Control Blood Sugar

• red, sore, swollen gums
• bleeding gums
• loose or sensitive teeth
• bad breath
• trouble chewing

One of the most significant risk factors for type-2 diabetes is obesity.

Statistics show that 90 percent of all people with type-2 diabetes are overweight. In fact, the link between diabetes and obesity is so strong that it’s led to the coining of a new term, diabesity.

Where you store those extra pounds is also an issue, in terms of your ability to control blood sugar. For example, if you carry the pounds in the abdominal area, you are at an even greater risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. That’s because abdominal fat is more metabolically active than fat stored in the hips or buttocks. It is more easily broken down into free fatty acids that enter the bloodstream, interfere with the action of insulin, and raise triglyceride and glucose levels.

The good news is, for most people, getting a handle on weight is a great way of beating diabetes. Check this blog often for tips on how to lose weight and other natural remedies for diabetes.

If you have diabetes, you know how important it is to carefully monitor your food choices to avoid unwanted spikes in blood glucose levels. This is especially true when it comes to sweeteners. Let’s take a look at some options that offer you the taste you’re craving, without the unwanted side effects. 

By far, my favorite sweeteners are the natural ones. Topping the list is stevia. This herb has been used for over 1,500 years in South America and continues to boast worldwide popularity. It is calorie-free and does not affect glucose levels, making it easier to control blood sugar. Just a few drops of a liquid concentrate or a dusting of powdered stevia is all you need to lend sweetness to any dish.

Running a close second is xylitol. This sweetener looks and tastes like sugar, making it ideal for baking. Better yet, it’s good for your teeth—Xylitol actually reduces cavity and plaque formation, a dental claim approved by the FDA. Although xylitol is not calorie-free, it is metabolized much more slowly than regular sugar and has an extremely low glycemic index. The only reported side effect is gastrointestinal distress when large amounts are ingested.

A third option is a sweetener I’ve recently begun recommending called Whey Low. It also tastes just like table sugar (sucrose), but is actually a combination of fructose, lactose, and sucrose. The lactose interferes with the absorption of sucrose, instantly cutting calories and stopping the sucrose from being absorbed into your blood stream—which allows you to satisfy your sweet tooth and still maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

Give them a try and let me know which one you like best.
 

Vanadyl sulfate is one of the supplements I recommend to help control blood sugar because it mimics the action of insulin and helps with glucose uptake in cells. But despite its amazing benefits, I find that questions about its safety periodically come up. 

Take, for example, a note I received from a reader in Oklahoma City not too long ago. Although he was taking vanadyl sulfate to control blood sugar, he’d heard that it could also cause green tongue and other problems. I’m happy to answer this concern, because it pops up from time to time.

Vanadyl sulfate is a stable, inorganic form of vanadium, a metallic element used primarily as an additive in steel production. Acute exposure to the dust or fumes of vanadium or various vanadium compounds can certainly be toxic to the nervous and respiratory systems, liver, and other organs. And “green tongue” (as the name suggests, a greenish discoloration of the tongue) is indeed a classic symptom of toxicity in miners, industrial workers, or others exposed to high levels of vanadium.

But the accusation—often repeated on the Internet and elsewhere—that nutritional supplements containing minute amounts of vanadyl sulfate are toxic, is completely unfounded. On the contrary, studies demonstrate that vanadyl sulfate is safe when taken in doses of 75, 150, and even 300 mg per day for prolonged periods. Some study subjects taking the higher dosage reported gastrointestinal disturbances, but this resolved over the study course.

What these studies do show—and there are hundreds of them, some dating back more than 20 years—are profound benefits. In average doses of 100–150 mg, vanadyl sulfate increases insulin sensitivity and helps lower blood sugar and hemoglobin A1C—without danger of hypoglycemia. It has even been shown to reduce insulin requirements in individuals with type 1 diabetes. But what I find most remarkable is that benefits usually endured after the supplement was discontinued, suggesting that vanadyl sulfate has an ameliorating effect on the underlying diabetic condition.

So why do rumors of toxicity persist, despite the fact that vanadyl sulfate is, hands down, much safer than the scores of FDA-approved type 2 diabetes treatments? A cynic might say it’s because widespread use would cut into the enormous profits reaped by the pharmaceutical companies—not to mention that a number of vanadium compounds are in the pipeline. Whatever the reason, I stand by my recommendations for patients dealing with diabetes: 100–150 mg of vandyl sulfate daily along with other targeted nutrients, a low-glycemic diet, exercise after every meal, and weight loss. You can take it with confidence.
 

If managing diabetes was simply a matter of controlling blood sugar, that would be one thing. But the condition is often accompanied by other troublesome complications, one of them being diabetic ulcers—wounds that heal slowly or not at all.

The good news is that there’s a far better natural treatment for these painful, persistent sores than today’s antibiotic therapies, and it’s one I’ve been using at the Whitaker Wellness Institute for more than 20 years. It’s a simple sugar dressing.

When white sugar or honey is packed inside and on top of a diabetic ulcer, it dissolves in the fluid exuding from the wound and creates a hyperosmotic, or highly concentrated, medium in which bacteria cannot exist. Scientists have tested the viability of many types of bacteria, including Klebsiella, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes, and none of them have been able to survive in a honey or sugar solution.

In addition to curbing infection, this therapy facilitates healing in other ways. It draws fluid out of the wound, which reduces swelling. It provides a covering or filling and therefore prevents scabbing. It encourages the removal of dead tissue to make way for new growth. It promotes granulation, which is the formation of connective tissue and blood vessels on the surface of a wound. Finally, it supports the growth of new skin covering the wound.

Although we use them specifically to heal diabetic ulcers, sugar or honey dressings can be used to treat any kind of open wound or burn. However, they will not work on abscesses or pustules that are covered with skin. Also, do not use them on a bleeding wound, because sugar promotes bleeding. (By the way, sugar and honey are perfectly safe to use on diabetic wounds because they do not enter the bloodstream.)

Here’s how to use sugar to treat a diabetic ulcer:

• Unravel a 4” x 4” piece of gauze into a long strip and coat it with Vaseline. Place it around the outside edges of the wound, like a donut.
• Cover the wound with ¼-inch of sugar. (The Vaseline “donut” will keep it in place.)
• Place a 4” x 4” sponge on top of the wound. Bandage it firmly but not too snugly with a cling dressing.
• Change the dressing every one or two days. Remove, irrigate with water, saline, or hydrogen peroxide, pat dry, and repeat steps 1–3.

This is one diabetic complication you don't have to live with. Give this approach a try. I think you’ll be happy with the results.

 

To control blood sugar and successfully manage—or even reverse—diabetes, making changes to your diet is absolutely essential. To do that, one of the first things you need to become aware of is how quickly your body converts specific foods into glucose.

One way to evaluate foods is with the glycemic index (GI). Foods with a high GI—such as refined carbohydrates and sugars—are rapidly turned into glucose, driving up blood sugar levels. On the other hand, vegetables, legumes, and most fruits cause a slow, sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream. They’ll keep your insulin from spiking, provide a sustained source of energy, and satisfy your hunger over the long haul.

Another way to determine how a food may affect your blood sugar is by looking at its glycemic load (GL). Glycemic load is based on the same concept as the GI, but it takes into account the quality and quantity of a food. It’s determined by the GI of a food plus the amount of available, or net, carbohydrates in a standard serving.

Which is better?

I give the nod to GL, and here’s why. Some foods with a high GI actually have minimal effects on blood sugar levels when eaten in normal quantities, while others with a low GI are potentially problematic. For example, a large carrot and a cup of spaghetti have similar GIs. Yet that carrot contains only 5 g of available carbs (it’s mostly water), while the spaghetti contains 38 g, giving them GLs of 2 and 16, respectively.

Therefore, they have dramatically different effects on blood sugar. Carrots, watermelon, pineapple, and other fruits with a high GI that were once thought to be inappropriate for people with diabetes turn out to be acceptable, while the GL confirms the need to cut out pasta, bagels, and other starchy, carbohydrate-dense foods.

To quickly lighten your glycemic load, eat lots of salads, green vegetables, beans, and legumes. And another small secret is that eating a modest amount of healthy fats and moderate portions of lean protein with each meal can help to “cancel out” high glycemic foods, even in a single dish! One of my favorite meals is a hearty salad with a nice piece of salmon on top. It’s an easy way to get a tasty serving of healthy fats, plenty of protein, and lots of low GL carbs. What’s yours?
 

Recently I received a letter from a reader who asked what she could do to prevent type 2 diabetes. I’m glad she’s taking a proactive stance against the disease because its incidence is rising dramatically, along with its complications—vision loss, kidney disease, lower extremity amputations, and premature death from heart disease. But the good news is that research shows you can prevent type 2 diabetes with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and weight loss.

Dietary fiber is an important factor in preventing and treating diabetes, so start with a fiber-rich diet with lots of vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fruits. At the same time, go easy on starchy foods such as potatoes and anything made with white flour or sugar. In addition to driving up blood sugar, these foods contribute to weight gain, a significant risk factor for diabetes. Also include lean chicken, fish, or soy with most meals, along with healthy, non-processed fats from raw nuts and seeds and olive oil.

Exercise is also imperative. No matter what shape you’re in, find a way to exercise regularly. Thirty to 45 minutes of activity most days of the week will make a surprising difference in your health, weight, insulin sensitivity, and risk of disease, including diabetes.

Deficiencies in certain nutrients can also tax your body’s ability to control blood sugar, so be sure you’re taking a high-potency daily multivitamin and mineral supplement as well.
 

For most people with type 2 diabetes, getting a handle on weight is all it takes for blood sugar to normalize, complications to fade away, and overall health to rebound. But shedding those extra pounds isn’t easy—especially when many of the conventional treatments used to control blood sugar actually promote weight gain. 

One of the worst offenders is insulin. Although it’s generally associated with type 1 diabetes, insulin is used by more than one in four people as a type 2 diabetes treatment. And, in most of those cases, it only makes things worse.

A patient of mine—let’s call him Bill—had type 2 diabetes for 10 years prior to seeking treatment at the Whitaker Wellness Institute. At the time he was diagnosed, Bill’s physician started him on an oral drug that stimulates insulin production. It worked for a while, but his blood sugar—and his weight—slowly began to increase. His doctor responded by upping his dosage. Again, his levels improved for a time, but eventually both his blood sugar and his waistline inched up.

Eventually Bill was no longer able to control his blood sugar with oral drugs, so his doctor prescribed a low dose of insulin. Over the next few years, his insulin dose was periodically ratcheted upward to keep pace with his rising blood sugar levels, and with every increase, he gained more and more weight. When I first saw Bill, he was taking 100 units of insulin daily and had put on 100 pounds!

A Vicious Cycle

Let me explain why patients like Bill find themselves in this predicament. Type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance. In people with this condition, the beta cells in the pancreas make plenty of insulin—the hormone that moves glucose from the blood into the cells—but the cells are unresponsive to insulin’s actions. This leads to a rise in blood sugar. The pancreas responds by churning out more insulin, and the net result is elevated levels of both glucose and insulin.

Excess weight makes the problem worse. Adipose tissue (fat)—especially in the abdominal area—releases fatty acids that impair beta cell function and insulin sensitivity. It also produces immune cells that lead to chronic, low-grade inflammation. Inflammation, in turn, increases insulin resistance.

Fat cells also secrete hormones, one of them being leptin. Although leptin is best known for its role in regulating appetite and energy metabolism, researchers have discovered that it also has direct effects on insulin secretion and beta cell growth.

As if that weren’t enough, high levels of insulin themselves promote weight gain. That’s because insulin is the body’s primary fat-storage hormone—it ushers fat into the cells as well as glucose. So the higher your insulin level, the greater your potential weight gain.

Lose Weight, Lose Diabetes

The best way to break this cycle is to shed excess weight. For best results, cut out starches, sugars, and other high-glycemic carbohydrates; eat plenty of lean protein, vegetables, and fiber; and take a brisk, 10- to 15-minute walk after every meal. Nutritional supplements that enhance weight loss, help lower blood sugar, and protect against diabetic complications—such as alpha lipoic acid, chromium, cinnamon, and Gymnema sylvestre, to name a few—are also important.

Bill had great success with this natural diabetes treatment. It took several years, but he lost those 100 extra pounds, and he was able to control his blood sugar without any medication at all.

 

You could fill a book with Dr. Whitaker's diabetes success stories--and, in fact, Dr. Whitaker's Reversing Diabetes is being re-released in paperback on November 1.
 
Since this groundbreaking book was first published, your supplement arsenal for controlling blood sugar--and beating syndrome X, pre-diabetes and even type 2 diabetes--continues to grow, as more research emerges that shows drugs and insulin aren't the only answers anymore.

One of the more exciting herbal blood sugar supplements is Gymnema sylvestre. This climbing plant native to India has been used since the sixth century B.C. to lower blood sugar, and may actually help repair damage to cells in the pancreas in the process.

Animal studies on diabetic rats showed fasting blood glucose levels returning to normal after 20 to 60 days of treatment, with a rise toward normal in serum insulin. An examination of the rats' pancreatic islet and beta cells, which produce insulin, showed the number of cells had doubled compared to those of the placebo group. As Dr. Whitaker points out, this flies in the face of everything we believed possible. Once beta cells are gone, they're gone...or so we thought.

Human studies have shown similar results: Five of 22 patients taking 400 mg per day for 18 to 20 months as a supplement to oral drugs could discontinue the drugs, and the rest reduced their dosages. There was a significant reduction in blood glucose and other parameters of insulin efficiency. Researchers concluded, "the beta cells may be regenerated in type II diabetic patients on (Gymnema sylvestre) supplementation."

Dr. Whitaker recommends that anyone with diabetes try 400 mg daily of Gymnema sylvestre. Or, if you are at high risk for developing diabetes, he recommends a maintenance dose of 200 mg daily.

According to Dr. Whitaker, one of the most effective and intriguing nutritional supplements for managing blood sugar levels is vanadium. This trace mineral lowers blood sugar by mimicking insulin and improving the cells’ sensitivity to insulin. Studies show that supplementation with vanadium (as vanadyl sulfate) markedly lowers fasting glucose and improves other measures of diabetes.

In one study, eight people with type 2 diabetes who received 50 mg of vanadyl sulfate twice a day for four weeks were found to have a 20 percent reduction in average fasting blood sugar, which lasted well after the mineral was discontinued. The only reported adverse effect was minor gastrointestinal distress during the first few days of the study.

Dr. Whitaker's suggested dose of vanadyl sulfate is 30 mg daily. If you need extra support and are under a doctor’s care, you can take up to 100 mg per day.

Pretty powerful stuff. And that's just one of many solutions. Look for more specific recommendations in upcoming posts, and keep the questions coming!
 

It's always nice when the mainsteam media wakes up to the realities of healthcare, particularly when it comes to the devastating damage of the rampant diabetes epidemic in the U.S. But an article in the July 12 USA Weekend underscores the importance of sticking with a doctor like Dr. Whitaker, someone who isn't afraid to come right out and state the brutally obvious.

On the one hand, Dr. Todd Mitchell's "HealthSmart" column does bring to light the scope of the diabetes problem, and the consquences of not bringing blood sugar under control. Without action, the more than 23 million Americans already diagnosed with diabetes -- not to mention those who have diabetes and don't know it, and the scores with Metabolic Syndrome or pre-diabetes -- are on a road to serious health problems, to say the least.

From comparatively minor skin and teeth concerns to truly frightening heart, eye, circulatory, and kidney diseases and increased risk for wounds and infections, Mitchell acknowledges that uncontrolled blood sugar is a recipe for disaster.

To his credit, Mitchell also points out that there are many effective ways to naturally lower blood sugar and keep Type 2 diabetes at bay, including following a diet low in high glycemic refined sugars, maintaining a healthy weight, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining an active lifestyle.

But that's as far as Mitchell is willing to go. Of course, it's not surprising that a diabetes article in USA Weekend fails to include a single mention of the many nutritional supplements that can not only lower blood sugar but directly impact the diabetes risk factors that lead to the complications he mentions. However, it's the waffle words about exercise and diabetes that truly surprised me.

In describing an "interesting" study of NFL players and blood sugar (not exactly your representative sample of the U.S. population) Mitchell points out that while the massive linemen and tackles weighed an average of 60 lbs. more than men in the control group, their fasting blood sugar was lower. Could exercise and rigorous physical activity have something to do with these blood sugar findings? Well, maybe, says Mitchell.

The kicker is the closer though. "More study is needed, but it does seem that, when it comes to diabetes, lifestyle habits matter."

Thanks for the newsflash, Dr. Mitchell.

There's no maybe about it. Exercise is one of the best, safest, most logical and truly natural ways to control blood sugar and prevent, manage, and even reverse diabetes. That's because exercise is one of the best ways to improve insulin resistance and make your cells more sensitive to insulin.

To get more exercise into your daily routine, the first thing you should try is taking a brisk 10-minute walk after meals whenever you can. Even mild aerobic exercise causes your muscles to soak up the glucose in your blood more quickly, keeping those post-meal blood sugar spikes to a minimum. Also, shoot for several sessions of resistance training (such as weightlifting) in your weekly routine to build muscle and improve your insulin sensitivity long-term. 

At the Whitaker Wellness Institute, Dr. Whitaker has been helping thousands of patients over the years use diet, exercise and targeted nutritional supplements to beat back diabetes for good.

And as a 2001 NIH study showed, this type of natural program works better than the most prescribed diabetes drug, Glucophage. No maybe about that either, Dr. Mitchell.


 

Harvard University researchers recently looked at a dozen lifestyle and metabolic factors that impact the health and longevity of Americans, and while the top four are fairly obvious, moving up fast and checking in at Number 5 (with a bullet) is high blood glucose.

Failing to control blood sugar, or maintain healthy blood glucose levels, is more dangerous than high cholesterol, excessive salt intake, high trans fats, alcohol, and a diet deficient in fruits and vegetables.

Researchers speculate that between 163,000 and 217,000 high blood glucose-related deaths could have been avoided in the year 2005 alone, and certainly that number has only gone up as diabetes, pre-diabetes and other related conditions only gain increased traction in America.

Smoking ranked as the deadliest risk factor, responsible for up to a half-million annual, preventable deaths, followed by high blood pressure, obesity, and lack of exercise.

The message is clear. Type 2 diabetes is not only deadly, but preventable. You can absolutely maintain blood sugar naturally, with targeted nutritional support, a sound diet, and moderate exercise.

Follow Dr. Whitaker's plan, and you'll also avoid numbers 2-4 on the Killer Top 5 list as well.

That leaves only #1. And you're not still smoking, are you? ARE YOU?





 

"The way pasta was originally manufacturered, it was very good for people with diabetes," Shelke told Functional Ingredients. "But the way industry went, the need for speed and greed in manufacturing, typical semolina pasta (coarse durum wheat) is now made in a much finer particle size with much less fiber," turning a once healthy choice into a challenge as you manage diabetes on a daily basis.

Pasta need not be avoided by diabetics -- in fact, it can be an economical staple of a healthy blood sugar diet if you choose the right pasta, according to Dr. Whitaker. Whole grain pasta, along with sprouted grain breads, can actually be theraputic carb choices.

Since the 1930s, numerous studies have shown that patients could stop taking insulin if they were given high complex-carbohydrate diets. And in 1976, Dr. James Anderson from the University of Kentucky demonstrated that the high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet could eliminate the need for insulin and oral diabetic drugs in close to 70% of diabetic patients.

As the General Manager of Forward Nutrition, I'm constantly reading and researching about supplements and health, particularly when it involves diabetes. Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome are huge problems that are only getting worse in this country, and natural treatments for diabetes don't get nearly the attention they deserve.

This article from the April 2009 issue of Nutritional Outlook (ok, I'm a little behind) is too good not to share.

Entitled "Understanding a Silent Killer," this is must reading if you're at all concerned about diabetes, maintaining or managing blood sugar, or seeking natural, safe treatments to treat Type 2 diabetes.

Among the natural treatments for diabetes care discussed are alpha-lipoic acid, dietary fiber, gymnema sylvestre and chromium. These nutrients have been shown repeatedly to help manage blood sugar, control blood sugar spikes, and reduce sugar cravings and mood swings.

Alpha-lipoic acid doesn't just improve insulin sensitivity, but also protects against diabetic complications like peripheral nerve pain. It's one of the best natural diabetes treatments, and it also helps your body utilize the other antioxidants you take, like vitamins C and E.

 

The connection between exercise and diabetes treatment and prevention is not exactly new news, but this is: a new study shows that less than 10 minutes a week may actually be enough to make a difference!

Researchers studying Type 2 diabetes at Scotland's Heriot-Watt University assigned 16 subjects in their 20s to very short exercise sessions, lasting only 30-seconds each. In addition to a set of 4-6 sprints, subjects drank a 75 gram glucose solution, to determine how long blood sugar and insulin levels remained elevated, and the impact of intense exercise on glucose control.

The result: after only two weeks, blood sugar levels decreased 12 percent, and the duration of elevated blood sugar decreased 37 percent.

While we all know exercise has tremendous benefits -- not just to manage diabetes and control blood sugar, but to treat and prevent heart disease and boost overall health -- we still come up with excuses not to do it.

Exercise dramatically improves diabetes and insulin resistance. It actually acts like insulin -- exercising muscles take up glucose. Furthermore, the benefits are lasting because exercise increases insulin sensitivity.

Exercise also helps you lose weight, key to managing diabetes and blood sugar control. In an NIH study, regular exercise (just 30 minutes, five days a week) and a low-fat diet resulted in an average sustained weight loss of 10-15 pounds. This alone can prevent or reverse diabetes.

Walking, jogging, cycling, swimming --what you do doesn't matter as long as you actually do it. Dr. Whitaker recommends you aim for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, and if you can add a session or two of weight training, so much the better.

But this new research shows that even a few sprints around the block, a quick bike ride or a run up a hill or set of stairs can deliver lasting health benefits too.

No excuses -- start moving. I'll race ya!