How to Lower Blood Sugar with the Right Supplements

Blood sugar dysregulation is a common problem in the United States with more than 100 million people experiencing some degree of this.

I worked in Endocrinology for 7 years as a Board Certified Diabetes Educator, and this is topic that I am passionate about and have lots of experience with. Here I was (picture above) years ago testing out a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System when these were really starting to blow up as options for folks to monitor their blood sugars with more ease.

This short blog is going to focus on what to consider taking specifically when it comes to nutritional supplementation for those living with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.
These two conditions, in a nutshell, primarily boil down to concerns of insulin (a hormone) not be used well (insulin resistance) or insulin not being made well (pancreatic insufficiency). Overtime, this can lead to blood sugar (glucose) levels rising. Higher blood sugars cause serious health problems.

Why are high blood sugars bad?

I use the analogy a lot that we want Kool-aid blood. Kool-aid blood has some sugar in it (we all need some sugar circulating in our blood) and things flow well and aren’t too sticky for our vessels. When a person develops prediabetes or this cascades to type 2 diabetes, the blood becomes more like maple syrup. It is harder for your body to filter and circulate maple syrup blood than Kool aid blood. Very loose analogy, but makes sense to a lot of people.

So ameliorating blood glucose dysregulation is important to help the body function optimally and prevent progression to serious health complications.

There are many important behaviors to consider that must be individualized like nutrition, exercise, good sleep hygiene. Medical management is sometimes needed too. It is important to work with your healthcare team, and note that blood sugar control is an extremely nuanced conversation.

But one thing the conventional healthcare jumps right too is medication without looking at nutrient deficiencies by screening via bloodwork or via correcting. This is an underutilized tool. Now in some cases, like the a1c is 11.4%, yea supplements won’t touch this. But in prediabetes state or something with an a1c in 6s or 7s, we can absolutely try some holistically minded strategies that are evidenced based.

Supplements to help lower blood sugar are ONE tool to explore.

The following supplements below are based on current research findings that support their use to help regulate blood sugar. These are great ideas to run past your healthcare team to see if they would be appropriate for you to start if you are affected by insulin resistance, prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.

Chromium picolinate

• Take 500 µg, two times per day, minimum four weeks
• Meta-analysis of 13 trials found chromium picolinate supplementation to help with glycemic control. Chromium picolinate improves insulin sensitivity (helps it work better)

Cinnamon

• 120-360 mg total per day
• Meta-analysis of 18 studies found cinnamon to be effective in improving glucose levels by a decrease fasting blood sugar by about 20 mg/dL compared to placebo. Cinnamon also helps improve insulin’s sensitivity.
• Vital Nutrients Blood Sugar Support supplement contains both chromium picolinate and cinnamon

Probiotics

• Take probiotic with mixed strains, as directed on bottle. Note that not all probiotics are created equal. Far from it. Aim for higher CFU (colonizing forming unit) and one with multiple strains. And even better, consider getting a GIMAP test done to get specific insight into your gut flora.
• Meta-analysis of 8 randomized controlled trials and 13 clinical trials found probiotics to be effective via decreasing the hemoglobgin A1c. Certain strains of Lactobacillus & Bifidobacterium taken for at least five weeks decreased the fasting blood sugar.

Magnesium

• Take around 300-400mg of Magnesium (certain forms) before bed which is around the daily dietary reference intake so no crazy megadosing
• People with insulin resistance lose magnesium in their urine contributing to lower levels of this nutrient. Adequate magnesium intake helps insulin work

Inositol

• Around 2000 to 4000mg per day of certain forms of inositol; very well studied
• Inositol can be used to produce molecules that are involved in insulin’s action in your cells thus reducing insulin resistance

The internet is full of random supplements, non-third party tested supplements; There are multiple allegations of certain supplements of Amazon being counterfeit. Obtain supplements, vitamins, minerals and other wellness essentials from safe, credible distributors, like Fullscript.

Get this Blood Sugar Support Protocol at 15% off and free shipping. I did all the work for ya to consolidate it into one simple plan to you can follow after discussing with your healthcare team.

Looking for individualized consultation? Self schedule a telehealth consult package for a personalized plan after in depth assessment.

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