(BlackDoctor.org) — Also known as childhood-onset diabetes,
type 1 diabetes requires regular blood sugar tests and medical intervention.
According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be
What You Need To Know:
- Go for the chromium
Under the supervision of a doctor,
take 200 mcg a day of this essential trace mineral to improve glucose tolerance
- Fight back with fiber
Under a doctor’s supervision,
stabilize your blood sugar by eating fiber from whole grains, beans (legumes),
vegetables, and fruit, and consider using a fiber supplement such as psyllium or
- Protect with alpha lipoic acid
Protect against diabetic
complications, such as nerve and kidney damage, by taking 600 to 1,200 mg of
this supplement per day
- Discover EPO
Help relieve pain from diabetic
neuropathy by taking 4 grams of evening primrose oil supplements per day
- Get to know niacinamide
Talk to a knowledgeable
healthcare provider to determine if taking large amounts of the supplement
niacinamide might prevent or limit the severity of type 1 diabetes in your
These recommendations are not comprehensive and are not intended to replace
the advice of your doctor or pharmacist. Continue reading the full diabetes
article for more in-depth, fully-referenced information on medicines, vitamins,
herbs, and dietary and lifestyle changes that may be helpful.
Dietary changes that may be
Eating carbohydrate-containing foods, whether high in
sugar or high in starch (such as bread, potatoes, processed breakfast cereals,
and rice), temporarily raises blood sugar and insulin levels. The blood
sugar–raising effect of a food, called its “glycemic index,” depends on how
rapidly its carbohydrate is absorbed. Many starchy foods have a glycemic index
similar to table sugar (sucrose). Beans, peas, fruit, and oats have low glycemic
indexes, despite their high carbohydrate content, due mostly to the
health-promoting effects of soluble fiber. Controlled studies have found that
people with type 1 diabetes who follow a low-glycemic-index diet have better
long-term control over their blood sugar levels compared with those following a
high-glycemic-index diet. However, other studies find similar benefits from
training patients to adjust their insulin doses according to the total
carbohydrate content of each meal or snack (“carbohydrate counting”). People
with type 1 diabetes should always discuss changes in their diet with their
Diabetes disrupts the mechanisms by which the body controls blood sugar.
Until recently, health professionals have recommended sugar restriction to
people with diabetes, even though short-term high-sugar diets have been shown,
in some studies, not to cause blood sugar problems in people with diabetes.
Currently, the American Diabetic Association (ADA) guidelines do not prohibit
the use of moderate amounts of sugar, as long as blood levels of glucose,
triglycerides, and cholesterol are maintained within normal levels.
Most doctors recommend that people with diabetes cut intake of sugar from
snacks and processed foods, and replace these foods with high-fiber, whole
foods. This tends to lower the glycemic index of the overall diet and has the
additional benefit of increasing vitamin, mineral, and fiber intake. Other
authorities also recommend lowering the glycemic index of the diet to improve
the control of diabetes.
Older studies suggested that including 30 grams per day or more of fiber
helps control blood sugar in type 1 diabetes. However, a more recent controlled
study of people with well-controlled type 1 diabetes on intensive insulin
regimens found no important benefits from consuming a high-fiber diet. In
another trial, a low-glycemic-index diet containing 50 grams per day of fiber
improved blood sugar control and helped prevent hypoglycemic episodes in a group
of people with type 1 diabetes taking two or more insulin injections per day.
Consuming more fiber may not be as helpful in type 1 diabetes when modern
intensive insulin regimens are used, but eating high-fiber foods is recommended
for its many other health benefits.