Diabetes is a growing health concern in South Africa, with over 2 million adults diagnosed as of 2022. While medications are often necessary, incorporating natural remedies can greatly complement conventional treatment. Lifestyle changes and certain supplements show promise for better managing symptoms and reducing complications of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a chronic disease marked by high blood sugar levels, either due to inadequate insulin production (type 1) or insulin resistance (type 2). While there is no known "cure" for diabetes, making certain lifestyle changes and incorporating natural remedies into your routine can help manage symptoms.

Lifestyle Changes That Can Aid Diabetes Management

The first line of defense against diabetes should always be lifestyle changes.Adopting healthy habits is critical for controlling blood sugar and preventing complications:

Follow a Nutritious Diet: Focus on whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Limit refined carbs, sugary foods and beverages which can spike blood sugar. Include magnesium and antioxidant-rich foods to help regulate blood sugar.

Exercise Regularly: Aim for 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Exercise helps improve insulin sensitivity and keep blood sugar in check.

Lose Excess Weight: Carrying extra pounds worsens insulin resistance. Losing just 5-10% of your body weight can significantly lower blood sugar and reduce diabetes medication needs.

Quit Smoking and Limit Alcohol: Both negatively impact blood sugar control and raise diabetes complications risk.

Manage Stress Levels: Chronic stress causes cortisol release, which can raise blood sugar. Relaxation practices like yoga and meditation help lower stress. While lifestyle measures should be the foundation, certain natural remedies can provide additional blood sugar control and health benefits.

Herbal and Nutritional Supplements for Diabetes Symptom Relief

Research shows several herbs, vitamins and minerals may improve insulin sensitivity, protect against diabetic nerve damage, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and aid diabetes management:

B Vitamins: The B vitamin family plays numerous roles in blood sugar regulation. Thiamine (B1), in particular, supports healthy nerve and brain function.

• Benfotiamine is a bioavailable, fat-soluble form of thiamine shown to protect nerves and small blood vessels damaged by high blood sugar.

Magnesium: This mineral is required for over 300 enzyme processes in the body. It promotes healthy blood pressure, blood sugar control, nerve function and bone health.

• Magnesium Citrate is a highly absorbable supplemental form that helps raise magnesium status.

Antioxidants: Oxidative stress is both a cause and complication of diabetes.Antioxidants help neutralize cell-damaging free radicals.

• Diabetic Assist contains a blend of antioxidant-rich Indian/Chinese herbs toprovide broad free radical protection.

Other Key Nutrients: Chromium, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin D and alpha lipoic-acid also have research supporting their roles in improving insulin sensitivity and aiding diabetes management.

Let's explore the evidence and benefits behind some top natural supplements for diabetes:

Diabetic Assist:

Antioxidant and Herbal Support for Blood Sugar ManagementOxidative stress plays a major role in diabetes development and progression. When blood sugar runs high, excess glucose in the blood reacts to form free radicals - unstable molecules that steal electrons from other cells. This sets off a chain reaction of cellular damage that worsens insulin resistance and paves the way for vascular complications. Quenching free radicals with antioxidant-rich foods and supplements provides critical protection.

Diabetic Assist contains a synergistic blend of 10 Ayurvedic herbs and plant compounds selected for their antioxidant content and ability to support healthy blood sugar balance.

Key ingredients like guggul, bitter melon, fenugreek seed, gymnema and banaba leaf have been used traditionally in Chinese and Indian medicine as natural therapies for elevated blood glucose.

Modern research has uncovered they act via multiple mechanisms including:

• Mimicking insulin's effects on muscle and fat cells
• Increasing insulin production and secretion
• Slowing carbohydrate digestion and glucose absorption
• Providing antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity

Together in an optimal formula, these herbs provide multi-targeted support for healthy glucose metabolism and defense against oxidative damage. Diabetic Assist further contains triphala - a classic Ayurvedic blend with exceptional antioxidant capacity. Studies demonstrate it combats free radicals, reduces inflammatory chemical production and protects the pancreas. For those seeking additional blood sugar support alongside standard diabetes care, Diabetic Assist taps into ancient herbal wisdom backed by modern science. Just 2 capsules daily help activate the body's natural blood sugar balancing pathways using traditional plants still relevant today.

Benfotiamine:

A Key Nutrient for Diabetic Nerve and Vessel Support High blood sugar levels can damage the small blood vessels and nerves throughout the body, leading to diabetic neuropathy, retinopathy and other complications. Benfotiamine is a supplemental form of vitamin B1 shown to protect against this hyperglycemic damage.

Benfotiamine is a fat-soluble version of thiamine that is absorbed much better than regular thiamine. It can reach five times higher blood levels and shows superior bioavailability in target tissues like nerves and blood vessels. Once absorbed, benfotiamine helps activate enzymes involved in cellular energy production and defenses against vascular inflammation and damage from advance dglycation end products (AGEs).

• AGEs result from sugars binding to proteins and fats and are implicated in many diabetic complications.

Multiple clinical trials show benfotiamine can improve nerve conduction, vibration perception and nerve pain in diabetic neuropathy patients. Markers of nerve damage and inflammation also decrease with supplementation.

Benfotiamine further supports brain health and cognitive function. Animal studies demonstrate it can reduce Alzheimer's disease pathology and prevent cognitive decline. Early human data shows potential benefits for other neurodegenerative conditions as well.

For those with diabetes, supplementing with Benfotiamine provides thiamine in its most bio-available form to optimize absorption. Just one capsule a day helps activate pathways of cellular protection and nerve support to prevent the vascular and nerve damage high blood sugar can cause over time.

Magnesium Citrate:

An Essential Mineral for Blood Sugar Control Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body and is critical for blood sugar regulation. Many Americans fall short in dietary magnesium intake, and deficiency is common in those with diabetes. Insulin's role is to shuttle glucose from the bloodstream into cells to be used for energy. Research shows magnesium is required for proper insulin signaling and glucose uptake.

Without adequate magnesium levels, insulin struggles to do its job. This results in chronically high blood sugar and the increased insulin production that then accelerates magnesium loss - perpetuating insulin resistance.

Supplementing with a highly bioavailable magnesium source like magnesium citrate can help break this cycle. Citrate binds with magnesium to form a compound that is better absorbed compared to other forms like magnesium oxide.

Multiple studies demonstrate daily magnesium supplementation for at least 3-4 months can:

• Lower fasting blood sugar by 15-20 mg/dL on average
• Reduce hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) by 0.3-0.6%
• Cut diabetes medication needs.Improve insulin sensitivity and secretion

Magnesium also promotes cardiovascular health - critical for diabetics who face double the heart disease risk. It relaxes blood vessels, improves blood flow and supports healthy blood pressure. Those with diabetes stand to benefit considerably from optimizing magnesium intake. Just one small capsule per day provides a highly bioavailable source shown to improve glycemic control, insulin sensitivity and heart health parameters.

The CANCURE Conclusion: 

Lifestyle and Natural Supplements for Comprehensive Diabetes Management A multifaceted approach is necessary to effectively manage diabetes and minimize risk of complications over time. Basic lifestyle measures to lose excess weight, follow a clean diet, exercise and reduce stress form the foundation of self-care.

Certain herbal and nutritional supplements can provide adjunctive support:

• Diabetic Assist delivers antioxidant-rich herbs to aid natural blood sugar regulation pathways
• Benfotiamine optimizes thiamine status to prevent the nerve and small vessel damage hyperglycemia causes
• Magnesium Citrate helps restore healthy magnesium levels needed for proper insulin signaling and blood sugar control.

While not replacements for standard diabetes treatment, these natural products tap into the body's innate healing abilities. Combined with healthy lifestyle choices, they empower patients to take an active role in managing this chronic disease.

References
[1] The International Diabetes Federation's data on diabetes in South Africa. [2] Role of Magnesium in Pathophysiological Processes and the Clinical Utility of Magnesium Ion Selective Electrodes[3] Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes: AmericanCollege of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association[4] Look AHEAD Research Group. Long-term effects of a lifestyle intervention on weight and cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus[5] Modifiable Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes: American Diabetes Association Standards of Care 2022 Stress Management Training for Diabetes Educators: Diabetes Spectrum Benfotiamine in diabetic polyneuropathy (BENDIP): results of a randomised placebo controlled clinical trial Role of Magnesium in Pathophysiological Processes and the Clinical Utility of Magnesium Ion Selective Electrodes Antioxidant Supplements for Prevention of Diabetes Complications: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparative Bioavailability and Utilization of

Particular Forms of B Vitamins Benfotiamine Counteracts Glucose Toxicity Effects on Endothelial Progenitor Cell Differentiation via Akt/FoxO Signaling: Diabetes Effect of Benfotiamine on Advanced Glycation Endproducts and Markers of Endothelial Dysfunction and Inflammation in Diabetic Nephropathy Neuroprotective Mechanisms of Benfotiamine Role of Magnesium in Pathophysiological Processes and the Clinical Utility of Magnesium Ion Selective Electrodes Extracellular Mg2+ Regulates Effects of Vitamin B6, B12 and Folate on Insulin Secretion in Pancreatic Islets Efficacy of 12 weeks supplementation of a botanical extract-based weight loss formula on body weight, body composition and blood chemistry in healthy, overweight subjects-a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial The Effect of Lowering Blood Pressure by Magnesium Supplementation in Diabetic Hypertensive Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial Oxidative Stress and Diabetes: What Can We Learn About Insulin Resistance from Antioxidant Mutant Mouse Models? Antidiabetic Herbal Drugs and Polyherbal Formulation Used For Diabetes: A Review Triphala Extract Suppresses Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Human Colon Cancer Stem Cells via Suppressing c-Myc/Cyclin D1 and Elevation of Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio: Biomed Research International

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supplements [5] https://www.stamfordhealth.org/healthflash-blog/d...
endocrine/type-2-diabetes-natural-remedies/