Sugar stabilizers: learn to prevent diabetes naturally

Better Nutrition, August, 2005 by Frank Ervolino

Luckily, there's a lot you can do. First of all, many studies have found daily exercise an effective tool in preventing type 2 diabetes. While your weekend warrior ways can have a significant benefit--any exercise is better than none--adding just 10 minutes of activity 2-3 times a day will help even more. Walk your children to the playground, or take a stroll around the block during lunch or after dinner.

Nutrition plays a large role in the prevention of diabetes. Avoid simple carbohydrates such as sodas, sugar, breads and pastas made from white flour and highly processed foods. Reach for more foods made with whole grains (see "Eat Smart: Grains & Cereals," p. 30).

A good tool to use when choosing foods is the glycemic index (GI), which describes the quality of carbohydrates in foods, specifically their effect on blood sugar. The index ranges from 0 (pure protein sources such as chicken breasts), to 100 (pure carbs such as glucose). The higher the ranking, the more sugar a food delivers to the bloodstream. Foods ranked lower than 55 are considered low-GI foods; 70 are high-GI foods.

Whole grains are key because a healthful, low-GI diet that keeps your blood sugar stable is made up of foods such as oats, barley, whole wheat, and an abundance of fruits and vegetables (barring potatoes). A low-GI diet also includes good fats such as olive and canola oils, lean meats and low-fat dairy products. (For GI rankings of particular foods, visit www.glycemicindex.com.)

Supplement-wise, exciting new choices are available to help prevent diabetes.

* The most significant is R-lipoic acid, which actually helps transfer sugar, specifically glucose, into cells for use as energy--very important for diabetics. You may have heard of alpha-lipoic acid, which is a mixture of R- and S-lipoic acid. To be truly effective for diabetics, R-lipoic acid must work independently of S-lipoic acids. When looking for this supplement, if the label says "racemic mixture," then it's not pure R-lipoic acid. I recommend the Insulow brand.

* Encapsulated cinnamon has also been shown to decrease insulin resistance, but you must use a water extract. Oil of cinnamon won't work.