In the spirit of World Diabetes Day this month, how have you been taking care of yours? Even if this day was dedicated to bringing awareness and removing its misconceptions, managing your blood glucose is a process.¹ Since lifestyle practices and genetics can contribute to improvement or progression, diabetes is a progressive disease. It helps to talk to Medical Professionals and other diabetic patients to take coordinated and concerted actions in exercise, medication, food, and nutritional supplements for diabetes management (e.g. Glucerna and Glucerna Liquid).^{2, 8}

Drawing attention to Diabetes as a Critical Health Issue

World Diabetes Day is on the 14^th of November, and it aims to educate people that diabetes is a disease and not a personal failure. With food convenience modernizations and lifestyle trends, it was estimated that 1 in 10 people were living with diabetes in 2021.¹ Projected to rise to 643 million people by 2030,¹ be the one to conquer your condition and have a few go-to tactics to take care of your own diabetes. Obesity is not the sole cause and not every diabetic will have heart issues. If you believe that you do not have it, medical checkups are still advised as the longer you go undiagnosed, the more damage high blood glucose can do to your heart.^{2, 5}

Managing Blood Sugar with Vitamin E

Why is Vitamin E mentioned from time to time repeatedly? It is because it is an all-around beneficial vitamin for the immune system (high blood glucose inhibits immune cells from working efficiently), blood vessel health (blood vessel damage is common in diabetics), and skin health.⁶ It is an antioxidant diabetics need it for protection against over free radical production (oxidative stress on cells) with hyperglycemia.³ The main benefit for diabetics is that Vitamin E can help boost insulin sensitivity, so if they were to include the best sources like seeds, almonds, nuts, spinach, squashes, and fish, they can have better control over their diabetes.^{6, 7}

Watch what you Eat with Glycemic Index

Having glycemic control is key to conquering diabetic health and a solution to dealing with its misconceptions. The Glycemic Index, rating up to 100, measures how fast a food item raises blood glucose or blood sugar. Ratings of 55 or less are considered low GI options and are food groups diabetics should include more of in their diet. These foods are based on quantity and quality of carbohydrates, or in other words, slow-release carbohydrates (e.g. barley, beans, non-starchy vegetables).^{4, 5}

If you are not sure of your carbohydrate choices, you can always have the non-carbohydrate items first. Then fill in the carbohydrates and other nutrients with diabetes specific formula supplements. For example, diabetics can add Glucerna, rated as No. 1 Doctor Recommended Diabetes Nutritional Formula in the US⁹, at 2 servings per day (5 scoops + 200ml water per serving) to help effectively manage blood glucose levels¹³. Formulated to be low on the Glycemic Index, Glucerna’s new and improved carbohydrates system¹⁴ contains 4x Myo-inositol¹¹ (an important carbohydrate responsible for mimicking insulin action) for an improved blood glucose or sugar control. With up to 28 vitamins and minerals, including 12 that can help support immunity (protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc and iron), Glucerna can help manage your blood glucose response in 3 months¹².

As important as World Diabetes Day is to raise awareness for diabetes and conquer misconceptions, controlling your blood sugar is a process. Diabetes is not a personal failure and there are many ways to provide management. With a balanced diet and Glucerna together, you can start action from day 1.¹⁰ Nutrition should provide you with consistent energy and leave you satisfied at the same time. Want to take Glucerna with you for your diabetic nutritional needs when traveling? The Glucerna liquid is now available. Formulated with the same nutrients and 4x the Myo-inositol,¹¹ blood glucose control has never been simpler.⁸

Visit Glucerna Myanmar today and sign up for a free sample.

Remark: This article is in support of World Diabetes Day and links will lead to additional awareness on Programmatic Display.

References:

1. http://worlddiabetesday.org/about/
2. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-not-failure
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249697/
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/15-ways-to-lower-blood-sugar#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
5. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/news/20041123/vitamin-e-helps-some-diabetes-patients
6. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324308#butternut-squash
7. https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2004/09/24/Further-evidence-vitamin-E-fights-diabetes
8. https://glucerna.ensuremyanmar.com/eng/mobile-home/
9. IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,550 physicians from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
10. Glucerna has been shown to lower postprandial rises in blood glucose (Devitt et al. J Diabetes Res Clin Metab. 2012; Luo et al. J Diabetes Mellitus. 2012; Mottalib et al. Nutrients. 2016; Davila et al. Nutrients. 2019.)
11. Compared to previous formula of Glucerna
12. Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
13. Chee et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017; Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
14. Jenkins et al. Diabetologia. 1982

Additional Readings:

1. https://abbottnutrition.com.my/adult-nutrition/nutrition-the-underutilized-tool