Holistic diet

approach
to diabetes

A combination of natural foods, combined with low

glycemic carbohydrates and helpful supplements
can reduce the effects of diabetes.
B y D r L e o w C h e e S e n g , F e llo w o f B r i t i s h I n s t i t u t e o f H o m e o pat h y

Diabetes mellitus is an inability within

the body to metabolise carbohydrates,

resulting from inadequate production or
utilisation of insulin.
Because diabetes patients cannot properly
process glucose a sugar the body uses
for energy this glucose stays in the blood,
causing blood glucose levels to rise while
the cells within the body are starved for
glucose.
Diabetes can lead to higher risks of
contracting various infections and other
problems like retinopathy and maladies
affecting the nerves, heart and kidneys.
Patients too often end up feeling drained
due to a deficiency in energy levels because
of low glucose consumption by cells.
Worse, much of the common advice to
prevent or reduce diabetes symptoms and
risks dont actually seem to make much
sense. You should eat high-fibre foods,
do more exercise, improve and protect
with alpha-lipoic acid and use capsaicin
ointment but how does all this actually
help?
42 | JUL/AUG 2012 OH!

While eating
carbohydrates
increases
the need for
insulin to keep
blood sugar
levels normal,
diets high in
carbohydrates
do not
necessarily
increase the risk
of diabetes.

Dietary confusion
Confusion in relation to such
advice may arise because a lot
of people often misunderstand
the relationship between eating
carbohydrates and diabetes.
While eating carbohydrates
increases the need for insulin to
keep blood sugar levels normal,
diets high in carbohydrates do
not necessarily increase the risk
of diabetes.
In most instances, consuming
carbohydrate-containing foods
whether high in sugar or starch
just temporarily increases
blood sugar and insulin levels,
which later fall back to normal
levels.
It is the constantly high
consumption
of
certain
carbohydrates that could cause
an imbalance or mismatch in
insulin levels. Research shows
that people who consume large
amounts of foods with high
glycemic indices are at higher
risk of contracting diabetes.
But, eating a diet high in
carbohydrate-rich foods with
low glycemic indices is instead
associated with low risk of
diabetes. Such healthy foods
include oats, beans and fruits
which have low glycemic indices
and high carbohydrate content
a due mostly to the healthpromoting effects of soluble
fibre.

JUL/AUG 2012 OH! | 43

H o l i s t i c d i e t a p p r o ac h to d i ab e t e s

Helpful diet changes

With this better understanding of glycemic
indices, it should now make sense why
people with diabetes must cut intake of
sugar from snacks and processed food, and
replace these with high-fibre whole foods.
This dietary change can be achieved
through higher intake of leafy green
vegetables, granola and fruits. It is further
clinically proven people with high-fibre

Mineral supplements
There is a wide variety of supplements that can help
improve the health of a diabetes patient. These include
essential nutrients like chromium, magnesium, alpha
lipoic acid, evening primrose oil, glycomannan, vitamin
E, vitamin E, vitamins B, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and
more.
Chromium-rich brewers yeast, amounting to 9g daily is
recommended in the treatment of diabetes. Chromium
also helps healthy people, although one such report
found chromium useful only when accompanied by
100mg niacin. Chromium may further reduce total
cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides.
Magnesium helps insulin production in elderly
people. Diabetes-induced damages to the eyes are
more likely to occur in magnesium-deficient people.
The American Diabetes Association reported that
there is a strong association between magnesium
deficiency and insulin residence but didnt say
definitely that magnesium deficiency is a risk factor.
The British Medical Journal recommends that people
with diabetes and normal kidney function supplement
diets with 200-600mg of magnesium daily.
Further, people with diabetes tend to be zinc-deficient
and this can lead to impaired immune functions. The
zinc is largely lost through urine and supplementation
44 | JUL/AUG 2012 OH!

diets experience significant reduction in

total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL (bad
cholesterol) levels.
High-fibre supplements such as psyllium,
gum gum (beans), pectin (fruits), oat and
glucomannan have also shown improved
glucose tolerance in some studies. In short,
the diabetes patient should have a high fibre
diet focusing on fruits, vegetables, seeds and
oats and whole-grain products.

can result in increased glycosylation to improve

health and also increase the lifespan of blood cells.

Natural supplements
Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful natural antioxidant.
Clinical trials have found that supplementing 6001200mg of lipoic acid per day improves insulin
sensitivity and the symptoms of diabetes neuropathy.
In other clinical trials, supplementation with 600mg
of alpha lipoic acid per day for 18 months was found
to have slowed the progression of kidney damage in
patients with diabetes.
Also, daily supplements of 4g of evening primrose oil
for six months has been found to help improve nerve
functions and relieve the pain symptoms of diabetic
neuropathy.
Kanjac root (amorphophallus konjac) has high level of
water-soluble dietary fibre known as glucomannan.
Glucomannan delays stomach emptying, leading to
more gradual absorption of dietary sugar.
This effect can reduce the elevation of blood sugar
levels in people with diabetes and overall diabetic
control is improved with glucomannan-enriched diets.
To control blood sugar, 500-700mg of glucomannan
per 100 calories in diet has been used successfully.

Vitamins
Diabetes is developed in persons with low levels of
vitamin E and supplementation has been found to
result in improved glucose tolerance among diabetes
patients. Vitamin E also helps improve glucose
tolerance among the elderly, even without diabetes.
Three months or more of supplementation may be
required for the benefits to become apparent, with
consumption of at least 900 IU of vitamin E daily.
Vitamin E supplementation is said to further protect
against diabetic retinopathy and neuropathy serious
complications of diabetes involving the eyes and
kidneys through no long-term trials in human have
confirmed such preliminary evidence.
Vitamin C reduces glycosylation and lowers sorbitol
among diabetes patients. Sorbitol is a sugar that
accumulates and damages the eyes, nerves and
kidney of diabetes patients. Vitamin C also helps
glucose tolerance supplementing 500mg twice daily
for a year has significantly reduced urinary protein
loss in people with diabetes. Urinary protein loss is
associated with poor prognosis in diabetes.
The American Dietician Society has reported that
vitamin B1 levels have been found to be low among
diabetes patients. A clinical trial conducted with
consumption of 10mg of vitamin B1 per day for four
weeks reported reduced blood sugar among diabetes
patients.

dramatically in clinical research. The effect of vitamin

B6 can be enhanced with vitamin B12, especially
among diabetic neuropathy patients, in 12 weeks.
Biotin, a vitamin supplement, is also able to help
to control diabetes. In a clinical research, 16mg of
biotin per day for a week found the glucose level in
participants while they were fasting dropped by 50%.
Similar results have been reported using 9mg per day
for two months in people with diabetes. In addition,
biotin is able to reduce pain from diabetic nerve
damage.
While the CoQ10 is needed for normal blood sugar
metabolism, supplementing with 100mg per day of
CoQ10 per day for three months neither improved
glucose control nor reduced the need for insulin.
The importance of CoQ10 supplementation for
people with diabetes remains an unresolved issue,
through some medical professionals recommend
approximately 5mg per day as a way to protect against
possible effects associated with diabetes-induced
depletion.
There are many other supplements that can help
diabetes patients these include fish oil, L-carnitine,
zinc, vitamin D, Inositol, taurine, vanadium, fructooligosaccharides and manganese.

Vitamin B6 supplement helps diabetes patients with

nerve damage. Such supplements have also improved
glucose tolerance in women with diabetes caused by
pregnancy and effective for glucose intolerance
induced by birth control pills.
A total of 1,800mg per day of a special
form of vitamin B6 pyridoxine alphaketoglutarate has improved
glucose
tolerance

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