Great e-book - recipes for diabetics

Click Here!

Some useful vitamins for diabetics

Certain vitamins and minerals have been found very useful in the treatment of diabetes because these vitamins help reduce blood fat and cholesterol.
Vitamin B complex - Vitamins of the B group are valuable in the treatment of diabetes. Because diabetics have abnormally small amounts of vitamin B in their blood because of high urinary loss they should get daily supplements of vitamin B complex (at least 16000 units) .
Thiamine or Vitamin B1 - Vitamin B1 is said to be particularly valuable in preventing damage to the brain during diabetic acidosis. The greater the insulin requirement, the higher is the requirement for vitamin B1, pantothenic acid or vitamin B5 and biotin or vitamin B8.
The primary natural vegetable sources of thiamine are wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, the outer layers of rice, wheat and other whole grain cereals, pulses, nuts, peas, lime, legumes, dark green leafy vegetables, banana and apple. Those of pantothenic acid are wheat germ, whole grain bread, green vegetables and peanuts. Biotin is found in brewer’s yeast, rice bran, rice germ, rice polishing and peanut butter.

Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6 - When diet is inadequate in vitamin B6 or pyridoxine, and essential amino acid tryptophan, is converted into a substance known as xanthurenic acid. It has been shown in laboratory experiments that xanthurenic acid tends to damage the pancreatic tissue.
Diabetics who have been given 50 mg of vitamin B6 daily have shown a rapid and marked decrease in urinary xanthurenic acid. In one case, the quantity dropped almost 97 percent the first day. Total absence of urinary xanthurenic acid amongst those who continued with a daily dosage of 10 to 20 mg of this vitamin indicated that none was being formed in the body. Diabetics are thus greatly helped by a liberal intake of vitamin B6. The main natural sources of pyridoxine are milk, brewer’s yeast, cereals, legumes, green leafy vegetables and carrot.

Vitamin D and Diabetes

Vitamin D is quickly becoming the "it" nutrient with health benefits for diseases, including cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease and now diabetes.
Adequate intake of vitamin D may prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and reduce complications for those who have already been diagnosed.
Many of the 23 million Americans with diabetes have low vitamin D levels. Evidence suggests that vitamin D plays an integral role in insulin sensitivity and secretion. Vitamin D deficiency results in part from poor nutrition, which is one of the most challenging issues for people with diabetes. Another culprit is reduced exposure to sunlight, which is common during cold weather months when days are shorter and more time is spent indoors.
Diet alone may not be sufficient to manage vitamin D levels. A combination of adequate dietary intake of vitamin D, exposure to sunlight, and treatment with vitamin D2 or D3 supplements can decrease the risk of diabetes and related health concerns. The preferred range in the body is 30 - 60 ng/mL of 25(OH) vitamin D.
Vitamin D deficiency also may be associated with hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, hypertension and heart disease. In fact, Penckofer recently published another study in Circulation that reported on the role of chronic vitamin D deficiency in heart disease.

Symptoms of Diabetes

It is not rare to have diabetes and be completely unaware. The main reason for this is that the symptoms, when seen on their own, seem harmless.
The most common diabetes symptoms are:
Frequent urination
Disproportionate thirst - If you are urinating more than usual, you will need to replace that lost liquid
Intense hunger
Weight gain - connected with the above symptom
Unusual weight loss - more common to people with Diabetes Type 1
Increased fatigue
Sexual dysfunction among men - If you experience frequent or constant sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction), it could be a symptom of diabetes.