Should I take supplements?
From cinnamon and magnesium to herbal formulas claiming to smack down high blood sugar, “diabetes-friendly” supplements are popping up in health food stores and drugstores and in the medicine cabinets of more and more people with diabetes. The big question: Should you?
“People with diabetes may be looking for something that seems less potent than a medication or something that will treat other health issues beyond blood sugar control, such as high cholesterol,” notes Laura Shane-McWhorter, a doctor of pharmacy and author of The American Diabetes Association’s Guide to Herbs & Nutritional Supplements. But experts are reluctant to recommend supplements to people with diabetes for two important health reasons. First, there’s virtually no research on long-term safety. Second, no supplement controls blood sugar as effectively as diabetes drugs (in combination with a healthy lifestyle).
“There are no miracle treatments for diabetes,” Shane-McWhorter says. “The most important thing to know if you have diabetes is that no supplement will take care of it for you. Diabetes is a condition that can be well-controlled with a healthy lifestyle plus medication if needed. A supplement can’t replace those.”
And new science is changing the supplement landscape. In consulting the latest research as well as supplement experts for this report on the best-studied and most widely used supplements, we found that some popular pills—chromium, we’re talking about you—aren’t living up to their reputations. Others, such as vitamin D or psyllium, may be more promising. Still others should be avoided because they make false claims. For instance, although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications for both short-term and long-term weight management as adjuncts to diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy for people with type 2 diabetes (as noted in the American Diabetes Association’s 2019 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes), over-the-counter supplements that promote weight loss tend to be a red flag.
And yet, when used safely, certain supplements might help you step up your blood sugar control a notch or two or help control risk for cardiovascular disease, the most common and life-threatening diabetes complication. Here, the supplements you should consider adding to (and dropping from) your diabetes treatment plan. Try these healthy habits to prevent diabetes.
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