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Vitamins and supplments?

markpj31

Well-Known Member
Messages
177
Location
England
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Diabetes.
Hi again,

Does anybody take Vitamins and Supplements specifically with diabetes in mind?

I take Vitamin B-Complex, Chromium Picolinate, Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, and Alpha Lipoic acid.
 
I take vitamin D in the Winter months and also a fibre supplement daily. The good bacteria which resides in the colon is central to general health and wellbeing and these bacteria feed on fibre, which is not fully provided by most modern diets. Soluble fibre is particularly important and can have a positive long-term effect on diabetes and general metabolism.
 
I've been prescribed Vitamin D 1000 recently, and Vitamin B12 presumably for neuropathy. I have doubts about vitamins in general, possibly because I don't see immediate enough results; how long do you have to wait and how do you know if they really work or not?
 
Liver. Nature’s multivitamin. Not always practical or desirable for some but capsules are a decent alternative if you trust the source. Obviously not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. Also eggs. Lots of eggs. And steak. Lots of steak.
 
I am not normally a “vitamins/supplements/health food shop/probiotic” sort of person, in any way at all, but I started taking Magnesium Oxide 500mg about 10 days ago and I have been completely blown away by the results (blood sugar wise).
 
I have doubts about vitamins in general, possibly because I don't see immediate enough results; how long do you have to wait and how do you know if they really work or not?
I think you are right to have doubts. A normally healthy person who eats a reasonably varied diet gets all the vitamins they need and supplements are unnecessary. The one exception (for some people) is vitamin D in the winter. Good D levels are very beneficial and many people don't get enough. It's easy to take and very cheap so why not?

Fibre is a different thing. It's not a vitamin for a start. You mentioned probiotic - and I agree on that. Probiotics are a sales gimmick and apart from maybe being nutritional they have no real affect on your gut health. That's probiotics though and shouldn't be confused with prebiotics. 'pro' vs 'pre'.

Prebiotics are a completely different thing. Prebiotics come from soluble fibre which is not digested in the stomach. It passes through the stomach and small intestine and reaches the colon where it feeds and strengthens your gut bacteria - known as your microbiome. Gut bacteria is the centre of good health. The benefits are numerous but important ones are mental health, metabolism and the immune system.

This isn't quackery, it's the result of serious research by mainstream medical science, much of which is ongoing, especially the link between gut health and mental health. PS. the issue with probiotics is that live culture doesn't survive the stomach, so it doesn't reach the colon alive. I've read people thinking they are 'adding' and 'building' their gut bacteria by eating live cultures. but, unfortunately, they are wrong. The microbiome you have is what you were born with. You can feed and strengthen it, but research says you can't add to it.
 
By the way, I should also add that a healthy gut is very good for diabetes. And it takes away all that bloating and acid reflux that so many people pop pills for.
 
I believe you.
 
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