Diabetes Diet?

The Sweet Truth about Diabetes?

What Kind of Diabetes Do You Have?

 Diabetes Diet

Antioxidant Properties. Currently, many researchers are studying vitamins and other nutrients for their role as antioxidants, which are scavengers of particles known as oxygen-free radicals. These unstable particles are by-products of many of the body's normal chemical processes and are increased by smoking, environmental toxins, and stress. They can damage cell membranes and interact with genetic material, possibly contributing to the development of a number of disorders including cancer, heart disease, and complications of diabetes -- including blindness, kidney failure, and amputation. Antioxidants act as scavengers to help mop up these free radicals. Vitamins C, E, and A are powerful antioxidant vitamins currently under investigation. They may also have specific effects on diabetes.

Vitamin E. Vitamin E is one of the important antioxidants. It may help prevent blood clots and coronary artery disease -- two major factors in heart attacks. Vitamin E may also offer some protection against beta-cell deterioration in diabetes type 1 and help counteract the nerve damage that occurs in diabetes. Actual evidence of its beneficial effects on the heart are uncertain, however. In some cases, positive results in patients who consumed high amounts of vitamin E may have been due to a generally healthy diet that contained a team of healthy nutrients, including vitamin E. At this time, some experts are recommending 65 to 260 mg (100 to 400 IU) a day. High doses of vitamin E may increase the risk for hemorrhagic stroke, although the risk is very small.

Vitamin C. Evidence for the heart-protective value of vitamin C, another major antioxidant vitamin, has been even more inconclusive. Some studies have found some benefits against stroke but not heart disease. Others have linked vitamin-C deficiencies with a higher incidence of angina, heart attack, and death from heart-related disorders. One study reported that patients with diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage) had vitamin C deficiencies. Such findings, however, do not prove that taking extra vitamin C protects patients against these conditions. In fact, some studies indicate the vitamin C acts as pro-oxidant in high doses, and everyone is cautioned against taking excessive doses.

B Vitamins. B vitamins are important for a healthy heart and one may have specific benefits for diabetes. Deficiences in the B vitamins folic acid, B6, and B12 result in elevated blood levels of an amino acid homocysteine, which is now considered a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Studies further indicate that taking these vitamins can decrease homocysteine levels. It is not yet clear, however, that reducing homocysteine levels will actually protect against heart disease. Another important B vitamin for people with diabetes is niacin (Vitamin B3), which has special benefits for patients with unhealthy cholesterol levels. Nicotinamide, a derivative of vitamin B3, also may protect beta-cells from the damaging inflammatory processes triggered by the immune system.

Minerals. Magnesium deficiency may have some role in insulin resistance and high blood pressure, but no supplements are recommended unless a patients is found to have low levels of this mineral. For people taking diuretics for high blood pressure, extra potassium may be needed, but in other cases, including certain kidney problems, an overload of potassium may occur, so no regular supplements are recommended without consulting a physician. Chinese studies have indicated that the mineral chromium may help control diabetes, but experts say the study population may not apply to Western groups and it is not clear whether the subjects were deficient in chromium to begin with. Many type 2 diabetics are also deficient in zinc; more studies are needed to establish the benefits or risks of taking supplements. Zinc has some toxic side effects, and some studies have associated high zinc intake with prostate cancer.

Sodium. Salt can raise blood pressure, and people with diabetes should limit salt intake, particularly if they have hypertension. A major on-going study of salt intake has found evidence that diets high in salt accelerate hypertension as people age. People who are most likely to be very salt-sensitive are generally overweight, older, African American, and those who have low levels of renina hormone that prevents reduction of blood pressure. In addition to helping to reduce blood pressure, salt restriction enhances the benefits of certain antihypertensive drugs by reducing potassium loss. One study showed that diets with very low salt intake helped protect against kidney disease in patients who were also taking calcium-blocker drugs for high blood pressure. Possibly even more important, one study found that salt restriction reduced levels of protein in the urine (albuminuria) of diabetic rats. Albuminuria is an indicator of kidney damage. About 75% of consumption of sodium and salt in Europe and the U.S. comes from commercially processed foods. New labels on foods now indicate amounts of sodium, and less salty commercially prepared foods are becoming increasingly available. Salt substitutes containing mixtures of potassium, sodium, and magnesium are now available. Of note is a study that found an increased rate of heart attacks in people with very restrictive low-salt diets; some sodium may be needed to protect the heart. Even simply eliminating table salt can be beneficial.