Nutritional Supplements and Their Effect on Glucose Control

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a growing health concern. The use of nutritional supplements by patients with type 2 diabetes is estimated at somewhere between 8% to 49%. The objective of this review was to search the scientific literature for advances in the treatment and prevention of type 2 diabetes with nutritional supplements. Twelve databases were searched with a focus on extracting studies published in the past 3 years. The following nutritional supplements were identified as potentially beneficial for type 2 diabetes treatment or prevention: vitamins C and E, α-lipoic acid, melatonin, red mold, emodin from Aloe vera and Rheum officinale, astragalus, and cassia cinnamon. Beta-carotene was shown to be ineffective in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Ranging from preclinical to clinical, there is evidence that nutritional supplements may be beneficial in the treatment or prevention of type 2 diabetes. Health providers should investigate drug-nutritional supplement interactions prior to treatment.

A Review of the Hypoglycemic Effects of Five Commonly Used Herbal Food Supplements

“…On the other hand, the herbal food supplements reviewed in this article have been used for human consumption for centuries and their safety in human has been well established. With good safety profile and convenience, those food supplements have increasingly become attractive additions to the regular pharmacological therapies in diabetic patients, especially for those whose blood glucose levels are not well controlled by the therapies alone [19–22]. In addition, those food supplements are becoming more and more popular to manage hyperglycemia in prediabetic patients [20, 21], especially for those whose blood glucose levels are on the borderline and pharmacological therapies have not been initiated.…”

Dietary supplements for people with diabetes

“…Pored vitamina i minerala, u ovim proizvodima može biti prisutan čitav niz drugih nutrijenata, kao što su dijetna vlakna, aminokiseline, pojedine masne kiseline, zatim veliki broj nenutritivnih supstanci za koje postoje naučni dokazi da mogu doprineti održavanju normalnog nivoa glukoze u krvi ili odlaganju pojave mikro i makrovaskularnih hroničnih komplikacija dijabetesa. Takođe, veliki broj dijetetskih suplemenata namenjenih osobama sa dijabetesom sadrži i razne biljke i biljne preparate [9,10].…”

Glucan and Mannan—Two Peas in a Pod

“…In addition to the action of individual mannans or glucans, glucomannan conjugates have been gaining significant attention lately. Besides their nutritional values, these conjugates have important health benefits such as the reduction of cholesterol and improvement of immune reactions [9,10].…”