Our bodies need the proper fuel in order to function at optimal levels. For the diabetic, this is more important since there is an imbalance present that threatens health and vitality. For any individual, a healthy well-rounded diet is the foundation When diabetes is present, this becomes even more important, as does the need to learn which foods to eat and when.
It is well known that no single food provides “all the nutrients in the amount that you need” (The 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans) and the meats, dairy and grain products, and many fruits and vegetables in today’s daily diet will not be adequate sources of vitamins and minerals. These are the substances found naturally in plants and animal foods that are essential in minute quantities for the normal growth and activity of the human body..
Vitamins are highly beneficial diabetes supplies. For added protection against the risks which go hand in hand with diabetes, people who live with unstable blood glucose levels may want to consider a range of supplements including vitamins to best complement their diet.
A pair of supplements that encourage health and vitality are vitamins C and E. Each of these vitamins is considered an antioxidant, a substance involved in the prevention of cellular damage caused by free radical formation. Free radicals are present in the environment thanks to pollution, ultraviolet light, X rays, cigarette smoke and even the body’s own metabolism. A diabetic patient may be prone to such damage – there is a higher risk for health concerns such as premature aging, nerve diseases, heart disease and cancer. Both these antioxidants are believed to play a role in disease prevention. Supplementing a diabetic diet with antioxidants is certainly worth discussion with your personal clinician and Health Care team.
Studies have revealed that supplementation results in an improvement in blood glucose levels and also in cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The introduction of any supplement into the diabetic diet should always be with the knowledge of the patient’s personal physician and health care team and he or she will likely be prescribed a limited/maximum dose mg per day in order to avoid any adverse side effects such as an upset stomach or kidney stones.
Vitamin C is already well known to have a substantial beneficial impact on human health. It can help healing, and boosts the immune system, increasing protection against colds and viruses.. It assists the absorption of iron from green vegetables. People with diabetes tend to have lower levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water soluble vitamin found in citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, kiwifruit, cantaloupe, pineapple, tomatoes and fresh green vegetables such as kale, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, and green peppers.
Vitamin C helps keep Vitamin E in active form.
Water soluble vitamins don’t stay around in the body, they travel in cellular fluid and the bloodstream and what is not used immediately is excreted. So they need replacing often.
Vitamin E is fat soluble antioxidant and will be stored in the body until it is needed. The long term benefits of Vitamin E supplementation are not proven and less is known about its role in disease prevention. Evidence from studies in the last decade supports the belief that daily dosages of Vitamin E supplements improve insulin resistance in overweight adults who also have low levels of antioxidants and so delays the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Studies continue to explore the belief that vitamin E supplements help in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and the optimal health of kidneys and eyes.
Current recommendations are that the diabetic should take no more than a small dosage of vitamin E per day but at this level the antioxidant function may not be so effective. Further research on vitamin E supplements is ongoing, and for this reason alone the health care team or the patient’s clinician must be involved in determining the right dosage for each patient with diabetes..
Learning to manage diabetes takes time, discipline, the right fuel and information. Supplement the daily diet and those diabetes supplies with the vitamins that bolster health and vitality!