Best supplements for diabetes: Three supplements proven to balance blood sugar levels

BEST SUPPLEMENTS for diabetes: If you'd like help to manage your blood sugar levels, then three pills could be what you need. Endorsed by the diabetes community, here's what they are. Link copied The global diabetes community recognises that some vitamins and minerals may be beneficial for managing the condition. Luckily, they're available in tablet form - making it easier than ever to get what you need. Which supplement could be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels? The first recommended pill is biotin. It's said to work "in synergy with insulin" and "increases the activity of the enzyme glucokinase". Glucokinase occurs in the cells of the liver, and is responsible for the first step of glucose (sugar) utilisation. Medical News Today added that biotin is otherwise known as vitamin B-7 or vitamin H. As it is water soluble, the body doesn't hold onto the vitamin thus it's needed from the diet. It's involved in the process of gluconeogenesis, which is the synthesis of glucose from amino acids. Oregon State University noted how biotin deficiency has been shown to impair glucose utilisation. READ MORE: Hair loss treatment: A popular ingredient known for alertness could increase hair growth One clinical trial, cited by the university, involved 28 patients with type 2 diabetes. They were supplemented with 9mg of biotin for one month. Results revealed a 45 percent decrease in fasting blood glucose concentrations. Another supplement recommended by the global diabetics community is chromium. They state chromium is a "crucial nutrient in the body's fight against diabetes". It continued to say that chromium has the power to "improve glucose tolerance and lower fasting glucose levels". Research published in the National Library of Medicine supports this notion. In a four-month controlled randomised trial, 71 participants with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes were enrolled. The control group – that consisted of 39 people – were given a placebo, where the supplemented group (32 people) were given 600μg/day of chromium. All diabetics received nutritional guidance, according to the American Diabetes Association, and kept using prescribed medications. The research team discovered that chromium supplementation "significantly reduced the fasting glucose concentration". This led the researchers to declare: "Chromium supplementation had a beneficial effect on glycemic control in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes." Lastly, the third supplement thought to help manage blood sugar levels is magnesium. The global diabetes community believes "magnesium tends to decline in people with diabetes". Magnesium levels may fall "to dangerously low levels amongst those suffering from severe diabetic retinopathy". A deficiency in magnesium has been shown to "directly influence the blood sugar control of type 2 diabetics". And it "may interrupt the insulin decoration process, and also increase insulin resistance".