The Super Antioxidants,Why They Will Change the Face of Healthcare in the 21st Century by James F. Balch, M.D.Dr. Balch is an honor Graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine. As a physician for thirty years, Dr. Balch is a member of the AMA and a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He is also is a licensed Certified Nutritional Consultant, from the American Association of Nutritional Consultants.What is Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism that is manifested by elevations of the fasting blood sugar levels. Additionally, the diabetic is at greatly increased risk for heart disease, cerebral vascular stroke, kidney disease, and the so-called diabetic neuropathy, where peripheral nerve function is dramatically impaired. In diabetes, either the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin or the cells of the body become resistant to insulin; therefore, the blood sugar cannot get into the cells, which then leads to serious complications.
There are basically two types of diabetes:
Type I, which is an insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, occurring most often in youngsters or adolescents; and
Type II, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which generally has an onset after the age of forty. In the past decade the incidence of Type II has become more apparent in younger children. Typically, million of people lose their vision because of undiagnosed diabetes, and complications from diabetes are the third leading cause of death in the United States.
The exact cause of Type I diabetes remains unknown. However a current theory is that injury to the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, couple with some defect in the tissues ability to regenerate itself, produces diabetes mellitus. In Type I diabetes, the body’s immune system apparently begins to attack the pancreas. This auto-immune disease is strongly linked to free radicals that damage the beta cells of the pancreas. Obesity is a key contributing factor here, with approximately 90 percent of the Type II diabetics being overweight. Most important, ultimately achieving a normal body weight is associated with a restoration of normal blood sugar in the vast majority of these patients. The Biochemistry of Diabetes Here are two important considerations. The first has to do with glycosylation, the binding of glucose to proteins that leads to changes in the structure a function of the body’s proteins. In the diabetic, excessive glycosylation occurs with the proteins of the red blood cells, the lens of the eye, and the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerve cells of the nervous system. Glycosylation is not a good thing. Secondly, the diabetic produces a by-product of glucose metabolism called sorbitol. It is formed with the cell through the action of the enzyme aldose reductase. In the non-diabetic, sorbitol is formed but broken down readily into fructose, another simple sugar. This allows the sorbitol to be excreted from the cell. In the diabetic however, with frequent elevations of blood sugar levels, sorbitol accumulates in the cell and plays a major role in the complications of the diabetic. The following diseases are linked to diabetes mellitus: atherosclerosis, diabetic neuropathy, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic nephropathy and diabetic food ulcers. The diabetic has a three times higher risk of dying prematurely of hardening of the arteries than the non-diabetic. Supplements and Diabetes The most important of all of the supplements for the diabetic is chromium. Many studies of the diabetic have shown that supplementation of the diet with chromium will decrease fasting blood sugar levels, improve glucose tolerance, lower insulin levels, and decrease total cholesterol and fat levels,while increasing HDL cholesterol. JAMA 1995; 73:1849-1854 Chromium deficiency may be the primary underlying factor contributing to the large number of Americans who suffer with blood sugar problems, both diabetes and hypoglycemia. Evidence is overwhelming that there is a significant chromium insufficiency in the United States.The Antioxidant Vitamin C
How is diabetes related to anti-oxidants? There are two reasons. Number one, free radical damage to the beta cells that produce insulin in the pancreas has been implicated as a primary cause of diabetes. Second, diabetic complications can be reduced drastically by the use of antioxidants. The transportation of vitamin C into the cells is accomplished by its connection to insulin. Therefore, diabetics often do not have enough intracelluar vitamin C, and vitamin C deficiency exists in many diabetics despite what would normally be considered adequate dietary consumption of vitamin C. Very important is the fact that vitamin C in high doses (at least 2,000milligrams per day) effectively reduces the accumulation of dangerous sorbitol in the red blood cells of diabetics. Diabetes 1989;38:1036-1041
Remember the accumulation of sorbitol is linked to many complications of diabetes, particularly eye and nerve disorders. Diabetics have an increased need for antioxidant nutrients like vitamins C an E due to increased oxidative stress. High dosages of vitamin E (e.g., 800 to 1200 IU) and vitamin C (>1,000mg) have been shown to improve not only antioxidant status, but also blood sugar control. Diabetic Medicine13:800-5, 1996
The Antioxidant Flavonoids: Flavonoids are very useful in treating diabetes. Quercetin promotes insulin secretion and along with other flavonoids is a potent inhibitor of sorbitol accumulation in the tissues and the blood. Sorbitol is dangerous in the red blood cells of diabetics. Flavonoids increase intracellular vitamin Clevels, resulting in less leakage of blood into the tissues, preventing bruising, and maybe most important, enhancing the immune system. The diabetic should consider increasing the amounts of flavonoids in their diet per day by adding a flavonoid-rich extract such as bilberry and grapeseed extract.
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