Diabetes and Antioxidants I

Diabetes Information Network

Diabetes and Antioxidants I

This may come as a surprise but there’s a war going on within your body. Whether you know it or not, two opposing forces are constantly battling against one another. On the one side are the bad guys, the infamous “free radicals”. These roving marauders damage any molecule they come in contact with and can damage tissues or organs anywhere in the body.

The good news is our bodies have developed a sophisticated biochemical defense system whose job it is to neutralize these renegade molecules before they do serious damage to critical systems. It’s called the “antioxidant” system and should be of special interest to diabetics.

Free radicals are created in several different ways. Every time we breath we create some. When we move our bodies we create more. But when we smoke or use recreational drugs we create free radicals in enormous numbers.

Diabetics should pay special attention to protecting and fueling their antioxidant systems as high levels of blood sugar and insulin create highly toxic free radicals in substantial numbers. Many researchers feel that it’s these diabetes-induced free radicals that cause diabetic complications and the premature aging that plagues diabetics.

Every diabetic knows that they must carefully monitor and limit their blood sugar level. If it should creep up to too high a level, the result is diabetic neuropathy which can cause permanent tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.

Researchers now believe that a high blood sugar or insulin level can trigger the formation of certain free radicals which then target the sensitive tissues of the nervous system.

Most healthy people can easily boost the level of these protective factors in their bodies by simply eating foods that are antioxidant rich. Foods such as berries (particularly blueberries), other colorful fruits and vegetables are good choices. Unfortunately many of the most antioxidant rich foods also contain a lot of sugar which makes it difficult to work them into a diabetic diet.

Also, some antioxidants are simply not available in the foods we eat. For instance, the richest food source of Vitamin E is Safflower oil. One cup of Safflower oil contains only 100 IU of Vitamin E. To take in the recommended 400 IU, you’d have to down four cups of oil per day – and that’s clearly not practical! In order to get what we need, supplements must be used.

There’s yet another problem in getting sufficient antioxidants from our diet. Back in the 1950s government scientists freeze-dried various food items including some common everyday corn. When samples were re-hydrated and compared to a more recent crop, the results were startling. Researchers found that the new corn contained only 40% as much of the key antioxidant mineral, Selenium as the corn from the 1950s!

Organic farmers have been warning us for decades that artificial fertilizers are depleting our soil of vital nutrients but we didn’t listen to them. Our food simply isn’t as nourishing as it once was and this lack of nutrition is taking a terrible toll on our national health.

From the above you can see the problem all diabetics face. Because of your disease you need more antioxidants than healthier people but you’ll never get all the antioxidants you need from food alone. The best approach here is to do what you can to eat more antioxidant rich foods while simultaneously taking various antioxidant supplements. Of course, before taking antioxidant supplements, discuss the subject with your doctor.

Here is a list of antioxidant supplements with a suggested dosage range for each.

Antioxidant Supplement

Common Dosage for Diabetics

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

100-600mg per day

Bilberry

100-500mg per day

Selenium

50-100mcg per day

Coenzyme Q10

10-60mg per day

Grape Seed Extract/Pycnogenols

400-800mg per day

American Ginseng

500-1,000mg per day

Mixed Bioflavonoids

500mg per day

Vitamin E

200-400 IU per day

Vitamin C

250-1,000mg per day

If you consume antioxidants in your diet, you may want to consider fewer or lower dosage supplements. (for instance if you drink 12 ounces or so of orange juice each day you may not need to take more than 500mg of Vitamin C)

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