Vitamin supplements with Type 1

It's never been suggested to us by our care team that any vitamins or supplements are required however that isn't to say they wouldn't be useful. I'd be interested to hear what others think about it or if anyone here takes a supplement to help with their diabetes.

Hi,

I don't know about digestive enzymes, in general the NHS seems pretty dismissive of vitamin supplementation; I really don't know why.

Here is a link to a good site with details of various supplements.

http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/20144672.php

I figure we are, as Type 1's, statistically likely to be deficient in at least vitamin B1 and vitamin D so why not supplement for those if there are no toxicity issues? Vitamin D should be in the form of D3. As you'll see it won't help with your diabetes but may have other benefits.

On vitamin B1 research at the University of Warwick showed that people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have around 75 per cent lower levels of vitamin B1 than people without diabetes. And the NHS response to that was? Nothing, bit of a shoulder shrug. Research has shown that thiamine (vitamin B1) can block the processes that lead to microvascular complications which include neuropathy, retinopathy and kidney disease; i.e. the hat-trick of complications that we worry about.

I also take Alpha Lipoic Acid.

Regards

Dillinger

Basically no there isn't supplements that can be given which makes much difference to T1 diabetes, there are a lot of people who will tell you others.. A healthy diet and access to being outside in the sun normally provides us all with what we need...

The only time a supplement might be beneficial is only if you'll missing a nutrient, which about the only person that can tell you that is your doctor after taking bloods to check it out!

Supplements aren't subjected to the clinical trails nor is their manufacture governed by the strict regulations of pharmaceutical drugs.... So just because a manufacturer says it does this that and the other they don't have to back this up with any clinical evidence that it actually does! Oh a lot will say in this research it said this that and the other, but as we know often research thinks if found the problem, but when put under further investigation it shows up as false hope..

Personally I wouldn't waste my money!

jopar said:

A healthy diet and access to being outside in the sun normally provides us all with what we need...

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Of course; unless you're, you know, a diabetic ( http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... 680.x/full "Several studies have demonstrated thiamine deficiency in individuals with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown altered erythrocyte transketolase activity indicating a risk of thiamine deficiency in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but the proportion of affected individuals varies from 17% to 79% across the studies (14–16)") or in the Northern Hemisphere between the months of October to April (populations living at a latitude higher than 37° north of the equator in the Northern Hemisphere are at the greatest risk of developing vitamin D deficiency; anyone living north of that line has such reduced sun exposure in the autumn and winter months as to make vitamin D synthesis nearly impossible. London is 51° north).

So, if you happen to live in the South of France and are not a diabetic then I completely agree with Jopar.

Dillinger

:lol: :lol: :lol: Love your reply to jopar Dillinger. Mind you I am also of the mind that if you havent been diagnosed with any sort of a deficiency then why take a supplement for somthing you are only guessing you have a deficiency of? seems very wasteful and counter productive as sometimes excess of a particular vitamin or nutrient can also be detrimental. So I wouldnt advise anybody to take supplements unless they absolutely need to. That seems logical to me and it is also less expense in these hard times for everybody.

So jopar I have to agree with you I think on balance, a far more practical approach.

This is an interesting link http://www.diabetesandenvironment.org/home/incidence

Your explanation not sure, whether the 17%-79% is the percentage of diabetic's that were found to be deficient in Vit D or whether it's the whole population! But as you can see from the link I've given that Finland did have the highest incidence of T1 diabetes, and I very much suspect that's where the 79% in your link is based too... Make sense 1/4 of Finland after all is in the Arctic circle...

But take a look at my link, you then start seeing it's all far from simplistic and Vit D, may not actually play the part that it's thought to play, as how does one explain that in Europe that Finland and Sardinia that is part of Italy have similar incidences of T1? Or that incidences in other areas are catching up with an increasing rate!

So is taking Vit D, supplements 'just' in case you might be deficient can only make a difference if you are, will it prevent T1 diabetes debatable...

Taking any supplement can only make a difference if there's a deficiency, but the back lash to this is dependant on whether a supplement is water soluble or fat soluble if you don't need it, with the former you just wasting money as the body flushes it out naturally, if it's the later then you could be risking serious health issues!

Dillinger: Please clarify, did the studies find diabetic patients to be deficient, or did they find that supplements resulted in fewer complications (and not just surrogate outcomes like "giving a subject B1 results in higher B1 levels (duh)"). If it's the former, the NHS is quite right in not recommending supplements.

If type 1 diabetics do have a tendency to be deficient in some vitamins then it would be good practice to check for deficiency when the annual blood tests are done, surely. But I also suspect that the NHS won't test perhaps because of the expense. I wonder if I ask for a deficiency test to be done at Jess' next blood take if they will do it. I don't mind buying the supplements myself rather than getting them on prescription but I agree that if there isn't a deficiency then it's a waste of money.

SophiaW said:

If type 1 diabetics do have a tendency to be deficient in some vitamins then it would be good practice to check for deficiency when the annual blood tests are done, surely.

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I agree Sophie but I guess money comes into the equation as per usual

SophiaW said:

If type 1 diabetics do have a tendency to be deficient in some vitamins then it would be good practice to check for deficiency when the annual blood tests are done, surely. But I also suspect that the NHS won't test perhaps because of the expense. I wonder if I ask for a deficiency test to be done at Jess' next blood take if they will do it. I don't mind buying the supplements myself rather than getting them on prescription but I agree that if there isn't a deficiency then it's a waste of money.

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If I was in your place, SophiaW, I might ask if they would consider doing deficiency tests across the board, so that you have a 'baseline' figure for Jess' levels when she is monitored in the future. it might be a way they can justify the cost.

Another factor (wrong word!) in Vit D deficiency is that the really high factor sun screens do such a good job of blocking sunlight that some children (and adults) at these latitudes don't even make enough Vit D, in summer, to see them through the winter. I have heard that rickets is increasing in some parts of the UK - but I have no reference link for that, and it could just be tabloid scaremongering.

Read round about it, if you have time; there are some good peer-reviewed articles if you Google, and you can make up your own mind. I don't believe in over-supplementing, and if Jess has a healthy diet and gets outside enough, I'd just keep it in the back of your mind.

I do agree with Dillinger about VitD3, though - older people don't make enough Vit D naturally, and I supplement both summer and winter - now. Another problem is supposed to be over-fertilised soils not producing good nutrient levels in intensively grown food crops. I might be able to find an old reference for that - it's one of the reasons Atkins gave for recommending supplements. I've never taken those.

Viv 8)

AMBrennan said:

Dillinger: Please clarify, did the studies find diabetic patients to be deficient, or did they find that supplements resulted in fewer complications

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I understand that you are a student AMBrennan, so inbetween lolling about and drinking cider perhaps you could click on the link and read that for yourself?

Dillinger

The elderly are given Adcl-D3 which is a combination of calcium and D3, it used to be given to those who had Ost Arthritis, but in the last couple of years rolled out to a very high percentage of elderly people who mainly either house-bound or residing in Residential care homes...

Going from what my husband sees via work, he couldn't say that he's seen any outward signs of improvement even in the non-diabetics!

I certainly wouldn't take any supplements unless strongly recommended by my GP or the diabetes clinic, which they never have been. I begrudge paying for omega 3 fish oils as they are expensive let alone a whole host of other things which probably don't work!

upyourownart said:

My twelve year old daughter has recently been diagnosed with type 1. Can anyone tell me if she should be taking certain supplements which may help her condition? I have been told by friends who work in complementary medicine that a Vitamin D oral spray and digestive enzymes could be given.
My GP and no one in the medical profession currently dealing with my daughter's condition have mentioned the fact that it is the entire pancreas that has been compromised by the condition and subsequently digestive enzymes would be advisable. Is this true?

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Only the islets of Lnagerhans, in the head of the pancreas, are affected in someone with type 1 diabetes, NOT the whole pancreas. So, the other functions eg secreting digestive enzymes, are not adversely affected. So, no need for supplements. Best source of vitamin D is sunlight, and much nicer than vitamin drops / spray.

There is a price issue, but if things are very tight you can get 'Healthy Start' vitamins for free.
As to not doing anything until told to by your GP, I think that could be a real problem; consider the poor/limited advice many get on diagnosis.

But that aside the NHS is saying certain people should supplement including the under 5's and the over 65's

Here is a link from the Government Health Officer on vitamin D

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/02/vitamin-d/

Dillinger

If you're still interested... For some it helps to take a diabetes-specific multivit, which will support the immune system. I take a general multivit, along with some more specific add-ons myself... and this regime has definitely worked the best for me so far. Depending on how much time and money you want to spend on supplements, there is quite an extensive list of what * could * help. Personally, I've gone with "well what the heck, let's try all the things and see if they help". It has to be said I am far from newly diagnosed, so a few complications have set it and thus I take certain supplements for that (such as alpha-lopoic acid and inositol).

For general well-being as a diabetic, I take:
Magnesium (it helps with various issues, including inflammation and sleep)
Omega 3 (anti-inflammatory)
5-HTP to boost serotonin (stress negatively influences your control)
Vitamin B (helps with energy levels and heart support)
Ginkgo biloba (to assist with energy levels without caffeine - -no more kidney stones)
Vitamin A (immune booster and eye support)

Something that really helped me as a teenager was Hoodia. You can easily get it in a tea, which is usually palatable even for the finicky. This was the only thing I could find that curbed the insane need to eat that comes with high blood sugar, which makes it very useful for getting your sugar back under control. Also... Hydration! Water, tea, sugar-free flavoured waters, iced teas or cold drinks. Vitamins and supplements will only do so much, one of the best things your daughter can do is to stay hydrated.