Your feedbacks on the best food supplements

[mike05]

Hi there dear community !

We know it is very difficult to come up to conclusions in terms of the efficiency of certain food supplements. Let's try and make this post a comprehensive recap of all your experiments and feedbacks over the years in terms of the actual effect on blood sugar from supplements you might have tested. Especially Berberine, Amla, R-ALA, cinnamon, turmeric, apple cidar vinegar... And also let's try to differentiate wether it has an effect rather on insulin sensitivity or on insulin secretion stimulation.

Let's go for it !

 

[D@n1el]

For a month, after reading a while about things that theoretically could be good to the pancreas and insulin secretion, I've combined 1800mg of Berberine, 1500mg of Bitter Melon extract, 1 raw garlic clove (5g~9g, very hard to take it), a small piece of Ginger (20g~30g, not that easy either) and a hard to define amount of capsaicin (20~40 drops of Tabasco pepper on food, no idea how much capsaicin that is).

My average FBG dropped about 7,75%, from 96,37 mg/dL to 88,9 mg/dL (this is average, on some days I'd have 108mg/dL, for instance, I am a prediabetic). During this month, I ate freely, there was good food, but also junk and chocolate and many other stuff. I've tried many diets for over a year, I just couldn't handle always having something forbidden anymore, specially because my BG was slowly rising no matter what I did and how disciplined I was. I've tried from full vegetarian to carnivore, from 16-hour fasting every day to 7-day fasting twice (3 months distance between each 7-day fasting).

With all those things I'm still taking (berberine/bitter melon/garlic/ginger/pepper), one thing I simply cannot understand is that now usually when I eat more sugar, the next day I have lower FBG. I've never experienced anything like that before. I take no medication. So, for instance, I've been getting better FBG the day after I eat 100g of chocolate than the day after I eat 50g, On a particular day I ate rice and potatoes, no candies at all, and I was surprised my next FBG was higher than the values I'd get after chocolate days!

I've decided to try something related to pancreas and β cells simply because my HOMA-IR index (1,00) and HOMA-β index (44,26) implied (just implied, I know those indexes have limitations) I don't seem to have an IR big issue but I do seem to have an impaired insulin secretion all right.

I am a lean pre-diabetic and I still haven't tried traditional medication for treating diabetes.

If anyone's interested, a few links on the things I've tried:

Berberine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2410097/

Bitter Melon
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027280/

Garlic
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5642189/

Ginger
https://www.intechopen.com/books/gi...view-of-the-antidiabetic-activities-of-ginger

Capsaicin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28230360/

 

[alangdunbar]

I decided to try Amla, I have been having trouble sticking to my lifestyle plans due to stress and other issues, so was looking for something to support my bg levels in the interim.
I bought the powdered organic amalaki, tried to take it in water it's a bit hard to get down, but after 3/4 days I did notice slightly lower morning readings, although I seemed to get higher after meal spikes.

Going to try take it with a smoothie rather, will keep you all posted on how it goes!

Would be great to hear others experiences with alternative treatments/supplements!

Organic Flaxseed Mix from The Foodie Market (Aldi Product) & also Lamberts MultiGuard Control from many health food shops (tablet multicompound)

 

[SMS1]

For a month, after reading a while about things that theoretically could be good to the pancreas and insulin secretion, I've combined 1800mg of Berberine, 1500mg of Bitter Melon extract, 1 raw garlic clove (5g~9g, very hard to take it), a small piece of Ginger (20g~30g, not that easy either) and a hard to define amount of capsaicin (20~40 drops of Tabasco pepper on food, no idea how much capsaicin that is).

My average FBG dropped about 7,75%, from 96,37 mg/dL to 88,9 mg/dL (this is average, on some days I'd have 108mg/dL, for instance, I am a prediabetic). During this month, I ate freely, there was good food, but also junk and chocolate and many other stuff. I've tried many diets for over a year, I just couldn't handle always having something forbidden anymore, specially because my BG was slowly rising no matter what I did and how disciplined I was. I've tried from full vegetarian to carnivore, from 16-hour fasting every day to 7-day fasting twice (3 months distance between each 7-day fasting).

With all those things I'm still taking (berberine/bitter melon/garlic/ginger/pepper), one thing I simply cannot understand is that now usually when I eat more sugar, the next day I have lower FBG. I've never experienced anything like that before. I take no medication. So, for instance, I've been getting better FBG the day after I eat 100g of chocolate than the day after I eat 50g, On a particular day I ate rice and potatoes, no candies at all, and I was surprised my next FBG was higher than the values I'd get after chocolate days!

I've decided to try something related to pancreas and β cells simply because my HOMA-IR index (1,00) and HOMA-β index (44,26) implied (just implied, I know those indexes have limitations) I don't seem to have an IR big issue but I do seem to have an impaired insulin secretion all right.

I am a lean pre-diabetic and I still haven't tried traditional medication for treating diabetes.

If anyone's interested, a few links on the things I've tried:

Berberine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2410097/

Bitter Melon
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4027280/

Garlic
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5642189/

Ginger
https://www.intechopen.com/books/gi...view-of-the-antidiabetic-activities-of-ginger

Capsaicin
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28230360/

Hi I read your post and links about the bitter gourd ( kerala, m.charantia) ; could you give the name of your bitter gourd extract so I could look it up to find an equivalent ? I've been to a health food shop and they haven't heard of it( I'm in Spain though):very informative ,thanks...

 

[Gracie204]

I've taken many supplements over a lifetime, along with following a healthy diet, and have kept well. That is until a couple of years ago when I was diagnosed as being prediabetic. I took Amla for a long time, purchasing it in powder form from a local Asian shop. It does not taste very nice, but I got round this by purchasing a capsule filling device from Amazon, and filled my own capsules. However, I cannot say that Amla helped lower my blood glucose levels, but neither did berberine, chromium, cinnamon, or my latest find vanadium. I do not want to go on Metformin, but earlier this year not long after I had the second vaccine for Covid I suffered for three months with pain all over my body. This went but afterwards I discovered that my blood glucose levels had risen, propelling me into the diabetic zone, and despite following a low carb diet I cannot get my blood glucose levels down. So the search for a natural solution goes on!

 

[Dr Snoddy]

I've taken many supplements over a lifetime, along with following a healthy diet, and have kept well. That is until a couple of years ago when I was diagnosed as being prediabetic. I took Amla for a long time, purchasing it in powder form from a local Asian shop. It does not taste very nice, but I got round this by purchasing a capsule filling device from Amazon, and filled my own capsules. However, I cannot say that Amla helped lower my blood glucose levels, but neither did berberine, chromium, cinnamon, or my latest find vanadium. I do not want to go on Metformin, but earlier this year not long after I had the second vaccine for Covid I suffered for three months with pain all over my body. This went but afterwards I discovered that my blood glucose levels had risen, propelling me into the diabetic zone, and despite following a low carb diet I cannot get my blood glucose levels down. So the search for a natural solution goes on!

As you would prefer a natural solution are you aware that Metformin is derived from a plant source -French lilac - and therefore also natural?

 

[Dr Snoddy]

took Amla for a long time, purchasing it in powder form from a local Asian shop.
Reply.
I am concerned about the belief that if something is 'natural' then it must somehow be better for us. Buying unregulated products can be a risky business as quantities of active ingredients, if there are any, can vary. There can also be contaminants present which may be chemical or biological. Also interactions may occur with other 'natural' products.
I am not particularly an advocate of pharmaceutical products either but at least they are regulated.
After all many drugs and poisons are also entirely natural.

 

[Member496333]

Liver.

 

[mariawanaya]

love this product. I know beets are great for me but I hate eating them, so being able to drink my beets in something that tastes great is amazing. The dark cherry flavor is really good. It also has Resveratrol which I use to take in pill form but this is so much easier.

 

[Snootybutnice]

I take vitamin B12 and folic acid (to help body absorb B12), because I read that Metformin blocks your body’s ability to absorb B12 which puts you at higher risk for amputations because B12 helps repair. I also take cinnamon because they say it helps - not sure but love the taste so it won’t hurt!

 

[Snootybutnice]

I take vitamin B12 and folic acid (to help body absorb B12), because I read that Metformin blocks your body’s ability to absorb B12 which puts you at higher risk for amputations because B12 helps repair. I also take cinnamon because they say it helps - not sure but love the taste so it won’t hurt!

I came off metformin several weeks ago to help with Vitamin B12 absorption and a blood test recently confirms my levels are high. I used 3000mcg Bioactive B12 50ml made by Nature Provides. I’m also taking pure whey isolate and seeing if it reduces spikes in BS. I’m continuing to take Forxiga (dapagliflozin).