Is There A Way To Cure Diabetes? How To Manage Your Blood Sugar?

Have you ever felt that you're often hungry and thirsty? Or maybe you're experiencing frequent urination and recurrent skin infections? If so, you are advised to have a health check-up for the potential risks of diabetes. A total of 3.9 million Malaysians have high blood sugar in 2019, with the number expected to increase further by 2025. If the disease is not controlled, it can invite several complications to vital organs such as your heat, kidneys, eyes, and your nervous system.

So whether you are healthy or you have already been diagnosed with diabetes, you should adopt a healthy lifestyle to avoid complications that can come from high blood sugar levels. Follow this article in more detail to find out tips on controlling your blood sugar levels.

How To Manage Your Blood Sugar? 

Proper dieting

There is no denying that a balanced and nutritious diet can help strengthen the body's immune system and protect you against various diseases. For diabetics, there are specific nutrition plans that can help return blood sugar levels to a healthy level. It includes:

• Reducing the intake of refined carbohydrates, fats, and sugars such as white bread, pasta, and carbonated beverages. The reasoning behind this is that these foods are processed rather quickly in the body, resulting in an immediate rise in blood sugar levels after eating.

• Addition of food high in fiber. Examples include vegetables, fruits, oats, and whole-grain foods. Fiber works by slowing down the absorption of glucose into the blood in addition to making you feel full quickly.

• Consumption of lean meat such as fish, chicken (without skin), tofu, and soybeans.

On top of that, you need to make sure you don’t go for more than 4 hours without eating, especially if you’re on insulin. If you do, it may cause hypoglycemia, which is the lack of glucose in your body that can be detrimental to your health. You can avoid this problem by planning your meals in line with the timing of your medications. Consult a nutritionist for a better understanding of your meal schedule. 

Stay fit with physical activity

Exercise is considered as one of the most effective ways to prevent and treat diabetes. Studies have shown that exercise can lower HbA1c levels by 0.7%. Plus, it also helps in reducing body weight and cholesterol levels which indirectly helps in controlling blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity.

You can start by doing light exercises such as walking, jogging, cycling or aerobics. The current recommendation for diabetics is to exercise for at least 150 minutes a week. You can divide it into 30 minutes a day so that it’s easier to stick to.

Smoking

Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung diseases, and cancer. Based on a research study conducted, it has been proven that smokers are more prone (by 30-40%) to type 2 diabetes compared to non-smoking individuals. This habit also makes it difficult to control blood sugar levels and increases the risk of complications of diabetes. If you are a smoker, you should take the first step to quit smoking.

Dietary supplements

There are numerous supplements in the market that guarantee to help lower blood sugar levels. However, you need to be cautious while choosing them as some supplements can cause unpleasant side effects after long-term use. These dietary supplements should be used as an addition to your diet plan, not as a replacement for diabetes medications prescribed by your doctor. You are advised to consult a doctor for advice to find the most suitable supplement for you. Some of the supplements that can benefit diabetics are : 

• Antioxidants 

ALA (alpha-lipoic acid) and GLA (gamma-lipoic acid) are naturally occurring antioxidants that can be found in evening primrose oil and blackcurrant seed oil. Studies show that the use of these antioxidants can lower insulin resistance which in turn, helps control blood sugar levels.

• Vitamins B6 and B12

Vitamin B6 or pyridoxine and vitamin B12 can help prevent complications of diabetes, specifically diabetic neuropathy. This is because diabetic neuropathy is associated with vitamin B6 deficiency in the body. In addition, this vitamin can also improve glucose tolerance, especially for diabetes in pregnancy. Vitamin B12 on the other hand protects nerve cells from damage due to high blood glucose levels.

• Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is known to speed up the breakdown of carbohydrates. Clinical trials using coenzyme Q10 showed a significant drop in blood sugar as well as preventing the progression of diabetic retinopathy.

• Carnitine

Carnitine can be used by individuals with high cholesterol levels. It helps in the breakdown of fat in the body to be used as a source of energy.

• Biotin

Biotin works in conjunction with insulin to increase the uptake of glucose in the body. The use of biotin as a supplement showed a significant change in lowering blood sugar levels.

Traditional Methods

For those of you who want to try traditional methods of treating diabetes, we have you covered. Some of them include : 

• Bitter gourd

Bitter gourd is known as plant insulin and it is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine as a ‘cure’ for diabetes. This bitter vegetable mimics the action of insulin by creating a hypoglycemic effect. However, you should be careful with the consumption of bitter gourd as it can cause sugar levels to drop to very low levels when taken with your diabetes medications.

• Aloe vera

Preliminary studies on the use of aloe vera in the treatment of diabetes have been linked with a decrease in blood sugar levels, in particular, fasting blood sugar levels. Furthermore, aloe vera can also lower fat content in the body and is often used as a traditional way of healing diabetic foot ulcers.

• Cinnamon

The use of cinnamon in cooking began thousands of years ago. Many studies have shown that cinnamon increases insulin sensitivity and lowers cholesterol levels in the body. In addition, cinnamon can also prevent diabetic complications such as heart problems and hypertension.

• Fenugreek seeds

Fenugreek seeds have a high content of soluble fiber. This can slow down glucose absorption as well as delaying stomach emptying. According to a study conducted, lower levels of post-prandial blood sugar levels in Type 2 Diabetes patients were seen when 15g fenugreek seeds powder was used in cooking.

• Ginseng

Ginseng is popularly used as an energy boost as well as to improve the body’s immune system. Panax ginseng is known to lower blood glucose levels, however, additional studies need to be done to further prove this theory.

If you have diabetes or suspect having diabetes, it is best to pay your doctor a visit to confirm your diagnosis and to receive the best treatment possible. These tips may help you get your blood sugar levels on track, but keep in mind to always refer to a doctor before trying out any supplements or products that claim to lower your blood sugar levels. Medications prescribed by your doctor play an important part in bringing your blood sugar levels back to normal, so make sure to take them. In addition to that, regularly monitor your blood sugar levels at home, and don’t skip out on your follow-up appointments! 

​