Insulin not only moves glucose into the cells, but it also escorts Vitamin C. Blood sugar hogs the seats on the bus in most diabetics, therefore reducing the amount of Vitamin C we can absorb. This is the premise of The GAA Theory: high glucose levels hinder vitamin C entry into cells.

Vitamin C is vitally important for many functions throughout the body - a big one being metabolism. Glucose and Vitamin C are similar in the way they enter the cells. Both molecules require help from insulin. The name for the process that brings glucose and Vitamin C through cell membranes is insulin-mediated uptake. The insulin-mediated uptake of glucose and vitamin C uses white blood cells. White blood cells have more insulin pumps and they may contain 20 times the amount of vitamin C as ordinary cells.

So does increasing your Vitamin C help boost your glycemic control? Diabetes Health cited a study that confirms daily doses of 2,000 mg of absorbic acid improved both fasting blood glucose and HbA1c readings in patients with type 2 diabetes. Next time you swing by the store - see if some Emergen-C can help you achieve better glycemic control. With 1,000 mg of Vitamin C per packet - their homepage says: Feel The Good. Little did they know how good it could be for Type 2 diabetics!

Until recently, little evidence existed regarding the effects of soy consumption on the metabolic syndrome in humans. Researchers evaluated the effects of soy consumption on metabolic symdrome and found it improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in postmenopausal women.

The study evaluated the plasma lipids, lipoproteins, insulin resistance, and glycemic control in 42 postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a control diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, DASH), a soy-protein diet, or a soy-nut diet, each for 8 weeks. Red meat in the DASH period was replaced by soy-protein in the soy-protein period and by soy-nut in the soy-nut period.

The soy-nut regimen decreased the insulin resistance score significantly compared with the soy-protein or control diets. Consumption of soy-nut also reduced fasting blood sugar significantly than did the soy-protein or control diet. The soy-nut regimen decreased LDL cholesterol more than did the soy-protein period and the control diet. Soy-nut consumption significantly reduced serum C-peptide concentrations compared with control diet but consumption of soy-protein did not.

Consumption of the soy-nut leg of the experiment significantly reduced C-peptide concentrations because it was evident that the diabetic women were not creating as much insulin to counter the sugar rise in their blood. C-peptide is ONLY present when your body is producing insulin. So can one logically deduce that naturally occurring insulin causes insulin resistance? Uh oh. Sounds like we've got a pickle of a situation happening here.

Here we go round the mulberry bush -- you know the nursery rhyme but did you have any idea how influential the center of attention could be? Well, regardless of Mother Goose, Roman Poets and silkworms staple diet - the mulberry has more to offer than you might think.

Mulberry leaves are reported to lower blood sugar, blood pressure, reduce fever and exhibit anti-inflammatory effects. A study showed the fasting blood sugar of diabetic rats eating a diet with mulberry leaf was reduced by 50% when compared to the diabetic control. The mulberry leaf rats also showed a drop of 30% in their HbA1c. Studies have shown that prolonged intake of mulberry leaves may further reduce HbA1c levels and probably help in achieving better glycemic control. Mulberry leaves also helped control the intracellular balance and reduced the activity of glucogenesis, both telltale signs of uncontrolled diabetes. Glucogenesis is when the body breaks down proteins and fats for glucose.

The mulberry bush should be celebrated. What if drinking a cup of white mulberry tea before a meal could reduce the total sugars absorbed? Researchers in Japan found white mulberry leaves have certain nitrogen-containing sugars (1-deoxynojirimycin) that strongly inhibit the intestinal metabolism of sugars from entering the circulation. Bottom's up for lower post meal numbers.

Boy, that last blog was a real downer, huh? That one about the link between Alzheimer's and Type 2 diabetes? But I've been reading a little bit more on the topic and it's really not all doom and gloom. No, because even though their risk level is higher than for non-diabetics, there are things diabetics can do to lessen their chances of developing Alzheimer's.

Not surprisingly, the one big thing diabetics can do to help themselves is to get blood sugar levels under control. A report in Psychiatric Times says that patients with poor glycemic control were much more likely to go on to develop dementia, and that doctors should encourage such patients to introduce lifestyle changes to help control blood sugar. Those who don't are really asking for trouble, apparently. Or "driving down the road towards dementia," as researchers colorfully put it at a conference Sunday. Having an HbA1c level over fifteen gives you a seventy-eight percent higher chance of developing dementia, Alzheimer's or cognitive decline, say the experts. The greatest risk exists for those diabetics with HbA1c levels greater than ten.