by john
(Jacksonville, florida)
Submitted by John, Jacksonville, Florida
I sometimes have high blood sugar. I check before breakfast, two hours after breakfast and occasionally during the day with an inexpensive home meter purchased online.
I exercise for about two hours, five times weekly, eat mostly vegetables, berries, seeds, oils and cultured dairy, and rotate several supplements according to my readings. These include apple cider vinegar, chromium, alpha-lipoic acid, bitter melon, cinnamon, Gymnema, banaba, enzymes, raw pancreas and modified potato starch.
Can these herbs, vitamins and natural products safely control or cure diabetes without drugs?
Answer by Dr. Albana Greca, MD, MMedSc
Hi John,
Your exercise and nutritious food choices are valuable, but the supplement strategy described here is not safe enough to recommend to other readers.
A home meter can show patterns, but it cannot diagnose diabetes. Results may be affected by unwashed hands, expired or poorly stored strips, technique and meter accuracy. Check an unfamiliar meter with control solution and compare it with a laboratory result.
Record the numbers and timing, then arrange HbA1c and laboratory glucose testing. Our guide to blood tests for diabetes explains which results indicate prediabetes or diabetes.
Starting and stopping several products makes it difficult to identify what caused a glucose change or side effect. Supplements may interact with medicines and affect the liver or kidneys.
Routine vitamin, antioxidant or herbal supplementation is not recommended unless a deficiency or another clear indication exists. Our diabetes herbs and supplements guide reviews the main risks.
Evidence for cinnamon, chromium, bitter melon, Gymnema, banaba, ivy gourd and apple cider vinegar is limited or inconsistent. None has been proven to cure diabetes or replace prescribed treatment.
Alpha-lipoic acid has mainly been studied for neuropathy symptoms, not dependable glucose treatment. Benfotiamine, acetyl-L-carnitine, Agaricus blazei, juniper berries and peppermint also lack sufficient evidence for routine glucose control.
Modified potato starch may contain resistant starch, but it is not a fast-acting remedy for a high reading.
Symptoms after eating apricot kernels require immediate poison-control or emergency advice.
Choose pasteurized dairy. Raw milk products can carry organisms such as Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria and Brucella without offering superior nutrition.
“Raw pancreas” supplements have not been proven to restore the pancreas. Pancreatin and betaine hydrochloride should be used only for a diagnosed indication; they do not simply “take the load off” the pancreas.
Two-hour sessions five days weekly are unnecessary for most people. Most adults are advised to work toward at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity weekly, with resistance activity when appropriate. Our diabetes exercise guide explains how to train safely.
Vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds, legumes, suitable proteins and unsaturated oils can fit a healthy eating pattern. However, “organic,” “raw,” “sprouted” or “cold pressed” does not automatically improve glucose. Carrot and beet juice may raise glucose more quickly than whole produce. A balanced approach is outlined in our diabetes plate-method guide.
Seek urgent care for severe weakness, confusion, seizure, breathing difficulty, persistent vomiting, severe dehydration, or very high glucose with ketones.
Keep the nutritious foods and sustainable activity, but simplify the plan. Supplements should be used only for a clear indication after reviewing medicines, kidney and liver function, and product quality.
Diagnosis, nutrition, activity, monitoring and evidence-based treatment remain the foundation of care. Our article on natural diabetes claims and remission explains why “natural” does not mean proven or risk-free.
Hope this helps.
Dr. Albana Greca
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