Type 2 diabetes can be a 'devastating diagnosis' says expert
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Type 2 diabetes would be innocuous were it not for the threat of rising blood sugar levels. Type 2 diabetes stems from a dysfunction in the way the body produces insulin – the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. Stripped off this mechanism, blood sugar levels can rocket, which in turn invites serious complications.
Fortunately, there are alternative means of moderating blood sugar levels and one of the most effective is to tweak your diet.
Researchers have discovered a number of items that have blood sugar-lowering prowess.
According to a study published in the International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences, supplementing with apple cider vinegar in conjunction with metformin is an effective remedy.
Metformin is a medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes, and to help prevent type 2 diabetes if you’re at high risk of developing it.
Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting the sugars from apples which turns them into acetic acid – the active ingredient in vinegar.
The study aimed to compare the effect of metformin with the combination therapy of metformin and apple cider vinegar on the parameters of Body Mass Index (BMI) and glycaemic control of recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients.
Glycaemic control is the way of managing the blood glucose (sugar) level of diabetic patients at optimum level.
“A total of 126 patients were divided into two parallel arms for the trial: Group I (Metformin 750 mg alone per day) and Group II (Metformin 750 mg and Apple Cider Vinegar two tablespoons per day) and assessed for weight, body mass index, fasting blood sugar and haemoglobin A1c after which the post-treatment values of the aforementioned parameters were compared between the two groups,” the researchers wrote.
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The haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test tells you your average level of blood sugar over the past two to three months and fasting blood sugar measures your blood sugar after an overnight fast.
Informed consent from all patients and ethical approval from the institutional ethics board was obtained.
What did the researchers find out?
All the parameters underwent a more significant reduction in fasting blood sugar and HbA1c in the apple cider vinegar and metformin group than metformin alone.
“However, no significant difference was obtained in the post-treatment comparisons of weight and Body Mass Index in between the two groups,” the researchers wrote.
They concluded: “Apple Cider Vinegar in combination with Metformin appears to be more effective in improving glycemic control versus Metformin monotherapy.”
General tips to lower blood sugar
Physical exercise also helps lower your blood sugar level.
According to the NHS, you should aim for 2.5 hours of activity a week.
“You can be active anywhere as long as what you’re doing gets you out of breath.”
This could be:
- Fast walking
- Climbing stairs
- Doing more strenuous housework or gardening.
Type 2 diabetes – symptoms to spot
Many people have type 2 diabetes without realising. This is because symptoms do not necessarily make you feel unwell.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Peeing more than usual, particularly at night
- Feeling thirsty all the time
- Feeling very tired
- Losing weight without trying to
- Itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- Cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- Blurred vision.
Due to the vagueness of symptoms, type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed following blood or urine tests for something else, says the NHS.
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