Minerals that Help Lower Blood Sugar
Minerals like Manganese, Magnesium and Chromium are invaluable in the treatment of diabetes; as they are capable of lowering blood sugar.
Manganese
Manganese helps in the production of natural insulin and hence occupies an important place in the treatment of diabetes.
Rich sources of Manganese are:
- Cereals and pulses like finger millet, whole green gram and soybeans, whole wheat, kidney beans, lentil, split green gram and barley
- Nuts and oil seeds like areca nuts, walnuts, mustard seeds, almonds, cashew and groundnuts.
Magnesium
There is loss of magnesium during diabetic ketosis. 37% of infants born to diabetic mothers are short of Magnesium. Children between 5 – 18 years of age with well-controlled type-1 diabetes also have low magnesium.
If Magnesium is increased in the diet, xanthurenic acid in the blood is reduced for good. Magnesium is also necessary to activate enzymes containing Vitamin B6. Diabetes can result from a combined deficiency of Vitamin B6 and Magnesium. It is advisable for any person with diabetes or a family history of the disease to take at-least 500 milligram of Magnesium and 10 milligrams of Vitamin B6 daily.
Rich sources of Magnesium are:
Magnesium is present in chlorophyll of green leaves. Other rich sources are:
- Cereals like jowar, par-boiled and hand pounded rice, dry maize, spiked millet and finger millet
- Pulses and legumes like black soy beans, kidney beans, whole Bengal gram and black gram, roasted peas, lentil and split red gram
- Nuts like cashews, walnuts and almonds
- Vegetables like betel leaves, dry lotus stems, amaranth, radishes, onion stalk, spinach, celery and cluster beans
- Fruits like apple, figs, plums, green grapes, pomegranate, jambhul and pineapple.
Chromium
Chromium is a mineral that normalizes all blood sugar problems. Deficiency of chromium in the diet increased prevalence of type-2 diabetes. Chromium improves glucose tolerance.
Chromium is beneficial in the prevention and treatment of diabetes. It enhances insulin production in the body, increases energy and helps stabilize blood sugar. In patients affected with glucose tolerance, chromium supplements improved conditions. 50 to 200 micrograms is the recommended daily allowance.
Rich sources of chromium are:
- Cereals like finger millet, spiked millet, barley and whole wheat
- Pulses and legumes like whole Bengal gram, dry peas, soybeans, kidney beans, lentil and split black gram
- Vegetables like betel leaves, green mangoes; bottle gourd and onion stalk
- Nuts and oil seeds like raw and processed areca nut, cashews, almonds and walnut
How Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A Help Lower Blood Sugar
VITAMINS THAT LOWER BLOOD SUGAR
Some vitamins are capable of lowering blood sugar. This article highlights how Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin A play an important role in the treatment of diabetes.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is considered highly beneficial in treating diabetes. Requirement of Vitamin C is usually high in diabetics because of urinary losses, destruction by artificial sweeteners and stress factors. Supplementary doses of Vitamin C help increase natural insulin output in diabetics.
Intake of Five hundred milligrams of Vitamin C daily is valuable in treating diabetes.
The natural rich sources of Vitamin C are:
Dried Indian gooseberry is the richest source of Vitamin C. Some more sources are:
- Cereals, pulses legumes like tender red gram, sprouted Bengal gram, peas, tender maize
- Vegetables like drumstick leaves, parsley, cabbage, turnip greens, drumstick, bitter gourd, fenugreek leaves, celery and cauliflower
- Fruits like guava, orange, lime, ripe papayas, ripe strawberries and sweet lime.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E helps reduce vascular damage accompanying diabetes. It also helps decrease their insulin requirements. A diabetic patient can take a daily dose of Two hundred International units of Vitamin E for a fortnight beneficially.
Rich Sources of Vitamin E are:
- Cereal germ or wheat germ
- Green leafy vegetables
- Fruits
- Raw or sprouted seeds
- Milk and whole grain products
- Vegetable oils of sunflower seeds, soybeans and safflower
- Almond
- Lettuce
- Alfa Alfa
- Sprouted seeds grains and cereals
Vitamin A
Diabetics cannot convert beta-carotene into Vitamin A. A supplement of Vitamin A therefore becomes necessary. Fifteen thousand International units of this vitamin on alternate days is usually prescribed.
You may also refer to article titled “How Vitamin B Helps Lower blood Sugar” which highlights how Vitamin B is useful in the treatment of Diabetes.
Sphere: Related ContentHow Vitamin B Helps Lower Blood Sugar
VITAMINS THAT LOWER BLOOD SUGAR
Some vitamins and minerals are capable of lowering blood sugar. The following article illustrates how Vitamin B plays a valuable role in the treatment of diabetes
Vitamin B Complex
These Vitamins should be taken in liberal quantities because they help reduce blood cholesterol and fat. Diabetics have high urinary loss. Thereby they often have very small amounts of Vitamin B in their blood. Supplement of Vitamin B complex daily has shown remarkable improvement in patients.
Thiamine or Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 is very valuable in the treatment of diabetes. Neuritis develops if the diabetic diet is inadequate in Vitamin B1. However, a large amount of this Vitamin relieves the condition soon. Vitamin B1 also prevents brain damage during diabetic acidosis. The requirement of Vitamin B1 increases along with the requirement of insulin.
The natural rich sources of thiamine are:
• Outer layers of rice, wheat and other whole grain
• Cereals, pulses and legumes like soybeans, split green and Bengal gram, roasted peas, lentil and split red and black gram
• Vegetables like lotus stem, dark green leafy vegetables, capsicum and turnip greens
• Nuts and oil seeds like groundnuts, mustard, pistachio, cashew nuts and walnuts
• Fruits like dried apricots, pineapples, banana, apple and musk melon
• Cows milk and skimmed milk powder
• Brewers yeast and wheat germ are other rich sources of Vitamin B1.
Pyridoxine or Vitamin B6
When diet is insufficient in Vitamin B6, tryptophan (an amino acid) is converted into xanthurenic acid that damages the pancreatic tissues.
If Fifty milligram of Vitamin B6 is given daily to a diabetic patient, there is a marked and rapid decrease in urinary xanthurenic acid. A continued daily dosage of ten to twenty milligrams shows total absence of urinary xanthurenic acid. Thereby diabetics can take Vitamin B6 in liberal quantities.
The main rich sources of Vitamin B6 are:
• Cereals like toasted wheat germ, brown rice and barley;
• Pulses and legumes like dry soybean, dry lentil and lima beans;
• Vegetables like spinach and other green leafy vegetables, cauliflower and carrot;
• Nuts and oil seeds like sunflower seeds and walnuts;
• Fruits like avocados and raisin.
• Milk and brewers yeast are other sources rich in Vitamin B6
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