Which Supplements Support a Healthy Blood Glucose?

Blood glucose levels are regulated by hormones produced by the pancreas, including insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, and amylin.

Insulin helps lower blood sugar by facilitating the movement of glucose into storage areas, such as fat and muscle. When the body requires more insulin than usual to lower blood sugar, this condition is known as insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a major factor in many metabolic diseases, such as metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of heart disease, type II diabetes, and other serious health issues.

Supportive Supplements

Berberine

• In patients with metabolic syndrome, berberine treatment for one month resulted in significantly lower levels of fasting blood glucose, 2-h postprandial blood glucose, and insulin resistance index compared to the control group (Cao 2019).

Cinnamon

• Cinnamon extract has been shown to prevent insulin resistance in rats fed a high-fructose diet (Quin 2004).

Curcumin

• The daily administration of 1,500 mg of curcumin for 10 weeks in patients with type 2 diabetes resulted in significant changes in mean weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and fasting blood sugar (Hodaei, 2019).

Chromium & Magnesium

• Combined supplementation of 160 mcg/d of chromium plus 200 mg/d of magnesium for 10 weeks significantly improved fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance indices in insulin-resistant patients. It was more effective than either alone (Dou 2016).

Summary

Supplements such as berberine, cinnamon, curcumin, chromium, and magnesium may help improve insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels in individuals with these conditions.

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References

Cao, Changfu, and Meiqing Su. “Effects of berberine on glucose-lipid metabolism, inflammatory factors and insulin resistance in patients with metabolic syndrome.” Experimental and therapeutic medicine vol. 17,4 (2019): 3009-3014. doi:10.3892/etm.2019.7295

Dou, Mei, et al. "Combined chromium and magnesium decreases insulin resistance more effectively than either alone." Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition 25.4 (2016): 747-753.

Hodaei, Homa, et al. "The effect of curcumin supplementation on anthropometric indices, insulin resistance and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, double-blind clinical trial." Diabetology & metabolic syndrome 11 (2019): 1-8.

Qin, B., et al. "Cinnamon extract prevents the insulin resistance induced by a high-fructose diet." Hormone and metabolic research 36.02 (2004): 119-125.