Vitamins That Are Beneficial In Treating Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by unstable cellular uptake of blood glucose. This may be due to lack of insulin, the hormone needed for blood glucose uptake, or resistance of cells to the effect of insulin.

There are a number of vitamins that have been found to be helpful in addressing symptoms and deficiencies that are associated with diabetes. These various vitamins are discussed in this article.

Multiple vitamin and mineral supplement (multivitamins) A double blind study using multivitamin and mineral supplementation was conducted in middle aged and elderly diabetics. The study lasted for one year and was found to decrease infection risk among the subjects by 80 percent as compared to the placebo used.

Vitamin E

It has been considered that the risk of developing type I and type II diabetes is greater in individuals with low vitamin E levels in their blood. Some studies have shown that supplementation with vitamin E has enhanced tolerance to glucose in type II diabetics in many double blind studies. Even in elderly subjects with no diabetes, glucose tolerance was also improved with vitamin E supplementation.

Daily supplementation of at least 900 IU of vitamin E for three months or more may be necessary to notice any beneficial effect.

One of the few studies conducted on the effect of vitamin E in nerve damage, found that diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage related to diabetes) was partially reversed with vitamin E supplementation for six months. Furthermore, animal and preliminary human trials have indicated that diabetic retinopathy (retinal damage) and nephropathy (kidney damage) may be prevented with supplementation of vitamin E.

In addition to that, vitamin E has shown to reduce the risk of stroke in diabetic patients who also smoke. A large study of smokers in Finland was reviewed and found that minimal amounts of vitamin E (50 IU daily) is beneficial to smokers who suffer from diabetes and hypertension.

Vitamin E was also discovered to decrease glycosylation in most, but not all studies. Glycosylation is the process whereby sugar attaches abnormally to proteins, and is a vital measurement of diabetes. Organ damage associated with diabetes appears to be caused, among others, by glycosylation. So, lowering the amount of glycosylation would lead to reduced risk of having your important organs damaged as a result of your diabetes.

Vitamin C

Like vitamin E, vitamin C also appears to decrease glycosylation that leads to organ damage. Sorbitol, a sugar that can build up inside the cells leading to damage of the eyes, nerves and kidneys of diabetics, is found to be reduced by vitamin C.

Some studies have also shown that glucose tolerance is enhanced in type II diabetics with vitamin C supplementation. Another study showed that 500 mg two times daily of vitamin C supplementation for one year has remarkably decreased protein loss via the urine of diabetic people. If you suffer from proteinuria (urinary protein loss) due to your diabetes, it indicates kidney damage and may have poor outcome. So you need to consult your doctor rgarding vitamin C supplementation.

Vitamin B complex

In a controlled study in Africa, vitamins B1 (25mg daily) and B6 (50 mg daily) have remarkably improved diabetic neuropathy symptoms among diabetics after four weeks of supplementation. Vitamin B12 has also been found to be beneficial in preventing this complication.

Biotin, another B vitamin, was found to reduce blood glucose. It may also lower pain as a result of nerve damage due to diabetes. Doctors may recommend 9-16 mg of biotin daily for a few weeks to study whether or not your blood sugar falls.

Vitamin B3 (around 500-750 mg daily) may also be added, though it's not yet established if indeed it helps lower blood sugar level.