Put Wellness Within Reach

Type 2 diabetes: Taking this supplement twice a day can lower your blood sugar

TYPE 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugarlevels to rise to potentially dangerous levels, and, if left untreated, thiscan pose serious health threats. Fortunately, certain dietary decisions have been shown to keep blood sugar levels in check, including taking a certain supplement. Type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the UK and is caused by the body's inability to produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels. Unchecked blood sugarlevels, if left unchecked, can cause a wide-range of health issues, such asheart disease and stroke. Fortunately, overhauling one's diet can keep therisks at bay by regulating blood sugar levels and a certain supplement hasbeen shown to do the trick. According to the NHS, a healthy diet is key tomanaging blood sugar levels, so it is imperative to avoid certain culpritsknown send blood sugar levels soaring. As a general dietary guide, the healthbody recommends you should: If you need to overhaul your diet, the NHS alsosays it may be easier to make small changes every week. Evidence suggests onesimple dietary change could help to keep blood sugar levels in check - takingvitamin C supplementation. READ MORE: Type 2 diabetes: Adding this'superfood' to your breakfast could lower your blood sugar This is the keyfinding in a study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism,which found that taking 500 mg of vitamin C twice daily reduces blood sugarlevels throughout the day and minimises spikes in blood sugar after meals. Thestudy said that the antioxidant properties of vitamin C also reduce bloodpressure by counteracting the high levels of free radicals found in diabetics.Free radicals are compounds that cause damage to cells, proteins and DNA as aresult of everyday chemical processes that take place in the body. Cells thatstruggle to function properly or die create the conditions for diseases suchas diabetes and high blood pressure to develop. DON'T MISS Type 2 diabetes: Eating this high protein food could help lower blood sugar Type 2 diabetes: The best drink to help with lowering blood sugar levels Type 2 diabetes: Best meal to have at breakfast to lower blood sugar Glenn Wadley, head of the research group, said: "We found that participantshad a significant 36 percent drop in the blood sugar spike after meals. Thisalso meant that they spent almost three hours less per day living in a stateof hyperglycemia." Hyperglycemia is the name given for high blood glucoselevels and, as Mayo Clinic explains, the longer blood sugar levels stay high,the more serious the symptoms become. Wadley, who said that hyper glycemia also heightens the risk of cardiovascular diseases for people with type 2 diabetes, added: "After taking vitamin C supplements, we found that the percentage of people with hypertension fell by half." He continued: "While physicalactivity, good nutrition and current diabetes medications are standard careand very important for managing type 2 diabetes, some people can find it toughto manage their blood glucose levels even with medication." According to theNHS, physical exercise also helps to lower your blood sugar level and youshould aim for at least 2.5 hours of activity a week to reap the optimalbenefits. As the health site points out, You can be active anywhere as long aswhat you're doing gets you out of breath. This could be: Many people have type2 diabetes without realising because symptoms do not necessarily make you feelunwell, notes the NHS. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include: You should contact your GP if you have any of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes or if you are worried you may be at a higher risk of getting it, advises the NHS. Diagnosing type 2 diabetes involves a blood test, which you may have to go to your local health centre for if it cannot be done at your GP surgery, explains the health site.

Reference : Express.co.uk