Therapeutic Effect of Folate and Cobalamin in Diabetics

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus type 2 is a metabolic ailment. It is a condition when insulin is produced by our body but, it is not used properly by us. The number of diabetic patients is increasing in the whole world. The problem of obesity is also very closely related to it, which itself is expanding. The individuals diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus have high chance of microvascular problems (like nephropathy, retinopathy and neuropathy). They are also at the verge of facing macrovascular ailments (like cardiovascular comorbidities). This indicates that many antidiabetic agents should be administered in combination, to maintain normal sugar level in blood. The management for the patients suffering from diabetes should be effective and harmless for them. It should also improve the general well-being of the patients. So many remedies have been developed for the management of diabetes. Several of them are being developed. We should enhance insulin sensitivity to let our body use insulin effectively. We also must stop the increasing pancreatic β-cell failure which is a specific characteristic of Diabetes Mellitus type 2. The microvascular complications must also be avoided or revoked. Our direst need is to develop agents which may help us in achieving goals mentioned earlier. Many micronutrients are involved in combating the Diabetes Mellitus and complication associated to the malady. These micronutrients are vitamins. Our main focus in this chapter are Vitamins B9 (Folate) and B12 (Cobalamin). Many researches have shown that the said parameters were decreased in patients suffering from Diabetes Mellitus. The level of these two vitamins should be maintained to the normal level and not toward the border line. The maintained level of these vitamins will help in controlling the main problems in patients suffering from Diabetes Mellitus like neuropathy, anemia and many others. By taking these vitamins along with other preventive measures, Diabetes Mellitus can be controlled and can be less dangerous.

Folic acid supplementation on inflammation and homocysteine in type 2 diabetes mellitus: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…Three markers of inflammation were evaluated: CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6; however, only five trials [ 21 , 25 , 35 – 37 ] evaluated CRP in T2DM following folic acid supplementation compared to placebo. The results from the random-effect meta-analysis revealed a medium effect size demonstrated by a marginal reduction in CRP; SMD = −0.68, 95%CI (−1.34, −0.01), p = 0.05 (Fig.…”

“…The above shortfalls for drugs and related side effects have prompted an exploration of dietary supplements and macronutrients in alleviating cardiovascular-related complications in T2DM. Other examples include vitamin D [ 20 ], and folate, a natural form of vitamin B 9 due to its pleiotropic effects in diabetes and fewer side effects than other expensive and toxic therapies [ 21 ]. Folate is primarily found in green leafy vegetables and plays a role in cell division and synthesis of nucleic acids [ 22 ].…”