Beneficial Supplements.

[photognut]

Hi Guy's,

As an established heart patient with an intolerance to heart medication this took me down the alternative route. With my type 2 diagnosis my Doc put me on Metformin, again I have an intolerance and would have been labelled "Billy no mates" on that stuff.

I've been reading up on :
Chromium, Polynicotinate, most bio available 200 - 600mg daily
Cinnamon
Ginseng (Korean white)
Can anyone share experiences about these supplements, are they effective having a noticeable impact on BS levels?

I currently take the following to manage heart condition;
300mg of COQ10 and 2000mg of Fish oil on prescription, non prescription taking 500 - 1000mg Magnesium high dose vitamin B, Vitamin D, Vitamin C and high dose multivitamin.

Your input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[jack412]

get a blood test, high dose vitamins can be toxic if you don't need them and need to be monitored..
as for cinnamon etc
https://www.google.com.au/#q= cinnamon diabetes myth+

keep on the fish oil

 

[photognut]

Thanks Jack,

I'm well read on vitamins and supplements and their toxicity levels, synergy, interaction with other components. The biggest threat from supplements is the unnecessary chemicals that are put in these pills to chelate, fill etc. Fish Oil is also a blood thinner, if you are on anti coagulation therapy high dosage can boost your medication, so to speak. making you a right little bleeder
I don't mean to sound negative, I have read many of the links you google referred me to, I would really like to hear what individuals have experienced if they have gone the alternative route to lower BS levels.

Thanks.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Just diet and a little exercise for me. I try to get all the vits and minerals from my food. I tell myself I would have some symptom or other if my body were short on the essentials.

What was your diagnostic HbA1c? Mine was 53 (7%) and Metformin was never mentioned. It isn't a miracle cure, it doesn't in itself lower BS levels. It stops your liver producing glucose to a limited extent, helps a little with insulin resistance, but is mostly an appetite suppressant.

 

[noblehead]

Whatever supplements you decide to take I would check with your gp or cardiologist first before taking them, always better to err on the side of caution IMHO.

 

[photognut]

My HbA1C was 63 3 weeks ago. My Doc prescribed metformin to get it under control when HbA1C was 48 6 months ago. The Metformin bowel disruption kept me pretty close to home and we had to part company. I also have a heart condition, apparently these two conditions seem to have a metabolic causal relationship. My Doc prescribed the Metformin as she wanted to get it under control quickly before I'm back on the Cardiologists table.

Morning reading today = 10. Yesterday 6.9. started low carb diet weekend - no tatties, rice, pasta and one measly slice of bread to go with eggs for breakfast. juicing raw veggies & fruit, meat, butter....................

Heart attack 5 years ago, gave up smoking, no processed foods, no sugar and only drink water & tea, thought that life changer was bad enough. I wouldn't have thought Supermarket shopping could be an even more miserable experience. :***:

 

[Bluetit1802]

Without Metformin, the only way to get those numbers down is diet, and you have already started. You should soon be seeing a good reduction but try not to be impatient! It will happen, but stressing about it won't help. Have you any weight to lose? If so, losing it will help as much as anything, and a low carb diet done properly is the best way (in my opinion). Do you test at other times of the day? Morning fasting results depend on a lot of variables and are often the last reading to come down. I believe that a pre-evening meal reading is normally the lowest of the day.

 

[photognut]

Before bed last night was 9.

The past 2.5 years have seen my weight soar from 9 stone - 12, so I want to get back to normal. I guess I can put the weight spread down to undiagnosed insulin resistance? I worked out yesterday the cal intake on my new low carb regime was 900 calories - I'm hoping that intake level with exercise should witness a reduction in waistline size too

 

[jack412]

HbA1C was 48 6 months ago, 63 3 weeks ago. I would ask and take your Dr's advice. diet, exercise and medication, do what it takes to get your BG within range

 

[Bluetit1802]

Before bed last night was 9.

The past 2.5 years have seen my weight soar from 9 stone - 12, so I want to get back to normal. I guess I can put the weight spread down to undiagnosed insulin resistance? I worked out yesterday the cal intake on my new low carb regime was 900 calories - I'm hoping that intake level with exercise should witness a reduction in waistline size too

900 cals is not enough to sustain you very long, especially if you do any strenuous exercise. You will soon start to feel tired. The Newcastle Diet is 800 calories for 8 weeks, but can only be done under medical supervision. Try inputting your details into something like myfitnesspal, which will tell you how many calories you need to lose weight at your chosen level. I needed to lose 3 stones, I don't do any strenuous exercise, I just walk twice a day plus normal activities at home. 2lbs a week is about the right level. I was advised to eat 1200 calories, which I did, and found it easy. I was eating about 60g carbs daily. The rest came from fats and proteins. I lost my 3 stone, and then another 8lbs on top of that at a rate of about 1.5lbs a week on average. My problem now is to stop losing! My waist size dropped from 42" to 32", which has meant an awful lot of binge shopping for a complete new wardrobe. Great reward!

 

[photognut]

Thanks Bluetit - I haven't dieted before, eating to the recommended foods that the Cardiology department recommended... hello carbs now I'm on low carb I will have to adjust in another department to up the cals to sustain a reasonable energy level while losing, thanks for the advice it is really appreciated.