Stevia and Diabetes

Stevia is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. Stevia commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar.

With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure. Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance; therefore, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

Rebiana is the trade name for a stevia-derived sweetener being developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill with the intent of marketing in several countries and gaining regulatory approval in the US and EU. You can find stevia in most health-food stores and some supermarkets.

Safety Concerns. Stevia is sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement and not as a food or food additive. In 1994 the USDA gave permission to manufacturers to market stevia as a food supplement. SOme foreign studies have found decreased sperm production in mice after being administered stevia, however there is no evidence that stevia is harmful to humans.

Sources:

1. ^ PubMed research articles related to treatments of obesity
2. ^ PubMed research articles on stevia's effects on blood pressure
3. ^ PubMed articles on stevia's use in treating hypertension
4. ^ Curi, R; Alvarez M, Bazotte RB, Botion LM, Godoy JL, Bracht A (1986). "Effect of Stevia rabaudiana on glucose tolerance in normal adult humans". Braz J Med Biol Res 19 (6): 771-4. 
5. ^ Gregersen, S; Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K (January 2004). "Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects". Metabolism 53 (1): 73-76. 

More information on diabetes management and sugar control at Diabetes and Sugar Management

Reduce Mid-section Weight for Improved Diabetes Management

Diabetes Care reports that diets rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) may help manage midsection body weight thus reducing the severity of type 2 diabetes.

Foods that are MUFA rich include:

Olives and olive oil (Extra virgin is best)
Canola oil
Nuts and nut oils (peanut, walnut)
Seeds and seed oils (sesame, flaxseed)
Grape seed oil
Soybean oil
Avocados

For maximum diabetes management, get plenty of exercise to help with midsection body weight reduction.

Monounsaturated fats (MUFA) Help Manage Diabetes

Diabetes Care reports that a diet rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) may help reduce mid-section body fats better than carbohydrate-rich diet. Maintaining a lower mid-section weight is a major factor in successfully managing Type 2 diabetes.

Foods that contain MUFA's include:

Olives and olive oil (Extra Virgin works best)
Canola oil
Nuts and nut oils (peanut, walnut)
Seeds and seed oils (sesame, flaxseed)
Grape seed oil
Soybean oil
Avocados

Doctor's also recommend increasing exercise to reduce your midsection.

Vitamin E May Help Reduce Diabetes Risk

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A daily dose of vitamin E may help delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk of the disease, preliminary research suggests.

Researchers in New Zealand found that high-dose vitamin E appeared to temporarily improve insulin resistance -- a precursor to type 2 diabetes -- among 41 overweight adults.

"These results suggest that vitamin E could have a role to play in delaying the , in at-risk individuals," Dr. Patrick J. Manning and colleagues at the University of Otago in Dunedin report in the journal Diabetes Care.

The researchers found that at both the three- and six-month marks, plasma peroxides, which are markers of oxidative stress, had fallen in the vitamin E group. After three months, blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity had also improved, but the gains did not remain through the sixth month.

On the other hand, the researchers found, there was a lasting decline in blood levels of alanine transferase liver enzymes, elevations of which have been tied to a heightened diabetes risk. The liver, the authors note, plays a key role in sugar and insulin metabolism, and is the main site of insulin clearance from the blood.

According to Manning's team, vitamin E may boost insulin sensitivity and decrease diabetes risk in a number of ways, including by reducing oxidative stress to cells and by improving liver function

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, September 2004.
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Go here to learn more about diabetes: Gymnema Sylvestre

Zinc May Provide Benefits in Treating Diabetes

Scientists at Notre Dame* and at the U. of Illinois have discovered that zinc has an insulin-like effect on the manifestation of diabetes.

Insulin, they note, promotes the transport of glucose and amino acids (proteins) and decreases the breakdown of muscles while healthfully enhancing their buildup.
“.... failure to enhance glucose transport, " they say, "into insulin-sensitive cells is a hallmark of diabetes [emphasis added.] They have found that zinc enhances this glucose movement.

NOTE: 15 milligrams (mg.) is the recommended daily intake of zinc. More than 25 mg. may be deleterious.
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*Source : The Journal of Nutrition, May 2001, by Drs. Xiao-han Tang and Neil F. Shay, U. of Notre Dame, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Notre Dame, IN 46556, and Dept. of Animal Sciences, U. of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, respectively.

Go to Wonder Laboratories and enter "zinc" in the search box to receive up to 20% discount for a limited time period.

Be sure to check out our Lens on sugar cravings at http://www.squidoo.com/gymnemasylvestre. You might want to make your on lens by clicking the green "Make Your Own Page" navigation button under my bio on the top left of the Lens page. Good Luck.

Blood Glucose Control and Diabetic Management

Small amounts of vinegar (approx. 20 mls or two tablespoons of domestic vinegar) added to food, or taken along with a meal, have been shown by a number of medical trials to reduce the glycemic index of carbohydrate food for people with and without diabetes. This has also been expressed as lower glycemic index ratings in the region of 30%

Sources: Liljeberg H, Bjorck I. Delayed gastric emptying rate may explain improved glycemia in healthy subjects to a starchy meal with added vinegar. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998;64:886-893,
Leeman M, Ostman E, Bjorck I. Vinegar dressing and cold storage of potatoes lowers postprandial glycemic and insulinaemic responses in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005;59:1266-1271,
Johnston CS, Kim CM, Buller AJ. Vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high carbohydrate meal in subjects with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:281-282

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New Study Shows Benefits of Omega3's

A new study published in Health Day magazine Health Day, finds that young people at risk for developing Type 1 Diabetes may be able to prevent its onset with the use of foods rich in Omega 3's. Visit the site for more.

Go Here to Check the Glycemic Index of Your Foods

If you have diabetes or at risk of becoming diabetic you should definitely be aware of and plan your meals with the glycemic index of foods in mind.

Glycemic index (also glycaemic index, GI) is a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels. It compares available carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal) glycemia. The concept was invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto.

On of the most informative sites about your glycemic load of foods is found at http://www.montignac.com/en/ig_pionnier.php. The site is published by a former "big pharma" executive, so you know its credible.

You should check out the glycemic index for management of other health conditions such as weight management, lowering the acidity of your body and other related health conditions
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Also check out our Lens at: http://www.squidoo.com/gymnemasylvestregum/ for more tips on managing your dietary sugar intake.

Ginseng and Diabetes

A recent study by Canadian and Korean researchers found that Korean red ginseng (Panax Ginseng) improves glucose and insulin regulation in some people with Type 2 diabetes.

Source, "Korean Red Ginseng Shown Safe and Possibly Useful in Treating Type 2 Diabetes" by Heather S Oliff, PhD, and Mark Blumenthal, Herbalgram, 2007
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