Supplements which help T2's control BG levels

0110 said:

Hi Guys


Anyone have any good experience with better blood control, fasting and normal by taking some type of supplement? I am T2 and always willing to try things which may help. Currently on no medication and diet controlled. Recently started magnesium citrate tablets but too early to tell if its helping. Magnesium seems to be lacking in T2’s and is responsible for 400 metabolic reactions in the body, so my thoughts were to try some.

Also I have been hearing a fatty liver contributes towards T2 as well, I have lost 20KG in 4 months now and hoping visceral fat has gone down. Have over weight people who were diagnosed with diabetes able to turn this around for good by reducing weight?

Click to expand...

By controlling my blood glucose so I see normal numbers I have turned around my ever increasing weight and no longer need to go hungry or count calories.
The idea that allowing oneself to be come overweight is the reason a person is diabetic is just another way that patients can be blamed for their illness.

The weight gain is CAUSED by Insulin resistance, which is the gradual build up to type 2 diabetes. your horrendous diet, most likely included very high levels of Carbohydrates. Also with Insulin resistance, your cells are not getting enough energy, as some of the digested carbs are stored away as fat, and cannot be utilised, due to the high levels of Insulin. So send out the signals for hunger, hence over eating, not because your a greedy git, but because your basically starving.
This is demonstrated rather well, as when low carbing is done, blood sugar levels normalise BEFORE the weight loss.

I take electrolyte powder mixed in with water everyday and that has magnesium in it. It stops me getting ’keto flu’ Ive also been told vit D3 and K2 supplements are important so I take those as well. AND my GP phoned me last week to say I have a very low folate level so I’m taking a supplement for that too! I’m sure I’m rattling with all those

Keto flu is a one off thing, it is the body switching to fat burning, from sugars. Once gone through, the switch is seamless after that, and can switch after 8 to 12 hours of fasting. This is why after fat adaption it is easy to forget to eat, as rather than hunger, the body simply switches fuel supply.

ajbod said:

Keto flu is a one off thing, it is the body switching to fat burning, from sugars. Once gone through, the switch is seamless after that, and can switch after 8 to 12 hours of fasting. This is why after fat adaption it is easy to forget to eat, as rather than hunger, the body simply switches fuel supply.

Click to expand...

Isn't this amazing!

0110 said:

But from my understanding being over-weight can contribute towards being a Diabetic (not for everyone), do you disagree? Obviously doesn’t apply to all, but my diet was horrendous if I look back at it now, I can only speak for myself

Click to expand...

I spent decades telling GPs and nurses that eating carbs made me feel unwell and put on weight and yet I was pressured to eat a diet low in fat and high in carbs, and when I gained weight, it was my fault.
When diagnosed - that is finally told about it, I went back to low carb eating and was no longer diabetic in 6 months. I was still overweight - I'd become almost spherical - but in less than a year I found my clothes sliding south. When the nurse weighed me, knowing that I don't want to know what I weigh, she told me that I had lost 70 lb from the highest weight recorded for me. She seemed to expect me to have done the usual things, but all I had done is stop the carbs and been eating an Atkins type diet.
My diet was always 'good' and would have been fine for anyone able to cope with all those healthy carbs - but not good for me.

Our Insulin resistance does improve, because with lower levels of Insulin, the cells are not being bombarded by it. However, if you increase the carbs to previous levels, so the Insulin will climb, raising the resistance again. The odd higher carb meal is usually easily dealt with, but if you push it too much you'll be back where you started.
The modern diet, is too dependent on high levels of carbs, but by the same token the carbs are different to what they were even 50 years ago. Flour was always stone ground, nowadays it's steel rolled, and a much finer grain size which is more easily digested, stone ground takes longer to digest.
fruit has been genetically bred to be much sweeter than it's norm, traditional Bananas are nearly inedible, and bear no resemblance to the modern counterpart.
foods that traditionally were only available seasonally, are now year round items, and this flies in the face of evolution. And many modern staples were created in labs.
The 50 years of low fat bull****, also has a lot to answer for. We eat far too much for our lifestyles, because without the fat, food is far less filling, as a child one of my favourite meals, was Bacon, new Potatoes and peas, with the Bacon fat drizzled over the veg. i can even taste it now, that's proper Bacon, not cured overnight in a chemical and water concoction.

hi @0110. It is possible to be malnourished even when overweight, for sure. When I was first diagnosed I found out the vitamins and minerals that were necessary in the blood glucose regulation process, and took supplements for those (from memory - chromium, magnesium as reported above, the B vitamins amongst others). D3 is def part of it, (especially if you live in a sunlight-low region), as is the all important B12.

When taking metformin, I also take COQ 10 when I can afford it,and def B12 is a priority (to say again - B12 is that important!). This is because metformin has what Suzy Cohen calls a drug-mugging effect. using the same receptors or some such - so we can get deficient in these vital vitamins when taking the drug.

I also take zinc as I live in a naturally zinc deficient region if not eating a lot of seafood, and zinc is necessary for BG regulation I think (but don't quote me on that! this is all from memory as I'm chomping down on brekkie before running off to work...)

Also, in the first year or two post diagnosis I started using herbs and spices that were supposed to help. Now I use them because they taste great. I use vanilla and almond extract as sweeteners, and ceylon cinnamon, not because they have an impact on my BGs, but because they don't hurt, and are great natural sweeteners. Ditto apple cider vinegar in salad dressings, which is actively good for our metabolism.

Just see it all as part of a healthy quality diet now.