Besides food management, you can use supplement or doing many exercises / activity against diabetes. The exercise, certain nutritional supplements, and the practice of relaxation and meditation also exert positive effects for controlling diabetes and to avoid the damage caused by the same.
Supplements
In addition to the general recommendations on the diet already outlined, there are some supplements that can help prevent the type II diabetes or to prevent this condition to worsen.
- Chromium – this mineral helps increase the activity of insulin. The deficiency of chromium is a very common. The high consumption of products made from refined sugar aggravates the situation because this type of sugar robs the body of their Abastos chromium. There are studies that show that a deficiency of chromium in the diet adversely affects the glucose tolerance. A study conducted at the hospital in Beijing in China showed that a group of people in the early stages of the type II diabetes that received a dose of 100 milligrams of chromium twice a day for four months decreased significantly its level of blood sugar. In this study used a form of chromium known as Picolinate. Some good sources of chromium are the seafood, whole grains, the grape juice, brewer’s yeast, seafood and beans.
- Magnesium – the shortcomings of magnesium can alter the glucose metabolism and contribute to the damage caused by diabetes. Some of the results of chronic chromium are high blood pressure, bone loss, vascular diseases. Some researchers even suggest that a low level of magnesium in the diet can be a factor that precipitates both types of diabetes in susceptible people. Some good sources of magnesium are the apricots, Guineans, grains integral and wheat bran.
- Potassium – the potassium helps to increase production and efficiency of insulin. Potassium-rich foods are the bananas, potatoes, milk products and the grains.
- Vitamin B6 – this vitamin helps to increase the efficiency of insulin. It also helps prevent the diabetic retinopathy, a major causes of the loss of vision in diabetics. The level of vitamin B6 tends to be low in the people over 50 years. Some dietary sources of vitamin B6 are fish, the turkey, avocados, broccoli, potatoes, red peppers and the nuts.
- Vitamin E – vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and also owns properties as an anticoagulant. It also helps metabolize best sugars. You can help prevent the arteriosclerosis and vascular complications common in people with diabetes. These complications are responsible for the damage to the kidneys and eyes caused by diabetes.
- Vitamin C – helps reduce the need to insulin, prevent vascular problems and maintain the health of the eyes.
Medicinal Plants
There are several plants, such as burdock and fenugreek to possess the ability to reduce the glucose levels in the blood. However, none is a substitute for the administration of insulin. The use of these plants in diabetics should only be done under the professional care which sometimes can cause a rapid decline in the blood sugar.
Moreover, there are a good number of plants that do not alter significantly the level of blood sugar but they have properties extremely valuable for the prevention and treatment of complications of diabetes. Two of these are:
- Cranberry (bilberry) – helps to prevent the destruction of the small blood vessels of the eye known as diabetic retinopathy that causes the loss of vision in diabetic patients. (More information on the cranberry).
- Ginkgo Biloba – Increases the movement in the small blood vessels, especially in the brain. In the case of people with diabetes the circulatory problems in the legs are frequent and can even lead to amputations. The ginkgo helps improve the movement in the legs, helping to prevent these problems.
The Exercise
The exercise helps prevent diabetes in people who are at risk, such as to avoid many of the complications in people who already suffer from it. Investigations carried out in the Tufts University in Massachusetts indicate that the aerobic exercise regulate reduces the risk of developing diabetes even in cases in which does not produce weight loss. Other studies show that the people with diabetes who are exercised regularly have a have a lower risk of death than those that do not exercise. One of the ways in which the exercise aid is increasing the level of chromium in the tissues. Another is improving the agency’s ability to use insulin available.
The exercise with weights or resistance also helps. This exercise increases muscle mass. Since the muscle requires more calories than the fat the result is an increase in the metabolic rate. In other words will burn more calories, which makes it easier lose weight, something that is desirable for the vast majority of those who suffer from diabetes. People with good muscle mass also are less likely to develop diabetes because greater muscle mass less insulin needed to carry the blood glucose to the tissues.
Relaxation and meditation
Any type of practice to help control the stress will help both to prevent diabetes as to avoid the damage caused by this. The meditation, yoga, the hypnotherapy, and the music therapy are some of the modalities that could be practiced with great benefit.
