Kozlovsky AS et al: Effects of diets high in simple sugars on urinary
chromium losses. Metabolism 35(6):515-8, 1986. Also Djurhuus MS et al:
Magnesiummangel og udviklingen af diabetiske senkomplikationer. Ugeskr
Laeger 153(30):2108-10, 1991
Magnesium deficiency results in impaired insulin secretion and reduces
tissue sensitivity to insulin - problems associated with diabetes. Subclinical
magnesium deficiency is common in diabetics. It causes insulin resistance
(reversible on magnesium supplementation) and promotes diabetic
complications.Lefebvre PJ et al: Magnesium and glucose metabolism (in French).
Therapie 49(1):1-7, 1994.
A study on the tea and coffee drinking habits of 600 newly diagnosed
diabetic children and 536 controls revealed that the risk of diabetes is
increased in children who consume at least two cups of coffee daily and in
those who consume one or more cups of tea daily. Virtanen SM et al: Is
children's or parents' coffee or tea consumption associated with the risk for
type I diabetes mellitus in children? Eur J Clin Nutr 47(4):279-85, 1994.
944 random men aged 42-60 without diabetes were followed up. Of the 45 who
subsequently developed diabetes, a low plasma vitamin E level was associated
with a 3.9-fold higher risk of contracting the disease. Salonen JT et al:
Increased risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus at low plasma
vitamin E concentrations: a four year follow up study in men. BMJ
311(7013):1124-7, 1995.
In a study carried out on elderly non-insulin-dependent diabetics and
non-diabetics, supplementation with chromium-rich yeast improved glucose
tolerance and reduce blood fat levels while chromium-poor yeast did not.
Offenbacher EG et al: Beneficial effect of chromium-rich yeast on glucose
tolerance and blood lipids in elderly subjects. Diabetes 29:919-925, 1980.
Similar results are reported in: Martinez O et al: Dietary chromium and
effect of chromium supplementation on glucose tolerance of elderly Canadian
woman. Nutrition Research 5(6):609-620, 1985.
And in: Anderson RA: Chromium metabolism and its role in disease processes in
man. Clin Physiol Biochem 4(1):31-34, 1986.
Of 15 controlled studies supplementing chromium compounds to subjects with
impaired glucose tolerance, 12 resulted in improvement in the efficiency of
insulin or the blood lipid profile. Mertz W: Chromium in human nutrition: a
review. J Nutr 123(4):626-33, 1993.
Diabetics who do not respond to chromium supplementation may have inadequate
levels of vitamin B3. The use of both nutrients combined are more favourable
than for each one separately. Urberg M et al: Evidence for synergism between
chromium and nicotinic acid in the control of glucose tolerance in elderly
humans. Metabolism 36(9):896-9, 1987.
High doses of vitamin E improved insulin action in non-insulin-dependent
diabetics.
Paolisso G et al: Pharmacologic doses of vitamin E improve insulin action in
healthy subjects and non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Am J Clin Nutr
57:650-6, 1993.
High doses of antioxidant nutrients may lead to a regression of the late
complications of diabetes. Kahler W et al: Diabetes mellitus - eine mit Freien
Radikalen assoziierte Erkrankung. Resultate einer adjuvanten
Antioxidantiensupplementation. Z Gesamte Inn Med 48(5):223-32, 1993.
Of 21 diabetic patients with an average age of 65, 17 obtained complete
relief from pain of systemic distal neuropathy, five were able to discontinue
hypoglycaemic medication, and half developed reduced insulin requirements after
25 days on a low fat vegan diet consisting of unrefined foods. Crane MG et al:
Regression of diabetic neuropathy with total vegetarian (vegan) diet. J Nutr Med
4:431-439, 1994.
Low red-cell magnesium levels were found in 12 elderly diabetics. After
magnesium supplementation for 4 weeks in a double-blind trial there was a
significant net increase in insulin secretion and action, and decreased red cell
membrane viscosity. Paolisso G et al: Daily magnesium supplements improve
glucose handling in elderly subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 55(6):1161-7, 1992.
Conditions associated with insulin resistance (a common type of diabetes)
such as high blood pressure, are also associated with low cell magnesium levels.
Long-term magnesium supplementation can contribute to an improvement in both
pancreatic response and insulin action in non-insulin dependent diabetics.
Paolisso G et al: Magnesium and glucose homoeostasis. Diabetologia 33(9):511-4,
1990.
111 patients with mild diabetic neuropathy were given either supplements of
the fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) or placebo. After one year there were
significant improvements in 13 parameters in the GLA-treated patients.Keen H et
al: Treatment of diabetic neuropathy with gamma-linolenic acid. The gamma-linolenic
acid multicenter trai group. Diabetes Care 16(1):8-15, 1993.
22 patients with diabetic polyneuropathy were given either supplements of
gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) or placebo for 6 months. The GLA-treated patients
showed a significant improvement in symptom scores. Jamal GA et al: The effect
of gamma-linolenic acid on human diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a double-blind
placebo-controlled trial. Diabet Med 7(4):319-23, 1990.
Higher copper and lower magnesium levels (compared with controls) found in
insulin-dependent diabetics may be associated with the development of insulin
resistance (lack of effectiveness of insulin). The authors propose that patients
may improve if dietary trace elements are supplemented. Isbir T et al: Zinc,
copper and magnesium status in insulin-dependent diabetes. Diabetes Res
26(1):41-5, 1994.
High dose vitamin C supplementation was found to have a beneficial effect on
blood sugar control and blood lipids, and magnesium supplements reduced blood
pressure, among a group of 56 diabetic patients. Eriksson J et al: Magnesium and
ascorbic acid supplementation in diabetes mellitus. Ann Nutr Metab 39(4):217-23,
1995.
Long-term vitamin C administration was found to have beneficial effects on
glucose and lipid metabolism in a four-month randomized, double-blind study
carried out on 40 elderly non-insulin dependent diabetics. Paolisso G et al:
Metabolic benefits deriving from chronic vitamin C supplementation in aged
non-insulin dependent diabetics. J Am Coll Nutr 14(4):387-92, 1995.
