The BLOOD SUGAR connection

[George999]

To really be effective, you have to take it regularly.  I am currently taking 400mg 3 times a day with meals for total of 1200mg per day.  The idea is to keep the serum glucose spikes down, thus keeping the serum insulin spikes down as well.  But to really work well, it does, as you touched on, also require one to maintain a good, junk food free, diet.  Lots of veggies and adequate fruit, no refined carbs or stuff like that.  But it has worked well for me and I am planning on raising my dosage slightly to 500mg 3X per day soon.  - George

[funnyfarm]

Thanks George, according to wiki it also lowers LDL cholesterol and is anti inflammatory.  I will pick up a bottle, if there is a brand you recommend let me know, and also do you know how many days weeks before it takes effect ?  I'll see if it lowers the numbers when use my glucose meter after eating.

[skunkworks]

A shot of vinegar before a carb heavy meal can limit some of the damage - Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes

[Jonbinspain]

This is from the University of Maryland Med facility. There are many other studies suggesting that ALA helps to lower blood sugar levels.

Alpha-lipoic acid
Overview:

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that is made by the body and is found in every cell, where it helps turn glucose into energy. Antioxidants attack "free radicals," waste products created when the body turns food into energy. Free radicals cause harmful chemical reactions that can damage cells in the body, making it harder for the body to fight off infections. They also damage organs and tissues.

Other antioxidants work only in water (such as vitamin C) or fatty tissues (such as vitamin E), but alpha-lipoic acid is both fat- and water-soluble. That means it can work throughout the body. Antioxidants in the body are used up as they attack free radicals, but evidence suggests alpha-lipoic acid may help regenerate these other antioxidants and make them active again.

In the cells of the body, alpha-lipoic acid is changed into dihydrolipoic acid. Alpha-lipoic acid is not the same as alpha linolenic acid, which is an omega-3 fatty acid that may help heart health (See also: Alpha linolenic acid.) There is confusion between alpha-lipoic acid and alpa linolenic acid because both are sometimes abbreviated ALA. Alpha-lipoic acid is also sometimes called lipoic acid.

Diabetes

In several studies, alpha-lipoic acid appears to help lower blood sugar levels. Its ability to kill free radicals may help people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy, who have pain, burning, itching, tingling, and numbness in arms and legs from nerve damage.

Alpha-lipoic acid has been used for years to treat peripheral neuropathy in Germany. Most of the studies that have found it helps have used intravenous (IV) alpha-lipoic acid, however. It' s not clear whether taking alpha-lipoic acid by mouth will help. Most studies of oral alpha-lipoic acid have been small and poorly designed. One 2006 study did find that taking alpha-lipoic acid for diabetic neuropathy reduced symptoms compared to placebo.

Taking alpha-lipoic acid may help another diabetes-related condition called autonomic neuropathy, which affects the nerves to internal organs. One study found that 73 people with cardiac autonomic neuropathy, which affects the heart, showed fewer signs of the condition when taking 800 mg of alpha-lipoic acid orally compared to placebo.

- See more at: Alpha-lipoic acid

[George999]

Thanks George, according to wiki it also lowers LDL cholesterol and is anti inflammatory.  I will pick up a bottle, if there is a brand you recommend let me know, and also do you know how many days weeks before it takes effect ?  I'll see if it lowers the numbers when use my glucose meter after eating.

It takes effect immediately.  You take it before you eat and it should result in lower glucose levels after the meal.  The effect on lipid levels will take longer as it is the result of cumulative effect on serum glucose and insulin.  The one I am currently using is the vital nutrients brand.  It is 200mg of Berberine Sulfate per capsule.  I am currently taking two capsules per meal.  As of today I am out of them and will be switching to Dr Whitakers brand.  That one is 500mg of Berberine HCL per capsule.  My wife has been taking those for two weeks now without any problems.  They are one pill per meal.   - George

[George999]

There is NO DOUBT that ALA is effect in regards to glucose.  I currently take ALA and have been taking it for a long time now.  And it is UNIQUELY effective against Peripheral Neuropathy.  I have a problem with that when I stop taking it.  But Berberine is FAR MORE EFFECT on serum glucose.  There is no comparison.  Berberine is not as effective on Peripheral Neuropathy.  They operate via different pathways.  One can use both at the same time.  Cinnamon is also quite effective at reducing glucose levels.  I make sure to use the Ceylon Cinnamon in order to avoid the toxic qualities of common Cassia Cinnamon.  - George

[funnyfarm]

Thank you George, I ended up ordering a bottle from swanson last night because it was only 9.99, however I will probably get one of the other two you mentioned later on.  

[George999]

All the products I have gotten from Swanson in the past have been of reasonable quality and definitely very affordable.  But you might find, at least in some cases, the higher end products like the ones I suggested, are a bit more effective.  The Dr Whitaker product is actually quite affordable, one reason I switched from the Vital Nutrients product.  - George

[koolx]

can sugar consumption cause erectile dysfunction?

[skunkworks]

can sugar consumption cause erectile dysfunction?

Incidence of metabolic syndrome and insulin resist... [J Sex Med. 2005] - PubMed - NCBI

Men with ED have a high incidence of MS and IR. Early detection of metabolic disease in patients with ED may be a gateway to the reduction endothelial dysfunction in younger men with increased cardiovascular risk but who present for treatment of ED alone.

Addition of metformin to sildenafil treatme... [J Androl. 2012 Jul-Aug] - PubMed - NCBI

Treatment with metformin in patients with ED and poor response to sildenafil reduced the IR and improved erectile function.

[George999]

I just watched the video entitled Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  This video makes a very compelling case for "juicing" and increasing vegetable intake in the diet.  I suggest that if you are concerned about the "serum glucose" and "inflammation" issues (whether you are "fat" or not) and their relation to chronic disease that you take an hour and a half and watch this video.  It was certainly worth my time and it has me rethinking my diet.  Here is the video:  http://fatsickandnearlydead.com/

[skunkworks]

Fats, ESPECIALLY trans and saturated fats, spike serum glucose by aggravating insulin resistance.

Whole Health Source: Saturated Fat and Insulin Sensitivity

Whole Health Source: Saturated Fat, Glycemic Index and Insulin Sensitivity: More Evidence

[George999]

I would argue that it indeed happens over a long time period.  Insulin resistance is caused by too many calories IN PEOPLE THAT ARE GENETICALLY VULNERABLE TO IT.  Its that simple.  Western diet provides too many calories, that is way we have children now manifesting type 2 diabetes.  Fat and sugar have something very much in common.  They are both pretty much empty calories.  Sugar IS empty calories and fat is very close to it.  There are a FEW exceptions in the case of fat.  Fat high in Omega 3s confers benefits as do some saturated fats like coconut oil and palm oil.  But most fats, saturated and unsaturated provide mainly calories and are often inflammatory via Omega 6 factors.  What the body needs for health is NUTRITION, not CALORIES.  When you look at foods you find that some are very high in a wide variety of nutrients and very low in calories.  Those are the foods that will bestow healing on the body, not that ones that are sparse in nutrients and packed with calories.  They are the route to diabetes and other manifestations of metabolic syndrome.

[skunkworks]

None of the research I am seeing shows fat to be a cause of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is caused by chronically high insulin levels in people that are genetically vulnerable to it. Fat, unlike carbohydrate or protein, does not stimulate insulin at all.

And the body does need calories. Not enough calories = dead. So a source of calories that does not spike insulin is not something to be ignored or called an empty calorie for people like us who are trying to fight systemic inflammation. Especially considering that sustaining proper ratios of omega 3 to 6 is very important for health and inflammation. The right kinds of fat  in the right amounts are very important to a healthy diet.

[rd]

I have to agree with skinkworks, I have found nothing that indicates that fats cause insulin resistance. In fact I have found fats(the right kind) are very beneficial. I have cut out all processed foods and eat seasonal, whole foods. My diet consists of meat, veggies, fruits, berries, and nuts, things found in nature. Meat is my main staple as it is available all year round and I eat veggies as they are available during the season. My diet includes lots of fat from grass fed meats, I have never felt better in my life since including more fats. I tried eating less fats and was always tired worn out and mentally foggy. The only acception to this was when I first started playing with my diet and went vegan I felt great. Well for a few month before I started feeling like crap I believe that the few months of feeling great was due to cutting out processed food at first and my body feeling better because of it but I was missing fats and protein which caused me to start feeling like crap again. I stuck with it for 6-8 months and just felt less energy dropped way to much weight and felt weak. On my diet now I actually feel like I did when I was 18/19 and I'm 33 now. I recover faster from injury, get less injuries, maintain a healthy weight eating when and as much as I want, mentally I'm sharper than I have ever been, energy levels have gone up drastically. I work out a lot and my build seems to be better eating this way. My performance is much better. My peyronies pain is pretty much not existent and I feel like my plaques are slowly getting smaller and resolving albeit very slowly but that's much better than where I was before doing all this.

[melting]

Im a type 1 Diabetic and when I did develope my peyronies I was in a very poor condition regarding my insulin.

Im 100% sure that it influenced how my body reacted to the inflammation in a very bad way.