How to put the brakes on type 2 diabetes

Byline: Vera Tweed

At age 47, you’re told you have only 10 years to live and your remaining time will be fraught with debilitating illness. For the past year, you’ve known you have type 2 diabetes but haven’t been able to lose any weight, despite the discomfort of carrying around about 100 extra pounds. Serious lifestyle changes are your only hope. What do you do?

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was faced with this exact situation in the spring of 2003 and made the right choice. “I decided to take charge of my health,” he says. During the following year, he transformed himself into a lean picture of well-being. Today, as he continues to live diabetes-free, the governor even runs marathons.

Huckabee’s transformation wasn’t easy. His struggle with weight began as a child, growing up on large portions of traditional, high-calorie Southern food. Over the years, various diets inevitably ended in failure. He also had heredity against him: His parents and two of his grandparents had type 2 diabetes.

The breakthrough came with a different approach: He dramatically changed his eating habits to lean protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, but no refined sugars, sodas, processed foods or white bread; and he made exercise a part of each day’s schedule.

To anyone who is striving to lose weight, Huckabee says, “Instead of considering yourself on a diet, consider yourself on a life mission.”

How to Get into the Driver’s Seat Lose the weight. “Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors,” says Sherry Torkos, RPh, a holistic pharmacist near Niagara Falls, Canada. Not surprisingly, losing weight can both prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes.

Aim for 30-60 minutes of exercise daily. Among diabetics who are obese, Torkos has often seen the need for medications eliminated where people lost half their extra weight while exercising regularly. “Even a loss of about 10 percent of excess weight may reduce the amount of medications required,” she says.

The same rules apply for preventing type 2 diabetes if you’re overweight. “You want to lose fat, but not muscle, to maintain your metabolism and not regain weight,” says Harry Preuss, MD, a professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Accomplishing that goal requires both cardiovascular exercise–which can be as simple as brisk walking–and resistance training, totaling 30 to 60 minutes each day.

Belly fat in particular is associated with insulin resistance (a condition that often precedes the onset of type 2 diabetes). Besides exercise, the quantity, quality and frequency of your eating all play a role in keeping your waistline trim.

Favor protein and vegetables. Small, frequent meals of food that is not refined or high in sugar or unhealthy fats are a requisite. Lean protein and plenty of vegetables, fruits and fiber will keep you satisfied, prevent cravings and overeating, and keep your blood sugar stable. Combined with regular exercise, this helps improve your cells’ ability to use insulin. Supplements can provide additional benefits and protection while you embark on your regimen.

Make a Pit Stop for Supplements

For prevention of type 2 diabetes, start with chromium, fiber and a multivitamin with adequate magnesium, zinc and B vitamins. For weight loss and further protection, think about adding some of the other supplements mentioned below based on your individual situation. For treatment of diabetes, discuss your options with a health professional who is trained in nutrition.

Consider chromium for blood sugar control. “Chromium helps us utilize glucose more efficiently,” says Torkos, “and thus helps to control blood sugar.” In weight-loss regimens that include a healthy diet and exercise plan, chromium may help fat loss while preserving muscle tissue. Studies on diabetics have shown that the mineral can improve the benefits of diabetes medication.

In a study published recently in Diabetes Care, chromium was tested against a sugar pill in type 2 diabetics who were taking sulfonylurea, a drug often prescribed for the disease. In the 40-week trial, chromium plus medication improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar levels significantly more than medication alone. In addition, those taking chromium and sulfonylurea had less belly fat and gained less weight–a significant finding since sulfonylurea is known to cause weight gain. No adverse events were reported.

Other research has found that chromium reduced carbohydrate cravings among people with depression.

Preuss notes that for optimum benefits, chromium needs to be taken on an ongoing basis. “It’s not an instant effect,” he says. “You have to stick with these things.”

Take 200mcg of chromium daily for prevention. Up to 1000mcg daily has been used in the treatment of diabetes; however, it’s important to consult a physician before taking high doses of chromium (anything over 400mcg).

Put fiber first. Getting adequate dietary fiber can help prevent type 2 diabetes, but “it’s very difficult to get enough fiber through diet alone,” says Torkos. She estimates that most people’s food generally delivers 10-15gm, while we should be getting 25-35gm daily. Fiber supplements are a practical way to correct the deficit.

Torkos recommends choosing a supplement that contains both soluble fiber (such as guar, pectin and glucomannan) and insoluble fiber (such as flaxseed and psyllium) in powdered form. “Look for something that’s easy to swallow, tastes okay, mixes well and has natural rather than artificial flavoring,” she says.

Use fiber supplements as needed, based on your individual circumstances. [Note: See p. 30 of this issue for more information on fiber products.]

Boost your mineral intake. Low levels of magnesium are associated with type 2 diabetes. The mineral is required for energy production, and may improve insulin function and help maintain healthy blood sugar levels, especially in older people.

Use 200-400mg daily of magnesium. [Note: See p. 56 for more information on magnesium and diabetes.]

Insulin resistance and diabetes are also associated with lower levels of zinc, and elevated blood sugars lead to excretion of zinc. Both Preuss and Torkos recommend zinc supplements.

Take 25-50mg of zinc daily.

Take your vitamins. For basic nutritional support, choose a good-quality multivitamin with antioxidants. Some multis may contain all the chromium, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc you need, eliminating the need for separate supplements.

Follow label directions for dosages on multivitamins.

Note: In addition to a multivitamin, you may want to consider an additional B-complex formula–B vitamins are used in the production of energy and the metabolism of glucose. Take a B complex with 50mg of the main B vitamins.

Go fishing. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may improve insulin sensitivity, according to Torkos, and reduce the risk of heart disease.

For prevention, take 1000-3000mg of fish oils daily.

Learn how CoQ10 can help. A strong antioxidant, CoQ10 supports energy production and heart health, and lowers blood sugar.

For prevention, take 50mg of a softgel or 150mg of a dry form daily.

Take the edge off your appetite. Derived from the rind of the Garcinia cambogia fruit, HCA is known as a weight-loss supplement. It helps to control appetite without affecting the nervous system or acting as a stimulant. Preuss, whose research has examined various supplements that relate to diabetes risk, believes that HCA can play a role in diabetes prevention, above and beyond its ability to aid in weight loss.

“The hypothesis is that it sensitizes cells to insulin, counteracting insulin resistance,” he says, recommending supplementation with HCA if you’re overweight and/or know you are insulin resistant. In his research, Preuss uses and recommends a proprietary form of HCA known as Super CitriMax.

Take 1500mg of Super CitriMax three times daily, 30-60 minutes before meals.

Discover the power of pine. A proprietary extract of French maritime pine bark, Pycnogenol is a strong antioxidant that can lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics and is recommended for diabetes prevention. In a study of 30 type 2 diabetics published in Diabetes Care, 200mg of Pycnogenol was found to be the optimum dose for lowering blood sugar.

For prevention, take 50mg daily. As mentioned above, researchers had the best results with 200mg daily for reducing blood sugar levels.

Improve insulin sensitivity. As another option for improving insulin sensitivity, Preuss recommends SX-Fraction, made from maitake mushrooms. The mushrooms have a long history of therapeutic use, and the SX-Fraction is an extract of the mushroom that is designed to target insulin sensitivity.

Preuss has done animal studies that show SX-Fraction may be a useful tool in treating insulin resistance. In Japan, preliminary studies of diabetic people have found that the supplement significantly reduces elevated blood sugar in type 2 diabetics.

For prevention, take one tablet three times daily within 30 minutes after meals.

Counteract nerve damage with ALA. In studies of diabetics, the antioxidant alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has been found to counteract nerve damage caused by diabetes and to relieve nerve pain associated with the disease. ALA is also capable of regenerating other antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E. Some experts recommend taking ALA supplements for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, based on the theory that it may positively affect blood sugar.

Take 50mg daily for prevention and higher doses for treatment.

Ease circulatory problems with Diosmin. An ingredient derived from sweet orange, Diosmin has been used in Europe for more than 30 years to treat circulatory problems that result from diabetes. Recently, it became available in North America as DiosVein, an ingredient in several dietary supplements designed to strengthen veins and promote healthy circulation.

For dosage guidelines, follow product directions.

RELATED ARTICLE: Recognize the dangers ahead,

According to government estimates, roughly 10 percent of men and 9 percent of women in the US have diabetes. Among these, 90-95 percent have type 2 diabetes, a condition that begins with insulin resistance.

After we eat, food is converted to glucose, or blood sugar. Insulin transports the glucose to cells to be used as fuel. Where insulin resistance exists, the cells are not able to accept all the glucose, and its levels rise in the bloodstream. The early stage of the cycle, where blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be classed as diabetes, is known as prediabetes.

More than 41 million Americans suffer from prediabetes and as a result face increased risks of heart disease and stroke. Diabetes itself multiplies the risks of dying of heart disease or stroke by two to four times, and increases the risk of fatality from pneumonia or influenza. It’s also the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults. Damage to the nervous system is another consequence, resulting in impaired sensation to hands and feet and, in some cases, amputation of lower limbs. Gum disease is also more common among diabetics.

Bleak as these facts are, the potential for preventing the disease is astounding. Experts estimate that almost all cases of type 2 diabetes–90-95 percent–are preventable with the right diet and exercise.