Type 2 diabetics can slow or moderate the progression of their disease by improving insulin sensitivity, enhancing glucose metabolism, and attempting to lessen the complications of diabetes. The following supplements and botanicals have been shown to improve blood sugar control or limit diabetic damage.

Click on a supplement/botanical name to view it's description.

Aloe Vera Gel
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Banaba Leaf Extract
Biotin
Bitter Melon Fruit Extract
Chromium
Cinnamon Bark Powder
Diamaxol
Ginseng
Ginkgo
Gymnema Sylvestre
Magnesium
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Zinc

Aloe Vera Gel
is better known as a remedy for minor burns and other skin conditions, recent animal studies suggest that aloe vera gel may help people with diabetes. A Japanese study evaluated the effect of aloe vera gel on blood sugar. Researchers isolated a number of active phytosterol compounds from the gel that were found to reduce blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels.

Alpha Lipoic Acid
is a powerful antioxidant that fights against oxidative damage to the lungs, vascular system and helps prevent diabetes by reducing fat accumulation as well as converting glucose (blood sugar) into energy. It can also support healthy peripheral insulin sensitivity, insulin function, and healthy blood sugar balance. Indications show that it works in both water and fatty tissue, enabling it to enter all parts of the nerve cell and protect it from damage.

Banaba Leaf Extract
contains an ingredient called corosolic acid, which supports the transport of glucose into the cells. In pre-clinical studies it has shown support the rate of glucose uptake and support healthy cholesterol balance. These studies further suggested banaba contains insulin-like actions. Banaba leaf extract plays a role in regulating levels of blood sugar and insulin in the blood. People often crave carbohydrates such as sweets and bread when they have fluctuations in their blood sugar and insulin. By keeping blood sugar and insulin levels in check, banaba leaf extract may be an effective supplement in the fight for weight loss by curbing the desire for sweets and carbohydrates.

Biotin
is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin also known as vitamin H or B7,  which supports and assists in maintaining a healthy fasting blood glucose, supports healthy plasma triglyceride balance, and improves glucose intolerance. Taking chromium with biotin helps insulin work better, supports the pancreas to work better, and lowers blood sugar levels.  Low levels of biotin are often found in people with type 2 diabetes.

Bitter Melon Fruit Extract
has been shown in preliminary studies to contain insulin-like properties.

In India, doctors are very confident about the anti-diabetic effect of bitter melon that it is often dispensed in hospitals to people suffering from diabetes in place of medication. In bitter melon there are 32 active ingredients. Natural remedies often contain an array of ingredients such as vitamins and minerals, which allow them to provide relief for a wide range of medical conditions.  Charantin is an ingredient found in bitter melon (mixed steroids), which  was found to be more effective than the oral hypoglycaemic drug, tolbutamide, in reducing blood sugar.

Compounds known as oleanolic acid glycosides have been found to improve glucose tolerance in Type II  diabetics by preventing the absorption of sugar from the intestines. Bitter melon has also been reported to increase the number of beta cells (cells that secrete insulin) in the pancreas, thereby improving your body's capability to produce insulin (insulin promotes the uptake of sugar from your blood by cells and tissues).In one study, glucose tolerance was improved in 73 per cent of type II diabetics given 2oz of bitter melon juice. 2 In another study, 15 grams of the aqueous extract of bitter melon produced a 54 per cent decrease in post-prandial (occurring after eating) blood sugar in six patients.

Chromium
has been shown in studies to improve glucose and lower lipids (fat) within the body. Low levels of chromium have been found in patients with diabetes type 2.
Chromium is an essential trace mineral that plays an important role in carbohydrate and fat metabolism and helps body cells properly respond to insulin.
A small study published in the journal Diabetes Care compared the diabetes medication sulfonylurea taken with 1,000 mcg of chromium to sulfonylurea taken with a placebo. After 6 months, people who did not take chromium had a significant increase in body weight, body fat, and abdominal fat, whereas people taking the chromium had significant improvements in insulin sensitivity.

Cinnamon Bark Powder
has been shown in studies to promote healthy blood sugar balance.

A couple of studies have found that cinnamon improves blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes. In the first study, 60 people with type 2 diabetes were divided into six groups. Three groups took 1, 3 or 6 g of cinnamon a day and the remaining three groups consumed 1, 3 or 6 g of placebo capsules. After 40 days, all three doses of cinnamon significantly reduced fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and total cholesterol.

In another study, 79 people with type 2 diabetes (not on insulin therapy but treated with other diabetes medication or diet) took either a cinnamon extract (equivalent to 3 g of cinnamon powder) or a placebo capsule three times a day. After four months, there was a slight but statistically significant reduction in fasting blood glucose levels in people who took the cinnamon (10.3%) compared with the placebo group (3.4%), however, there was no significant difference in glycosylated hemoglobin or lipid profiles.

Diamaxol
Diamaxol is a nutritional matrix formulated to supplement what you don't find in your everyday diet. As part of a healthy lifestyle, the natural nutrition in Diamaxol helps promote better wellness and healthy blood sugar balance without negative side effects.  Diamaxol contains a proprietary blend of vitamins, minerals, and herbs designed for maximum results.
To purchase Diamaxol CLICK HERE

Ginseng
Most of the promising studies on ginseng and diabetes have used North American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). Those studies have shown that North American ginseng may improve blood sugar control and glycosylated hemogobin (a form of hemoglobin in the blood used to monitor blood glucose levels over time) levels.

Ginkgo
has also been observed to lower blood glucose levels. It was studied in type 2 diabetics at a dose of 120 mg for three months. In the first report (Journal of Clinical Pharmacology 2000; 40:647-654), it was shown that ingestion of 120 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract  daily for 3 months by normal glucose-tolerant individuals caused a significant increase in pancreatic beta-cell insulin and C-peptide response. Ginkgo supplementation produced an increase in liver metabolism of insulin and oral hypoglycemic medications, which corresponded to a reduction in plasma glucose levels (Kudolo GB 2001). Type 2 diabetics with pancreatic exhaustion received the most benefit. Ginkgo does not appear to increase beta cell production; rather it enhances liver uptake of existing insulin, thereby reducing high insulin levels.

Gymnema Sylvestre
has been shown to lower and maintain blood sugar levels and promote healthy pancreas function when used over time. Used in India for centuries it has been shown as an effective and simple method to help support glucose at healthy levels. The use of Gymnema Sylvestre as part of your daily diet will help with blood sugar levels. There are a variety of ingredients found in Gymnema such as stigmasterol, gymnemic acid, lupeol, and quecitol, which have been found to lower glucose and promote healthy pancreas function. In India, gymnema is also known as the sugar destroyer. For more information click here.

Magnesium
has a broad positive effect on overall health and insulin sensitivity. The best way to get magnesium is by eating a wide variety of whole grains, low fat yogurt or low fat dairy products, seeds,  nuts, green leafy vegetables and or take supplements. The intake of magnesium can protect the body against inflammation and high blood glucose, conditions which can lead to type 2 diabetes, heart and blood vessel disease.

Two studies involved roughly 85,000 women and 42,000 men who completed dietary intake questionnaires every two to four years. The smaller study had a similar design and involved just under 40,000 women who were 45 or older. Both studies were conducted by researchers from Harvard University, and both are published in the January 2004 issue of the journal Diabetes Care.

Even after taking into account diabetes risk factors such as age, weight, physical activity, smoking, and family history, those with the highest dietary levels of magnesium were found to have significantly lower risk for type 2 diabetes compared with those with the lowest magnesium levels. "Our (study) suggests that higher magnesium consumption is likely beneficial for all groups, regardless of [whether they are overweight], physical activity levels, and hypertension status," researcher Ruy Lopez-Ridaura, MD, and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health write.

Vitamin C
plays an important role in glucose metabolism and oxidative stress on the body systems. New research suggests that an abundance of vitamin C in the diet may help lower a person's risk of developing type 2 diabetes. July 29, 2008 Higher plasma vitamin C level and, to a lesser degree, fruit and vegetable intake, are associated with a decreased risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a population-based, prospective cohort study reported in the July 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

"Higher plasma vitamin C level and, to a lesser degree, fruit and vegetable intake were associated with a substantially decreased risk of diabetes," the study authors write. "Our findings highlight a potentially important public health message on the benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables for the prevention of diabetes."

Vitamin E
promotes healthy insulin action, metabolic control, and endothelial function.

A recent study, conducted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, A.M.U., Aligarh, was published in the October issue of Atherosclerosis, in which the therapeutic impacts of tocotrienols on serum and lipoprotein lipid levels in type 2 diabetic patients were investigated. The effect of tocotrienol rich fraction (TRF) was investigated on elevated blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin A1C in diabetic rats.The study concludes that daily intake of dietary TRF by type 2 diabetics will be useful in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. In addition, therapy with TRF is both efficacious and highly cost effective.

Vitamin E has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (Montonen J et al 2004). One double-blind trial found a reduction in the risk of cardiac autonomic neuropathy, or damage to the nerves that supply the heart, which is a complication of diabetes (Manzella D et al 2001). Additional evidence documented benefits for diabetic peripheral neuropathy (Tutuncu NB et al 1998), blood sugar control (Kahler W et al 1993; Paolisso G et al 1993a,b, Paolisso G et al 1994), and cataract prevention (Paolisso G et al 1993a,b; Paolisso G et al 1994; Seddon JM et al 1994). In addition, vitamin E enhances sensitivity to insulin in type 2 diabetics (Paolisso G et al 1993a,b).


Zinc
has a role in the production and storage of insulin. There is some research showing that people with type 2 diabetes have lower zinc levels due to decreased absorption and increased excretion of zinc. Zinc can be found in these different food groups; fresh oysters, ginger root, lamb, pecans, split peas, egg yolk, rye, beef liver, lima beans, almonds, walnuts, sardines, chicken, and buckwheat.

"Clinical studies suggest that the use of antioxidants indirectly helps in the prevention or improvement of diabetic nephropathy," write Maryam Sadat Farvid, PhD, from the Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, and colleagues. "Also, association between microalbuminuria and magnesium depletion was shown. Because of the known synergistic action between vitamins E and C, vitamin E and zinc, and vitamin E and magnesium, a further important question is whether a combination of antioxidants provides better protection."

"The results of the present study provide evidence for the effects of vitamins C and E and also combination of magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C and E supplementation on improvement of glomerular but not tubular renal function in type 2 diabetic patients," the authors write. Diabetes Care. 2005;28:2458-2464