Keep Blood Sugar Levels in Check with These Four Nutrients

August 17, 2006 - Glucose, or sugar, is the body's main source of fuel. Without it, your cells are not able to make energy and would not be able to function properly. Too much glucose in the blood, however, can be unhealthy and may lead to complications with your eyes, nerves, brain, heart and other organs. There are several nutrients, including chromium picolinate, benfotiamine, alpha lipoc acid and pomegranate juice, that may help with the maintenance of healthy blood sugar. Please read more here >>>

It's estimated that there are over 20 million children and adults in this country who have elevated blood sugar. Treatment of this condition with traditional medication will frequently lead to weight gain and have other potential side effects. Untreated elevations in blood sugar can lead to many complications affecting the brain, heart, nerves, kidneys, eyes, etc. 

In a study just published in the August 2006 journal Diabetes Care, 29 adults suffering with elevated blood sugar were randomly assigned to receive traditional medication plus 1,000 mcg of chromium picolinate per day, or the drug plus placebo1. The trial went on for six months. Those patients given the drug and placebo had a significant increase in body weight by an average of about five pounds, with an increase in percentage of body fat and total abdominal fat. However, those who were randomized to receive the drug plus chromium picolinate had significant improvement in insulin sensitivity and long-term blood sugar control. Additionally, they gained less weight and less body fat. Chromium is an essential mineral required for the optimal utilization of blood sugar for cellular energy. Unfortunately, the average American consumes far less than the optimal levels proven effective. Supplements appear to be essential to reach this optimal level of 200 to 400 mcg per day for healthy people and 500 to 1,000 mcg per day for those with elevations of blood sugar. 

As I noted above, one of the complications of elevations in blood sugar is damage to the peripheral nerves manifested by pain in the feet, numbness, weakness and other symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for this condition with most doctors recommending strict control of blood sugar. The complications of elevated blood sugar seem to be in some way related to micro and macro circulation to different organs. Recent advances have suggested that endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) seem to be involved in these complications. In a study just published in the prestigious journal Diabetes in August 2006, researchers studied effects of these EPC's2. It was noted that hyperglycemia impaired EPC differentiation but that this process could be restored by the fat soluble B vitamin called benfotiamine. Weeks ago I had discussed the benefits of this vitamin regarding restoration of nerve function. 

Alpha lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that has both water-soluble and fat-soluble properties. It helps in the body to recycle other nutrients fighting free radicals. In another study in the journal Diabetes August 2006, researchers from the University of North Carolina noted that there is considerable evidence that hyperglycemia increases oxidative stress and contributes to increased incidence of cardiovascular complications3. In this study, a group of mice were given a drug to induce hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Another group of mice had normal blood sugar. All mice were fed a high fat diet with or without alpha lipoic acid. At the end of 20 weeks, markers of oxidative stress were significantly lower in the mice that had hyperglycemia and those with normal blood sugar. It was further noted that alpha lipoic acid completely prevented the increase in plasma total cholesterol or any cardiovascular complications. They further noted that the protective effects of alpha lipoic acid were accompanied by a reduction in plasma glucose and accelerated recovery of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. They concluded that the results suggested dietary alpha lipoic acid is a promising protective nutrient for promoting healthy cardiovascular function in people with elevated blood sugar. 

Another powerful antioxidant nutrient is pomegranate juice. In a study published in the journal Atherosclerosis August 2006, ten healthy subjects and ten adults with hyperglycemia consumed a couple of ounces of pomegranate juice daily for three months4. Pomegranate juice consumption did not effect serum glucose, cholesterol or triglyceride levels but resulted in significant reduction in serum lipid peroxides and another marker of oxidative stress called TBARS. Other beneficial effects were noted as well. Researchers concluded that pomegranate juice consumption by individuals with hyperglycemia did not worsen diabetic parameters but rather resulted in anti-oxidative effects on serum and macrophages which could contribute to healthy cardiovascular function in these patients. 

Moving on from individuals with high blood sugar, there was an interesting study published in the August 2006 edition of the European Heart Journal regarding co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10)5. In this study, 23 patients with a mean age of 59 with stable chronic heart failure were randomized in a double-blind fashion to receive 100 mg of CoQ10 three times daily, CoQ10 plus supervised exercise training, placebo or placebo plus exercise. Each phase of the trial lasted four weeks. CoQ10 supplementation resulted in improved functional capacity, endothelial function and contractility of the heart without any side effects. The combination of CoQ10 and exercise resulted in more pronounced benefits on all of the above noted parameters. Another truly amazing study proving the cardiovascular benefits of CoQ10. 

As always, I highly recommend a core multi-nutrient vitamin and mineral product regardless of what specific concerns you have. The Synergy line of products from Nutraceutical Sciences Institute® (NSI®) is always at the top of my list. These products are formulated by the scientific advisory board at NSI® and are constantly under scrutiny. Our core multi-vitamin Synergy Multi-Vitamin has been reformulated 10 times in the last 10 years. I challenge you show me an example of another vitamin company that reformulates a particular product that often. Also find another multi that contains CoQ10, 200 to 400 mcg of chromium, optimal levels far above the RDA/DV of B-complex, grape seed, standardized green tea, 6 to 10 mg of FloraGlo® lutein and so many other powerful antioxidants. 

For those of you who have concerns about elevated blood sugar, I highly recommend a product from NSI® called GlucoPower. It contains a host of nutrients specifically geared toward maximizing healthy blood sugar. In particular, it contains 600 mg of alpha lipoic acid, which numerous studies have shown to be of tremendous benefit for promoting healthy nerve function and blood sugar levels. CoQ10 is a nutrient that I know has such solid science behind it that many mainstream physicians are now recommending it to their patients to promote healthy cardiovascular, neurological and cellular health function. I personally recommend it to my patients, friends and family. For those of you who take statin drugs such as Lipitor, Zocor and so on, I recommend taking 100 to 200 mg of CoQ10 twice daily since the statin drugs can lower CoQ10 levels in the mitochondria. For those of you who have specific cardiovascular concerns, a dose of 200 to 600 mg daily is daily recommended. 

CoQ10 also has shown tremendous results in patients with certain neurological concerns that effect movement and balance. I recommend CoQ10 to my patients who have poor neurological health at 1,200 mg daily. We have a great selection of CoQ10 products from NSI® including ToCoQ10™, a patent-pending combination of Japanese, pharmaceutical-grade, natural CoQ10 and Tocomin® tocotrienols, rice bran oil, Bioperine® and other antioxidants. This combination is far superior in absorption and antioxidant benefits when compared to all others. ToCoQ10™ was just recently released in softgel dosages from 60 mg to 600 mg, and they're already the number one selling CoQ10 supplements at Vitacost. I strongly recommend CoQ10 as a daily supplement to add to your vitamin regimen. 

To choose one of the 13 versions of NSI®'s Synergy multivitamins click here. 

To choose one of the numerous NSI® ToCoQ10's click here. 

1. Julie Martin, Zhong Q. Wang, Xian H. Zhang, Deborah Wachtel, et. al. Chromium Picolinate Supplementation Attenuates Body Weight Gain and Increases Insulin Sensitivity in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2006 29: 1826-1832. 
2. Valentina Marchetti, Rossella Menghini, Stefano Rizza, et. al. Benfotiamine Counteracts Glucose Toxicity Effects on Endothelial Progenitor Cell Differentiation via Akt/FoxO Signaling. Diabetes 2006 55: 2231-2237. 
3. Xianwen Yi and Nobuyo Maeda. Alpha-Lipoic Acid Prevents the Increase in Atherosclerosis Induced by Diabetes in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice Fed High-Fat/Low-Cholesterol Diet. Diabetes 2006 55: 2238-2244. 
4. Mira Rosenblat, Tony Hayek and Michael Aviram. Anti-oxidative effects of pomegranate juice (PJ) consumption by diabetic patients on serum and on macrophages. Aug 2006, v ol. 187, i ssu e 2, p.221-452. 
5. Belardinelli R, Mucaj A, Lacalaprice F, Solenghi M, Seddaiu G, Principi F, Tiano L, Littarru GP. Coenzyme Q10 and exercise training in chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2006 Aug 1; [Epub ahead of print].