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Diabetes is one of our society’s biggest drains of resources – both financial and human. The total economic toll of diabetes in the United States alone is an absolutely staggering excess of over $100 billion dollars annually. Diabetes affects over 17 million people in the United States and another 16 million have prediabetes. Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes for catastrophic complications such as heart disease, cancer, or stroke is about 4 times that of people without diabetes. In addition to an earlier death, diabetes carries with it significant risks for serious complications such as blindness, the need for dialysis, and limb amputation.

Table 1. Major Complications of Diabetes:

• Heart disease and stroke- Adults with diabetes have death rates from cardiovascular disease about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.
• High blood pressure - About 75% of adults with diabetes have high blood pressure.
• Blindness - Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among adults.
• Kidney disease - Diabetes is the leading reason why people need to go on dialysis accounting for 43% of new cases.
• Nervous system disease - About 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nervous system damage.
• Amputations - More than 60% of lower-limb amputations in the United States occur among people with diabetes.

A Diabetes Primer
Diabetes is divided into two major categories: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is associated with complete destruction of the beta cells of the pancreas that manufacture the hormone insulin. Individuals with type 1 diabetes will require lifelong insulin for the control of blood sugar levels. About 5-10% of all diabetics are type 1.

Type 2 diabetes insulin levels are typically elevated indicating a loss of sensitivity to insulin by the cells of the body. Approximately 90% of individuals categorized as having type 2 diabetes are obese. Obesity greatly reduces the sensitivity of cells to the hormone insulin.

Pre-diabetes and Syndrome X
In addition to the 17 million Americans with diabetes, there are another 16 million with pre-diabetes - a condition that occurs when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Although many of these people are reassured by their doctors or told that they just have “a touch of diabetes”, research increasingly indicates that impaired glucose tolerance, even if diabetes never fully manifests, is accompanied by serious health risks and it should be treated carefully. In fact, insulin resistance is the central feature of a constellation of metabolic abnormalities referred to as syndrome X. The characteristic disorders present in metabolic syndrome X include central (abdominal) obesity, high blood pressure, abnormalities of blood clotting, and elevated blood lipids.

The Need for Natural Medicine
Diabetes is a very serious disorder that needs to be treated effectively. Obviously, the best treatment for any disease is primary prevention. Can diabetes be prevented? Absolutely and it is quite clear that the best way to achieve this goal is through lifestyle, dietary, and nutritional supplementation methods. In regards to treating diabetes or pre-diabetes, while current conventional medical treatment has undoubtedly led to many diabetics living healthier and longer as a result, the most effective treatment of diabetes and other blood sugar problems requires the utilization of the lifestyle, dietary, and nutritional supplement strategies.

When used properly, the natural medicine approach to diabetes can:

• Significantly reduce your risk for developing diabetes – even if many of your family members or ancestors are or were diabetic.
• Possibly reverse diabetes, even in many diabetics who are currently using insulin.
• Improve the sensitivity of cells to the action of insulin thereby improving glucose tolerance and normalizing blood sugar.
• Promote weight loss and slow down or block the absorption of sugar from the intestinal tract.
• Effectively reduce the complications of diabetes including heart disease and retinopathy.
• Improve the actions of drugs and insulin while at the same time reducing their side effects

The Right Diet for Diabetics
It is quite clear that the best diet in the management of diabetes and other blood sugar disorders is not the one promoted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). If you compare the dietary recommendations in our book How to Prevent and Treat Cancer with Natural Medicine to the ADA’s you will notice some clear differences. Our version incorporates the best from two of the most healthful diets ever studied – the traditional Mediterranean diet and the traditional Asian diet. These diets have also been shown to be protective against diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The four key principles of our diet program are to avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient foods such as junk foods, candy, and soft drinks; follow a low glycemic diet; eat a “rainbow” assortment of fruits and vegetables; reduce the intake of meat and animal products; and eat the right types of fats.

Goals of Diabetes Management with Natural Medicine
The goals of controlling blood sugar levels and promoting good health with natural medicine are quite simple:
1. Reduce after meal elevations in blood sugar levels.
2. Provide optimal nutrient status.
3. Improve insulin function and sensitivity.
4. Prevent nutritional and oxidative stress.

Specific natural products are available to address each of these core goals. There often is tremendous overlap with supplement strategies. For example, soluble fiber supplements have been shown to enhance blood sugar control, decrease insulin levels, and reduce the number of calories absorbed by the body. The greater the viscosity of the fiber, the greater the benefit for the diabetic. When taken with water before meals, highly viscous fiber sources can bind to the water in the stomach and small intestine to form a gelatinous, viscous mass that not only slows down the absorption of glucose, but also induces a sense of satiety (fullness) and reduces the absorption of calories. In some of the clinical studies demonstrating weight loss, fiber supplements were shown to reduce the number of calories absorbed by 30–180 calories/day. While modest, this reduction in calories would, over the course of a year, result in a 3–18 pound weight loss.

The most beneficial fiber is PGX (short for PolyGlycopleX) - a unique blend of selected, highly viscous soluble fibers. One of the main components of PGX is glucomannan, a soluble fiber obtained from grinding the root of konjac, a plant that has been used as a food and remedy for thousands of years in Asia. Glucomannan is 3-times more viscous than guar gum and approximately 7-times more viscous than psyllium. By combining the glucomannan with other soluble fibers, the viscosity of PGX is amplified further and has a viscosity 3-5 times higher than glucomannan alone.

Clinical studies with PGX have displayed an ability to lower after meal blood glucose by approximately 20% and also lowers insulin secretion by approximately 40% producing a whole body insulin sensitivity index improvement of nearly 50% - a phenomenal accomplishment that is unequalled by any drug or natural health product.

Provide Optimal Nutrient Status
A high-potency multiple vitamin and mineral formula is an absolute must for people with diabetes to deal with the increased need for many nutrients. Supplying the diabetic with additional key nutrients has been shown to improve blood sugar control as well as help prevent or reduce the development of the major complications of diabetes. Taking a multiple vitamin and mineral supplement has also been shown to boost immune function and reduce infections in diabetics. Specific examples of nutrients that the diabetic needs higher amounts of include chromium, vitamin C, vitamin E, most B vitamins, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.

Improve Insulin Function and Sensitivity
The first step in improving insulin function and sensitivity is achieving ideal body weight. The next step is making sure the body has all of the necessary essential vitamins and minerals that proper insulin sensitivity requires by taking a high potency multiple vitamin and mineral formula. Beyond that there are herbal extracts like gymnema and bitter melon as well as several other natural products to help improve insulin function and sensitivity such as alpha-lipoic acid. Clinical studies have demonstrated that these natural products can improve blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes and lead either to a reduced dosage or complete discontinuation of oral drugs used to maintain blood sugar control.

Prevent Nutritional and Oxidative Stress
Increased oxidative stress is a major factor in diabetes. As individuals with diabetes typically have elevated levels of free radicals and oxidative compounds, they are much more likely to suffer from their damage. These highly reactive compounds bind to and destroy cellular compounds. They also greatly increase the inflammatory process by adding fuel to their destructive fire via increased formation of inflammatory mediators like C-reactive protein.

One of the critical goals in nutritionally supporting individuals with diabetes is to flood the body with a high level of antioxidant compounds to counteract the negative effects of free radicals and pro-oxidants. The implementation of this goal is achieved by taking a high potency multiple vitamin and mineral formula, along with additional vitamin E (400 to 800 IU daily) and alpha-lipoic acid (400 to 600 mg daily). Vitamin E and alpha-lipoic acid improve insulin action, prevent the long-term complications of diabetes including improving blood flow to peripheral nerves, and actually stimulate the regeneration of nerve fibers.

Final Comments
Knowledge and awareness are the greatest allies for people with diabetes. An individual with diabetes who makes a strong commitment to learning about their condition and who accepts the lead role in a carefully supervised monitoring program that includes self monitoring of blood sugar levels greatly improves the likelihood that they will lead a long and healthy life especially if they utilize the natural medicine approach.

By Michael T. Murray, N.D., and Michael R. Lyon, M.D.

Michael T. Murray, N.D., and Michael Lyon, M.D., are the coauthors of the new book How to Prevent and Treat Diabetes with Natural Medicine.