The powerful anti-diabetes supplement you can’t afford not to take

If you have type 2 diabetes, if you’re trying to avoid type 2, or even if you’re in perfect health (yes, in other words, I’m talking to everyone) — I’d like to reintroduce you to one of your best allies — vitamin D.

If you’re a longtime reader, you’re already quite familiar with the benefits of this indispensable wingman, but a remarkable new study reveals just how effectively D controls one of the factors that drives diabetes — and virtually all chronic diseases.

Inflammation relief at the highest level

There are plenty of medical mainstream types who have asserted themselves as stubborn skeptics of anything outside the realm of pharmaceuticals. They seem to take great satisfaction in dismissing non-drug therapies, insisting that the evidence doesn’t meet their “gold standard,” which requires randomized, controlled clinical trials.

That’s why this new research from Australia’s Monash University is going to be impossible for them to debunk, because it includes not just one, but 20 randomized, controlled trials.

The combined studies included nearly 1,300 volunteers with type 2 diabetes who tested vitamin D supplements or placebos. In Nutrition Reviews, the Monash team writes, “This meta-analysis provides level 1 evidence that vitamin D supplementation may reduce chronic low-grade inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes.”

“Level 1,” by the way, is exactly what you might imagine: It’s the highest of the five established levels of evidence.

So while the researchers say that D may reduce chronic low-grade inflammation, a better way to put it might be this: “Most diabetics will benefit.”

And the protection is significant. The 20 trials show reductions in three key markers for inflammation:

  • C-reactive protein (CRP) — a well-known red flag signaling metabolic dysfunction
  • Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) — a common marker when high blood sugar promotes insulin resistance
  • Erythrocyte sedimentation rate — an indication of disease activity in the body

When you’re coping with type 2 diabetes — or trying to avoid that diagnosis — every little advantage helps. And it appears that vitamin D supplements provide a considerable advantage.

Protecting blood vessels

Chronic inflammation triggered by consistently high blood sugar does its damage in several different ways. In diabetes, one of the most damaging effects occurs in the blood vessels.

To get an idea of how extensive this damage can be — and how vitamin D can help — Dr. Marc Micozzi outlines the dangers in his Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes.

He begins far from the larger arteries: “Type 2 diabetes commonly causes destruction of the small blood vessels that supply the eyes and kidneys, as well as the peripheral nerves and tissues of the arms and legs.

“Experts believe that when sugar in the blood rises too high, the excess sugar binds with proteins, creating compounds that damage and weaken small blood vessels. This damage can eventually lead to retinal bleeding, blindness, kidney failure, poor wound healing, and gangrene in the toes, feet, and fingers.”

In this dire situation, vitamin D rushes to the rescue.

Dr. Micozzi cites a study where researchers evaluated medical records of nearly 560 type 2 diabetes patients who were admitted to an outpatient clinic. The patients were matched with 112 healthy participants who comprised a control group.

Researchers took blood samples from all participants, and compared the findings with medical analysis to discover two key results:

  • Low vitamin D levels were linked to blood vessel damage.
  • The lowest vitamin D levels were linked to the most severe diabetic complications.

Based on this and massive amounts of additional research, Dr. Micozzi offers this recommendation: “If you have type 2 diabetes, make sure you get adequate vitamin D intake. You also need plenty of vitamin D to prevent the disease: In a new study from Australian researchers, people with the highest blood levels of vitamin D were far less likely to develop blood sugar problems.

“But the science shows the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin D is way too low. And many people don’t even get the paltry RDA of vitamin D, let alone getting optimal levels of this critical nutrient. I recommend everyone supplement year-round with 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 — an amount that is guaranteed to keep blood levels optimal.”

Stacking the benefits in your favor

And while you’re boosting your levels of vitamin D, don’t forget about magnesium.

In a recent article,  told you about the importance of getting plenty of magnesium in your diet. Just like vitamin D, this remarkable mineral creates vast health benefits, and one of the most important of those benefits is the indispensable role it plays in vitamin D metabolism. The metabolism of D depends on adequate levels of magnesium.

In other words, all the D in the world won’t do much good without magnesium to kick start your body in putting it to use. But unfortunately, just as with vitamin D, most people are deficient in magnesium.

To get vitamin D on track so it can deliver all the benefits you need, you can do two things:

  • Eat magnesium-rich foods, such as dairy, eggs, meat, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains.
  • Take a magnesium supplement — Dr. Micozzi recommends a daily dose of 400 mg of magnesium citrate, a highly absorbable form of the mineral.

You can find many more invaluable dietary and supplement tips to help you prevent and reverse type 2 diabetes in Dr. Micozzi’s Integrative Protocol for Defeating Diabetes. You can learn more or enroll today by clicking here.

SOURCES

academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nutrit/nux077/4912422
Vitamin D supplementation for improvement of chronic low-grade inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Nutrition Reviews
February 27, 2018