diabetic).
In this aspect, I am sure you are curious about knowing what the best vitamins for diabetes are?
If so, that is what exactly we are going to discuss in this article.
Besides, we are about to find out things you should consider when using vitamins to treat type 2 diabetes, whether multivitamins are good for a diabetic? Or, best to stick with a nutritious diet? How to choose a multivitamin for diabetes? And many more relevant questions about taking vitamins to keep your health at ‘optimum’ and to manage diabetes well.
Let’s start rolling…
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Vitamins and Type 2 diabetes
Several vitamins have proved useful for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. These include the following vitamins.
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B-1 is also referred to as Thiamine.
Many people who have diabetes have a deficiency in Thiamine, and low Thiamine can worsen and complicate diabetes fast.
Research studies confirm that thiamine is very much helpful in preventing complications of diabetes. It can indeed lead to good results for diabetic patients’
Low Thiamine even can cause heart problem and promote damages to your blood vessels.
If you would like to take vitamin B1 that is available as Benfotiamine, which is the lipid-soluble supplemental form of thiamine. It has an easy penetration in cell membranes.
Vitamin B6
The high volume of blood sugar can cause severe damage to the nervous system, also known as diabetic neuropathy.
Tip: Do you know the Root Cause of Type 2 Diabetes? We explored that earlier!
Vitamin B6 can help to prevent and manage diabetic neuropathy well. The deficiency of vitamin B6 can worsen neuropathy.
Vitamin B6 is also known as pyridoxine.
Pyridoxine supplements can prove valuable in improving the glucose tolerance of diabetic patients too. Therefore, Vitamin B6 is a powerful supplement when it comes to preventing complications related to diabetes.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 also can play a vital role in effectively treating diabetic neuropathy. Vitamin B12 is crucial for the right functioning of nerve cells.
The consumption of Vitamin B12 as a supplement can prove essential in reducing the damage of nerves.
In extreme circumstances, the extra intramuscular B12 injections are necessary to boost the vitamin levels.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can have a contributory role in improving glucose tolerance in patients with Type 2 disease.
Vitamin C can even reduce the amount of Sorbitol, which is recognized as a harmful sugar, and its accumulation is dangerous for the human body. The presence of this substance can lead to complications of diabetics such as kidney damage, retinopathy and neuropathy.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D has several health benefits for many people.
In a healthy individual, it is produced in the body itself as a response to sun exposure.
When its come to diabetes management, Vitamin D helps in boosting insulin sensitivity. Therefore, it is undoubtedly vital in the regulation of blood glucose.
Tip: Vitamins D and C help to rejuvenate the tendons and ligaments so consider as Knee Joint Pain Remedies and Back Pain Remedies.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E can efficiently oxygenate the blood, fight any toxin and most importantly improve insulin activity in the body.
Due to insufficient Vitamin E volume, body’s internal structures can experience (micro) damage.
With the increase of Vitamin E in the bloodstream, it can surely also reduce the probability of type 2 diabetes. Glucose tolerance can improve.
Moreover, Vitamin E’s antioxidant nature can also lessen diabetic complications’ risk.
Things to Consider When Using Vitamins to Treat Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes, is also referred to as adult-onset diabetes, but its prevalence is becoming more common among children. This form of diabetes occurs when there is a resistance from your body to insulin, or it is not produced enough. Low insulin and its fluctuation cause the unbalancing of the blood glucose levels.
Type 2 diabetes does not have a cure. However, many people still can manage their blood glucose levels. At the early stage of the disease, people can reverse diabetes. And, with proper care, you can delay its progression and prevent its complications.
Some vitamins are indeed beneficial for diabetes depending on the stage of your diabetes and the specific type of treatment regimen you are on for controlling your diabetes.
Before the addition of any vitamins to dietary supplements to your diet, it is necessary to discuss the significant changes with your healthcare team and doctor.
The consumption of vitamins should be safe alongside any prescribed medication that you are on. However, the excess of anything does not lead to good results for the human body.
As such, it is crucial in keeping the following precautions in mind to avoid any kind of adverse effect on health by taking vitamins to help your diabetes.
1. The excessive consumption of Vitamin A supplements associated with can lead to certain side-effects, for example, nausea, severe headaches, dizziness that are not good for any patient who has Type 2 diabetes.
Remember, taking vitamin A with a wrong combination of drugs can even result in a ‘coma’ in extreme circumstances.
2. Too much consumption of Vitamin B1 can lead to complications associated with diabetes. Some of the significant examples in this regard are unsightly skin patches, heartburn, nausea and extreme sensitivity. They are also critical side effects related to overdose and the wrong combination of B6 supplements with other drugs.
3. Vitamin D’s excessive consumption can cause hazardous effects such as weight loss, constipation, vomiting and weakness.
Thus, it is vital to consider all the above factors when using vitamins for treating Type 2 diabetes. And, it’s critical to talk to your doctor before adding a supplement to your routine.
Are Multivitamins Good for Diabetic Patients? Or, Best to Stick with a Nutritious Diet?
The consumption of multivitamin is considered as one smooth move not just for your health but even for the diabetes management.
Your multivitamin supplement can provide all the essential nutrients that your body requires for the regular functioning. It is also crucial in controlling the blood sugar and the sensitivity associated with insulin.
The best multivitamins related to diabetes consists of all the nutrients that are safe for consumption.
However, It is vital that before the selection of a multivitamin, you need to keep in mind that in total, there are 16 essential minerals and 13 vitamins. Though, you should not assume that multivitamins would have all those minerals and vitamins.
It often has, but in some cases, the multivitamins would just have the bunch of vitamins, and even not all.
Regardless, when taken in correct amounts, multivitamins can give immense benefits for the prevention of common deficiency diseases such as anemia. Multivitamins can prove to be valuable for diabetic patients because of all the nutrients it provides for your body to work optimally.
Many have a question in their mind, whether the multivitamins can be replaced with a nutritious diet. You may think “If I eat well, will I still need multivitamins?”
In contrast, some people believe that the consumption of multivitamins can easily take the place of nutritious foods. They feel they should not consider nutritious diet because the use of multivitamins will address any gap and lack.
In the same time, the ‘perfect diet’ may not provide you with the entire necessary vitamins and minerals. Though, this can vary daily.
Tip: Remember, your ‘perfect diet’ depend on your medical conditions. Here are the ‘perfect diet’ recommendations for Type 2 Diabetes, Diabetes Gastroparesis, Reactive Hypoglycemia and for Celiac Disease.
The reason is that you might miss out on some essential vitamins or minerals that are available in a few selected foods.
The consumption of multivitamins is like an ‘insurance policy’. The reason is if you are unable to gain from a few vitamins or minerals present in your diet, but you can get them from your supplement.
Secondly, the availability of multivitamins does not provide the license to you in ignoring the nutritional content of your food. You must not consume low-nutrient foods that are ‘junky’. The reason is due to the added sugars, unhealthy fats and refined carbohydrates in those diets. ‘Junk food’ can raise the blood sugar of any diabetic patient, which is why they are not suitable for anyone, and especially for people with diabetes.
Diabetic patients must remain careful regarding the nutrients of their food. Therefore, multivitamins are indeed better, but nutritional diet has its significance for diabetic patients. Any supplement, including multivitamins and minerals, should never replace the choice of eating diabetes-friendly a healthy meal.
Tip: You might not know about these facts of Nighttime Hypoglycemia and Reactive Hypoglycemia Diets.
How to Choose a Multivitamin for Diabetes?
It is a fact that a proper diet can provide the human body with the required vitamins and minerals. And, it can be a significant challenge in maintaining such a diet daily. As a result, most of the people consume multivitamins – recognized as a multi-mineral supplement as the form of insurance. Let’s say a back-up policy.
The consumption of a supplement daily has high significance for people who do not consume a lot of food. Often, the reason for such a case is the weight-loss.
Multivitamins may not consist of everything that we find in different vegetables, fruits and whole grains. The essential nutrients in this regard are phytochemicals and fibre that are useful in the fight against cancer and many other diseases. Though, still, multivitamins are very useful in filling up the holes that have immense value.
But, the main question remains how to choose multivitamins that can meet the needs of diabetic patients? How much mix of vitamins and minerals is necessary?
Selecting the best multivitamin medicines is not that easy. Some of them can worsen diabetes’ symptoms. Thus, it is vital in having a consultation with the doctors before popping pills.
There are unique nutritional requirements for people with diabetes. For example, chromium creates a valuable result in both insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism. The blood levels can be 20 to 40% lower amongst people who have diabetes in comparison with healthy individuals.
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Magnesium is another crucial nutrient. This specific mineral proves essential in the regulation of glycemic control and insulin action.
The formula for the multivitamins should consist of all necessary vitamins and minerals that are vital for diabetic patients.
The USP verification of a quality multivitamin is essential. It will ensure that it complies with the maximum safety standards and consists of all the listed ingredients. You can even find the sealed USP on the product label.
Furthermore, you need to give high value to the excess consumption of some vitamins and minerals. Remember, that can worsen off the symptoms of diabetes.
The use of multivitamin supplements should not take place with other kinds of drugs unless your doctor confirms the combination is not harmful.
For instance, Vitamin E should not be consumed with different types of antiplatelet medicines and chemotherapy drugs. Vitamin C can have an interaction with other antioxidants that can cause blood lipids at elevated levels. It can even cause other problems such as diarrhea, digestive discomfort and abdominal pain.
You can see that there are numerous things to consider before the selection of multivitamins for diabetes. In case your diet and lifestyle are healthy, there might not be a need for any of these supplements at all.
To be in the safe side, it is best to go through a blood test in getting the assessment of your nutritional status and analysis through a Dietitian. Then you must consult your doctor or visiting any Nutritionist before you try out new supplements or make considerable changes to your diet.
Tip: Have you heard about the smartphone-based Dario Blood Glucose Meter, which can be also considered as one of the Best Glucose Monitoring Devices?
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