February 13, 2012

Another Poll: Which Supplements Have You Found Lower Blood Sugar.? Which Don't?

You folks came up with such helpful information on this past poll, that I thought I'd ask you to answer two questions I get asked a lot by the people who email me.

When discussing a supplement, please tell us how much of a change the supplement made for you. I.e. "It dropped my fasting blood sugar 10 mg/dl." or "It allowed me to eat another 15 g of carb per meal without spiking."

NO BRAND NAMES. Just the generic name of whatever it is the supplement contains. Because questions about supplement often draw shills working for companies selling crap, I reserve the right to flush any response that doesn't look right to me.

1. Which supplements have you found lower your blood sugar and keep on lowering it after the first week or two you take them?

2. Which supplements have you tried that were a waste of money?


Thanks in advance to everyone who contributes their data!

 

54 comments:

Jenny said...

Here's what I've experienced.

1. Supplements that work for me.

Prescription yam-based Estrogen. It drops my blood sugar about 10 mg/dl. I've been taking it for the past 12 years.

Coenzyme Q10. I started taking a 50 mg dose two months ago and it makes a definite change in how much carbohydrate I can tolerate without insulin, it covers about 10-15 g. If I take it every day, I start to get ravenously hungry so I currently take it every other day. This may work for me because of some oddity connected with my insulin sensitive genetic diabetes. I don't see much posted about it helping Type 2s.

Supplements that didn't work.

Cinnamon
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Chromium picolinate
L-Carnitine
Magnesium
Vitamin D (caused hypos for the first week then faded out and had no impact on my blood sugars.)

Anonymous said...

Chia seeds made all the difference for me. Before chia, if I ate oatmeal for breakfast, I'd have a huge spike. Now I can eat oatmeal (with a teaspoon of chia) and my blood sugar stays under 100.

dallyup52 said...

R-Lipoic acid drops my BG 10-20 mg/dl depending on how much I take (between 200-300mg/day). A-Lipoic acid worked also but I had to take 600-900mg/day to see an affect). I keep taking chromium and magnesium but can't say that I have seen any difference with them.

Pem said...

The one that helps me contains:
- ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract125 mg (root and leaf) (standardized to 8% withanolides)
- Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) extract (root) 75 mg (Standardized to 0.8% eleutherosides)
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) 5:1 extract (aerial) 75 mg
- Rhodiola extract (Rhodiola rosea) (root) 37.5 mg (Standardized to 1% salidrosides)

It is an anti-stress formula, and I suspect it reduces the process by which stress leads to higher BG. I've been taking it in the morning for years but recently started taking it in the evening as well because it seems to lower my morning fasting BG.

Helen Howes said...

Cinnamon. I found this worked a little when I was running very high numbers at the start, but not when on normalish numbers..
I take B12, which does not lower my blood sugars but does counteract the depletion caused by Metformin

HH

Nigel Kinbrum said...

For me (a.k.a. Prince of Darkness), Vitamin D3 @ 5,000iu/day dropped my fasting blood glucose from 6.8mmol/L (122mg/dL) to 5.0mmol/L (90mg/dL).

It dropped my 2 hour post-75g glucose load blood glucose from 8.7mmol/L (157mg/dL) to 3.7mmol/L (67mg/dL).

Things other than Vit D3 intake may have changed.

hoggle said...

thanks for doing this jenny! i recently started bi-estro cream. it's otc. my estrogen is pretty low for my age. (not answering the poll bc i havent tested enough)

Andrea Karim said...

Chromium, green tea, and cinnamon. I take all three of these, especially in the mornings, when I have my biggest spikes.

I try to go easy on the chromium picolinate, but the cinnamon I take freely.

Deena said...

Coffee bean extract taken 1/2 hour before eating. A 200-mg capsule (which is what I normally use) lowers my post-prandial glucose about 20-25 mg. A 400-mg capsule lowers it about 35 mg. I use it at breakfast and lunch but not at dinner because it does have caffeine. I haven't checked my BG at 1-hour post-prandial but coffee bean extract is supposed to lower it at that point as well. Because of using this product, I am able to eat some carbs at lunchtime, which I greatly enjoy! I have type 2 diabetes, diet controlled, no meds.

Unknown said...

Well, this is very much YMWV :)

I found that r-Alpha Lipoic Acid lowered my bg levels as long as i also took the complimentary Biotin as the Biotin may drop due to the ALA addition.

Erin said...

Working: Organic comprehensive "Greens" powder (meaning very nutrient dense, grasses, sea vegetables, probiotics, fiber if you want, etc). You can look at different brands at health food and high end grocery stores to see what you like, and order online for a much more reasonable price.

I am T2, on oral meds, and this has really helped my morning highs (almost always 126 when I first get up). I chug down a scoop of the greens (in some green tea I always keep in the fridge - makes it taste better and adds more health benefits than plain water.)

It would usually require me taking my meds and 2 hours post eating & some excercise to be in the high 90s. Now, I can take my reading at one hour post eating and and I'm in the 90s. (I even stopped taking Januvia and am only now on Metformin and my numbers are still better now with the superfood type greens than with the Metformin/Januvia.)

I am even thinking of a way to have some ready to drink after 3AM if I get up for a potty break :)

Helps with B deficiency that started with my T2 treatment: kombucha tea and nutritional yeast. I brew my own kombucha now, very easy, and pennies vs. $3 a bottle. (Although there is some sugar added in order for the fermantation to occur, it does not raise my blood sugar whatsoever, though this of course may be individual).

Anecdotal: I also have added 100mg of coQ10, the liquid form as advised by my Doc, and I feel that has improved my metabolism in general, but I don't know if that is actual or perceived. I am including this however as I am more invigorated and more keen to exercise, which of course directly lowers my BG.

Didn't work:
Cinnamon (even the "good" / expensive filtered kind)
Diabetic vitamins - I just eat more hunter/gatherer style and get my nutrients that way and with the greens and feel much better now and have the readings to back it up.

Harold said...

I have tried a bunch of them and not found anything that worked. Insulin works! I do take Mg, K, and some C but not to lower BS.

Sly said...

Work:
- Taurine 1500mg - strongest effect, especially with exercise
- ALA 600mg
- Arginine+Citruline - 3g, twice daily, small effect (was quite strong in the beginning)

Don't work or minimal effect:
- cinnamon
- vit. D
- CoQ10
- L-carnitine
- magnesium
- ginseng
- gymnema sylvestre

Sharon Villines said...

I do take supplements and read about them — Consumer Lab is a big info resource — but don't think any have lowered my blood sugars. I have horrible side effects from metfomin and have the same reaction from some of the blood sugar specific supplements — gymnestra (?), some formulations of ALA. Pernicious enemia runs in my family so it may be that they cause B12 deficiencies that I can't overcome with supplements.

From reading the other posts, I wonder if the general supplements I take have helped but I didn't notice because I always take them. CoQ10, magnesium, Vitamin D. calcium, fish oils, etc.

Jenny said...

I have had to delete some posts due to their crossing the line into promoting branded products rather than reporting on generic ingredients.

Please do NOT post brand names here or post claims of miracle cures on other pages of this blog.

If a treatment has been useful to you, send me an email. If I get enough independent reports I'll check it out.

This site gets dozens of spams each week from people promoting supplements, often trying to sound like ordinary folks (except that this is the first time they've ever posted and all they post about is the wonderful supplement.)

If you're someone who has been posting here for year or an old a.s.d. friend, and I'll recognize your name, your recommendation carries more weight. But I treat any message from a stranger promoting a branded supplement as spam--and delete it.

Fleur said...

I've never had any luck.

I'm curious how people attributed success to a certain supplement...does you blood sugar go back up when you don't take it?

Jenny said...

Fleur, That is a very good question. I note that few people who responded here quantified the improvement that a given supplement makes.

My impression has always been that a lot of people don't carefully test supplements by trying them and stopping to see if they are actually making the differences they are seeing in their sugars.

Erin said...

To help "jog" participants memories: has anyone tried tumeric?

I have ordered some and will report back (as it will be the only new supplement I will be adding in / changing at this time).

Jenny said...

Turmeric is supposed to be antiinflammatory. But just today I stumbled on an article in Time that reported that spices from India puchased in the Boston, MA area taken to the lab proved to contain dangerous levels of lead.

Turmeric is one of those Indian spices--I'd been getting mine at an Indian market. But even with stuff packaged in the US, you have no idea where it was grown.

So I would use it sparingly.

Jenny said...

Here's the link to the Time article:

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1971906,00.htmlStudy: Indian Spices, Powders Linked with Lead Poisoning

ItsTheWooo said...

Hi Jenny
I am not diabetic, but blood glucose control is of related utility to me (obesity/PCOS/hypoglycemia history).

From the research I have done it seems there are many supplements out there which are noted to help insulin sensitivity / glucose tolerance.

For example, EGCG (a compound in green tea) leads to lower postprandial blood sugars in rat and human subjects. Here's a rat study:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17187956

Again, not diabetic, but instances of hypoglycemia and weight control have been far superior since taking glucose tolerance enhancing + insulin sensitizing supplements like chromium GTF, magnesium citrate, acetyl-l-carnitine, inositol, and EGCG (via lots of fresh brewed green tea).

I suspect the issue is that supplements can improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, but this might not necessarily reflect itself in better control of diabetes and lower postprandial numbers, because control of diabetes is more complicated than how sensitive to insulin one is. Most diabetics have some type of absolute or relative insulin deficiency, loss of the cephalic phase response and so on, and once someone becomes diabetic I don't think many supplements can help at all, other than perhaps a very few (EGCG is one shown in studies over and over to lead to lower postprandial numbers; I believe cinnamon exerts a hypglycemic effect as well; vandium is another hypoglycemic).

Still I think there is value in supplements particularly the type II diabetic types as improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity and improving fat oxidation can lead to weight loss, which is noted to improve diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity (smaller fat cells).
My weight is *far* easier to control and I am thinner after taking these supplements.

ItsTheWooo said...

It's a shame the FDA does not do a better job regulating supplements.

Even if you purchase them from a reputable chain (e.g. GNC or the vitamin shoppe), these chains purchase the ingredients from crappy third world factories with terrible standards, products have been known to be contaminated with lead.

Jenny said...

Itsthewoo,

I appreciate your point, but what I'd really like to hear is some hard numbers.

I.E. "This supplement lowered my blood sugar that amount."

Which is singularly lacking here. Given that many of these supplements cost far more than pharmaceuticals that work, that is an issue.

I have never yet heard of any supplement that actually changes insulin sensitivity.

Nigel Kinbrum said...

Jenny, it's not a supplement, but have you tried resistance training to lower your blood glucose? IIRC, cardio made no difference.

Bodyweight squats, burpees, squat-thrusts, chin-ups, press-ups from the knees, bicep curls with a shopping bag & tricep dips with a chair are worth trying.

Jenny said...

Nigel, Definitely another topic for conversation another day.

There is some interesting research I've found that turned up the fact that post-menopausal women do not get the glucose burning advantages from exercise that younger women do. My polls on the subject of exercise and blood sugar come up with 50-50%. Some people find it really helps, others that it doesn't.

Other research shows it has a lot to do with the genetics of a person's mitochondria.

Nigel Kinbrum said...

You may find Increasing your fat-burning capacity of interest, including the comments.

But yes, it's another topic for another day.

Jenny said...

Nigel,

It's all of interest, but I've been reading a lot lately and seeing very clearly that research on young healthy athletic males rarely applies to older people with metabolic issues. It's certainly worth trying various forms of exercise, but so many of us older people are baffled when we do what we're told will have this major impact and it has none.

Deepak Joshi said...

Eating a Guava in the afternoon
helps me reduce my BS by 30 points.I do not take insulin ,only Metformin.

chmeee said...

Re the exercise comments, there is now more research on HIIT and its eefect on midle aged people, with various ailments ( heart, metabolic ). Funnily enough, Mark Sisson links to it this week ( so you may well already have seen it ? : http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/15/how-1-minute-intervals-can-improve-our-health/?src=recg

It will be interesting to see the detail on the papers, but only the abstracts are available just now.

LCHF in Canada said...

R-ALA and Cinnamon extract are the ONLY two supplements that I find really do anything for me, as far as glucose-control or insulin-sensitivity.

The thing I absolutely swear by, however, is HIIT - High-Intensity-Interval-Training. Whether weight-training, sprint intervals, cycling intervals, jump-rope intervals... it doesn't matter which HIIT exercise I engage in, it's done more for my insulin-resistance and thus glycemic-control than anything else I've tried in the past 14 months.

LCHF in Canada said...

Hi Jenny,

You mentioned to Nigel: "...I've been reading a lot lately and seeing very clearly that research on young healthy athletic males rarely applies to older people with metabolic issues..."

Are you sure it's "rarely" or is it that some of us 'older' people don't try as hard?

At 45 years old (not 'old' but no longer young/athletic) and at over 300lbs with a new diagnosis of Type II diabetes I totally turned around my life using exercise...

Maybe I'm the exception - but my family will testify the commitment to the exercise was FAR more than most 45 year old 300lb men with spinal injuries would ever attempt, let alone do.

So I wonder if most older people just don't engage in the intensity-level that's required to see the benefits...

Just a thought.

Jenny said...

Interesting article, though they always present the results as averages which obscures the fact that some people are high responders and some don't respond at all. That is the single most annoying factor in 98% of the diet and exercise research I read.

I've been doing interval training with a telemetry strap on a treadmill fairly close to what they describe for the past 15 months. I have nicer muscles but no huge difference in fitness. That was something of a shocker for me as I expected my ability to work harder to grow, but after the first few weeks it pretty much stalled out.

Jenny said...

I don't think the problem is laziness or lack of motivation.

Age-related differences in metabolic adaptations following resistance training in women. Isabelle J Dionne et al. Experimental Gerontology.Volume 39, Issue 1, January 2004, Pages 133–138

And unfortunately, those of us who don't experience the dramatic responses from exercise often have people who do respond as you did, assuming we aren't as motivated or as hard working.

LCHF in Canada said...

"...unfortunately, those of us who don't experience the dramatic responses from exercise often have people who do respond as you did, assuming we aren't as motivated or as hard working..."

I totally agree. I think it's possibly in my case that I responded exceptionally well because I *used* to be an athlete - many, many moon ago.

Because I'm genetically coded to be a mesomorph with large muscle mass, once I started high-intensity-interval training and resistance (weight) training, the muscle really started to build - which also helps lose the fat.

My wife hates how fast I've responded physiologically to the diet and exercise. She's obese - weighs more than I do, in fact, though with no indication of metabolic syndrome aside from the bodyfat.

Can I ask a question? I've recently read a study (on mice... so take it with a grain of salt) regarding green-tea extract (ECGC)and diabetes... do you know if any similar tests have been done on humans, or have many people mentioned Green-Tea and/or ECGC helping?

The study is here if you want to look at it: http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/9/1/11/abstract

Rad Warrier said...

I take the following two items that can be considered supplements:

1. Vitamin D3, 1000 IU per day
2. A vegan protein powder, 1 "level scoop" per day.

Neither has brought my BG down.

Regards,
Rad

Jenny said...

LCHF,

The mouse study was conducted by someone on the payroll of the supplement maker. Reading the full text I couldn't find any indication of how many mice participated. They were DB/DB mice which get diabetes when they eat fat, not carbs unlike humans. And these same mice got dramatic results on Avandia, too, which doesn't produce those kinds of results in humans.

The only supplements I pay any attention to are those that a lot of people write to tell me make a dramatic difference in their blood sugar, because there are dozens if not hundreds of commercial products (like this one) touted as having an effect on blood sugar based on sponsored studies that don't do squat for real people in real life.

If they do, you want to know what else they do (as you would with a pharmaceutical). It is possible to lower blood sugar by damaging the liver, for example.

Rich Wiltshire said...

I take Quercetin and it has a significant effect on my blood sugars by likely raising my insulin sensitivity. It is the difference between having to do multiple insulin correction shots after eating to bring my sugars down to normal and knowing that one pre-eating shot will be fine. I first read about this in a mice study and decided to experiment on myself. I try and take 500mg a day however some brands upset my stomach so I am still fine tuning.

It is found in green tea so that is where the green tea effect may come from. Though I drink gallons of green tea, always have, but it never had the same effect.

Please note though I have mitochondria diabetes and we are prone to insulin resistance and this may explain some of the significant effects.

I also take 500mg of Co-Q10 per day and this reduces my blood sugars by approx 18mg-27mg/dl but again this may be due to my mitochondria disorder. Carnitine also has a similar though slightly smaller effect.

Jenny said...

Rich, According to this study, Diabetes Care: Mitochondrial Diabetes The issue you are dealing with isn't IR but insufficient insulin secretion.

The way doctors calculate IR using that HOMA formula fails completely when applied to people with conditions like yours and mine that lower insulin output in response to incoming food.

If you ever inject insulin assume you are insulin sensitive and start with a very low dose. If I'd injected the dose my Primary Care doctor prescribed because he assumed I was IR I might have ended up in the ER. It was three times what I can handle.

I'm seeing a very interesting response to a 40 mg dose of Co-Q10 too, though my diabetes is passed down from my dad and can't be mitochondrial. I didn't see any response to L-Carnetine when I tried it or to Green Tea. I tried Quercetin years ago for something else which it didn't help, but I haven't looked at it re blood sugar.

hoggle said...

Hi Jenny

do you know if low carbing can decrease sex hormones and thus lead to worse glucose tolerance. I've been low carbing. I am young but with low sex hormones

The interaction between these is interesting to me! [/tangent ]

Jenny said...

Hoggle,

I know that low carbing can decrease the abnormally high testosterone experienced by women with PCOS, but it does that while lowering blood sugar, not raising it. Metformin does the same thing. However, I haven't heard that either treatment lowers sex hormones in people without that condition.

Anyone else have experience here?

Mully said...

Hi jenny,

My Blood Glucose level was above 120 but I don't want to take any more drugs related medcine. For your info, I'm on medication for cholesterol. I'm on Lipitor 20mg, Cardium and Cardiprin. My cholesterol level is on the higher range though Total Cholesterol is below 200 (199 to be axact).

I've tried some product from Herbal Pharm for more than 4 months but my BG getting worse. Please advice how I can lower my BG and Cholesterol at the same time. Thanks.

Jenny said...

Mully, Herbal diabetic supplements are a waste of your money. You can lower your blood sugar and your cholesterol by cutting back on the carbs you eat and asking your doctor to give you a prescription for Metformin which is a cheap, safe drug that is protective of the heart. To lower your carb intake try this strategy: How to Lower Your Blood Sugar.

Unknown said...

Has anyone tried camel milk? I'd like to, but before spending $$ ordering it from a Dutch camel dairy, I'd like to know if anyone else has - and seen results. Also, has anyone tried berberine?

Jenny said...

There is zero reason why camel milk should have any positive effect on diabetes. Milk of all kinds is full of sugar and raises blood sugar.

This sounds like yet another of those scams that prey on people's belief that something exotic must have magical powers.

There's a guy pushing berberine that posts on one of the low carb boards, but no one else has ever reported any positive effects from it, and I get a LOT of mail from people with diabetes. My guess is that this is another one pushed by people making money from people with chronic diseases.

Save your money and try this free strategy: How to Lower Your Blood Sugar.

January24 said...

I've gotten a dramatic lowering of my blood glucose from a tablet with his a combination of alpha lipoic acid and cinnamon. It's been truly amazing!

I tried cinnamon with chromium. It might have helped some, but nothing like the dramatic results with the alpha lipoic acid.

Deepak Joshi said...

I am diabetic and just found that my Vit D level is below normal, about 17 units. Should I take supplement or not ?

Jenny said...

Deepak, With diagnosed low Vitamin D you should take a supplement. Don't overdo it--no more than 2,000 IU a day should, over time, raise your levels.

Unknown said...

I have used Camel milk and it does have dramatic blood sugar lowering ability. I heard about it in the Thar desert in India where we were riding camels and our host told me about it. I was skeptical so I did some research and found science behind the claim especially from a doctor in Israel who is working with it . I corresponded with him and learned that Camel milk has a substance that mimics insulin. When I got back to the States I found camel milk in Missouri, it is very hard to get because the supply is low and the demand is high. Most of it is used to treat Autism not diabetics. After consuming 1 pint of camel milk right before a meal my 2hr post prandial readings were in the mid 80's (down 20 to 40 points) and I was thrilled and used it for four days(by the way it tastes mild and not offensive at all) and then ordered more but then I felt strongly depressed as a side effect and I cancelled my order. No supplement I have tried has had such a dramatic effect on my BG, I thought I had found a miracle cure and it might be for some people who can tolerate it. I correspond with David Mendosa and I told him about it but he never wrote about it. I use Virgin Coconut oil in conjuction with a technique I developed called PPSTE, Post Prandial Strategic Timed Exercise. I am often able to get my BG in the 80's with this technique at bedtime and keep it stable all through the night(I do not have the dawn syndrome) and up until I eat lunch( I do not eat breakfast as a calorie restriction technique to switch on the longevity gene as Mercola has suggested and many others concur) The Idea behind PPSTE is to walk after you eat for 15 min wait 2 hours and walk again for 15 min. I find that the results are dramatically better than walking 30 minutes right after I eat. The reason for this (at least for me) is that my liver will react to food in my system improperly because I am diabetic and release glycogen right after I eat even though it should save the glycogen for later when I do not have glucose in my system and need it. I find if I exercise too much or too strenuously my BG goes up but if I just walk 15 minutes it drops and then 2 hours later(because I have not just eaten) my liver no longer malfunctions and releases glycogen when I walk and I can walk 15 or even 30 minutes and bring my BG way down. This may not be practical for everyone but I love taking the walks and it is my favorite time of my day getting to commune with nature and getting exercise! I eat 1 T of virgin coconut oil before the second walk and this helps bring down my BG even more. If my BG goes high from eating the wrong food I have found that I can eat a T of coconut oil and walk for 15 to 30 minutes and I have seen my BG go from 180 to 80! I do not know why this happens but my best guess is that it is shutting down my liver to process the coconut oil. The results of the coconut oil are not as dramatic if my blood sugar is not very high(and I have no idea why) but still helps. I also should mention that I eat a low carb Richard Bernstein inspired diet, take PGX before meals(which helps a lot also), and take no prescription meds and have a A1c of 5.3 down from 7.2 when diagnosed.

Priya said...

Hi jenny,
I have recently been reading books including yours. My HbA1C had been around 6.5-7 for a few years and they went up quite high around 12 last year. I am on Metformin and strict carb control. Brought it down to 7. My fasting sugars still seem to be quite high around 8 - 8.5. Have brought chromium, magnesium, multi vits,CoQ10 100mg and fermented cod liver oil after reading a few books. Not sure whether to take all. How do I decide what is affecting me positively. Should I take each for a week and test my sugars.
Also, what is your take on taking dairy?? Pri

Jenny said...

Priya,

If your blood sugar is that high even with strict carb control it is very likely you are not making insulin properly and need insulin. No supplement is going to give you the blood sugar reduction you need.

The longer you expose your remaining beta cells to high blood sugars, (and a 7% A1c almost always reflects high blood sugars) the more of them you are going to kill off, making it that much harder to regain control.

So talk to your doctor about starting insulin rather than wasting time and money on supplements that are not going to solve your problem.

Unknown said...

Jenny,

First off, I'm grateful that I've found an intelligent diabetes blog.

My brief history. I was diagnosed with T2 in 1999 with a walk-in BS reading of 330 and weight of 265. Over the years, I've taken Metformin, Actos (for a brief time over 10 years ago), and Glyburide. I've kept most of the weight that I lost with low carbs and exercise and had pretty good control (A1C in the high 5's and lower 6's) until the past few years.

I, too, have tried various supplements and haven't had much luck with blood sugar reduction, but take 300mg ALA (time released) and 500mg Evening Primrose Oil twice daily to deal with the nerve impact of long term diabetes - I found some web articles citing studies done in Germany, but I'll need to re-research that one to see if it's still warranted. I also take non-flushing niacin and folic acid twice daily.

Since March, my current Dr and I tried increasing the Glyburide to 2.5mg from the 1.25mg dose that had been helping for over five years. She was also concerned that I was taking too much D3 (10,000IU) so I reduced my D3 to 1,000 IU. I also dropped the cinnamon oil capsules to save money, and switched from Cod Liver Oil to Krill Oil based upon ifo from Mercola.

Results: October's A1C was down .1 to 6.8, but I had gained 13lbs and my triglycerides doubled. I was concerned that the extra glyburide was causing the weight gain, so we added an extra 500mg Met to the morning 1000mg and kept the 1000mg evening dose.
I increased my exercise and reigned in carbs at most meals to 15mg. The first two weeks looked pretty good, but the past two weeks I have had readings hovering between 190 - 220. I was on vacation a few weeks ago hiking and hill climbing with my wife and still had high readings and still struggle wit elevated numbers whil remaining off glyburide.

I've went back to the 10,000 IU D3, cinnamon oil, but changed from Krill oil to a natural sourced fish oil to help deal with the triglycerides. Apparently, Krill isn't as effective at triglyceride control as Fish Oil.

After reading your blog, I'm starting to think that maybe it's just that at 51 years of age and fighting diabetes for 14 years I should consider going on insulin. I had always assumed that insulin use is the end state that leads to more weight gain and worsening overall health, but I guess I was misinformed.

So, I called my Dr requesting an appt to discuss going on insulin and she replied that an A1C of 6.8 didn't warrant insulin (the exact response you indicated). I have made an appt with a Dr that I've seen off an on for almost 40 years and who has been receptive to my wishes and willing to work with me in the past. I strongly believe that he'll help me get under control using insulin.

Jenny, your comments to Priya made me wonder if there is any pancreatic function left to recover by going on insulin.

Jenny said...

James,

Please read what I have written about what research has learned about Glyburide and similar drugs, which you will find HERE.

As you will see, Glyburide is a much more dangerous drug than insulin for many reasons. Beyond that it is much less effective.

However, to use insulin properly you need to work with a doctor who will give you the proper protocol, which most family doctors are far to busy to do.

Read the books, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution or Think Like a Pancreas, to learn how insulin should be dosed.

The way you protect pancreatic function is by keeping blood sugar under the levels that cause the glucose toxicity that harms beta cells. Whether or not your particular beta cells are capable of recovering is a very individual thing. There are many different underlying causes of high blood sugar, and it isn't possible to diagnose them with current techniques. Some people do see dramatic improvements after starting insulin, many don't.

The important thing is that if you keep your blood sugars in the healthy, normal, range, you will avoid the complications associated with diabetes which are universally caused by high blood sugars, not those underlying causes.

Unknown said...

Yes, I'm hanging in there until the 11th. The 200+ numbers are worrisome, but if the A1C shows a step up with only 2500 Metformin for 8 weeks, I'm sure that the Dr will agree with me. I'll get the books (and yours) ahead of time.

Unknown said...

Type 2: taking Berberine has helped lower glycemic levels after eating.