Can special dietary nutrition really help control blood glucose? What are your options? You are not alone in wondering what is right for you since over 500 million people worldwide are affected by diabetes.¹ Base your regime as per your Medical Professional’s recommendation and nutritional supplements should contain vitamins, minerals, fibers, proteins, and carbohydrates to top off what a person needs in a day. The key ingredient diabetics have to watch out for is the carbohydrate type and quantity content as it is one of the main items that affect blood glucose levels.^{2, 3} Make sure that the nutritional supplements are explicitly formulated for diabetes with a low Glycemic Index rating (GI) per serving (eg. Glucerna and Glucerna Liquid).^{8, 9}

Pros, Cons, and Key Ingredients of Supplement Options

You have to first realize that supplements are not cures, but one of the key means for controlling your blood glucose and possibly improving your diabetic conditions. The type of supplement a diabetic should look for are ones taken orally as full or partial meal replacements. Diabetics have to concentrate on slow release or slowly digestible types of carbohydrates, ie. Quality carbohydrates have significant fiber content.^{2, 3}

When looking at this from a food item angle, you have to choose Low Glycemic Index rating items. On a scale of 0 to 100, it rates food on how fast it raises your blood glucose. Rating lower than 55 will be considered low GI, under 69 is medium, and anything over 70 is high GI.^{5, 6} Another keynote to take is that nutritional supplements should also have the right mix of vitamins and minerals that helps support immunity.⁴ This is because a person affected by diabetes has a high blood glucose level in the blood with under-realized poor nutritional status, which hinders the effectiveness of immunity cells.⁴ A few of these are protein (for structure and function of cells), Vitamin A (cell reproduction and immunity function), and Prebiotics (Fructo-oligosaccharides, FOS for gut health).^{5, 8}

Benefits of Glucerna

Backed by about 30 years of research and over 50 clinical studies, Glucerna rates low on the Glycemic Index per serving.^{8, 9} Specially designed for people with diabetes, it is the No. 1 Doctor Recommended Diabetes Nutritional Formula in the US.¹⁰ Formulated with a new and improved carbohydrate system¹⁵ blend and 4x the Myo-inositol¹² for better glycemic control. Part of the B vitamins family, Myo-inositol, or referred to as Inositol (C₆H₁₂O₆, a carbocyclic sugar) is an important carbohydrate responsible for mimicking insulin action and helps control blood glucose level.⁷

Glucerna is also enriched with a unique dual fiber blend with Oat Fiber and FOS, 28 vitamins and minerals (12 nutrients for immunity: protein, Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, Folate and selenium, copper, zinc and iron) to help manage blood glucose response in 3 months.¹³ Consider having at least 2 servings of Glucerna in a day as a snack or a meal replacement or meal accompaniment. To make a serving, mix 5 scoops of powder with 200 milliliters of cold water and consume within one day. When in doubt, consult your doctor or dietitian on how you can incorporate Glucerna into your daily diet. For your convenience, Glucerna is now available as Glucerna Liquid for your blood glucose managing needs on the go.^{8, 9}

When you have type 2 diabetes, nutrition is a great tool to help fight and manage it. Choosing the right carbohydrates and nutritional supplements are the means of protecting you from problems caused by diabetes. Start action from day 1 with Glucerna,¹¹ a specialized nutrition for diabetes that features a unique blend of ingredients, clinically proven to help effectively manage blood glucose levels,¹⁴ manage cardiovascular risks and maintain a normal weight. It may be used as a meal replacement or as part of a diabetes management plan.⁹

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

References:

1. https://worlddiabetesday.org/about/facts-figures/
2. https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetes-dietary-supplements
3. https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/the-role-of-supplements-in-diabetes-management
4. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/recipes-nutrition/vitamins-diabetes
5. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/blood-sugar-supplements#TOC_TITLE_HDR_4
6. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/glycemic-index-diet/art-20048478
7. https://abbottfamily.com.sg/articles/diabetes/inositol
8. https://www.glucerna.com.au/why-glucerna/immunity-health
9. https://glucerna.ensuremyanmar.com/eng/

10. IQVIA, using the ProVoice Survey, fielded to 14,550 physicians from September 1, 2020 to August 31, 2021
11. 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.)
12. Compared to previous formula of Glucerna
13. Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
14. Chee et al. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. 2017; Sun et al. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2008.
15. Jenkins et al. Diabetologia. 1982.