3/23/2017 15EasyWaystoLowerBloodSugarLevelsNaturally

15EasyWaystoLowerBloodSugarLevels
Naturally
ByArleneSemeco,MS,RD|748,622views

Highbloodsugaroccurswhenyourbodycanteffectivelytransport
sugarfrombloodintocells.
Whenleftunchecked,thiscanleadtodiabetes.
Onestudyfrom2012reportedthat1214%ofUSadultshadtype2
diabetes,while3738%wereclassifiedasprediabetic(1).
Thismeansthat50%ofallUSadultshavediabetesorpre
diabetes.
Hereare15easywaystolowerbloodsugarlevelsnaturally:

1.Exerciseregularly
Regularexercisecanhelpyouloseweightandincreaseinsulin
sensitivity.
Increasedinsulinsensitivitymeansyourcellsarebetterabletouse
theavailablesugarinyourbloodstream.
Exercisealsohelpsyourmusclesusebloodsugarforenergyand
musclecontraction.
Ifyouhaveproblemswithbloodsugarcontrol,youshouldroutinelycheckyourlevels.Thiswillhelpyou
learnhowyourespondtodifferentactivitiesandkeepyourbloodsugarlevelsfromgettingeithertoo
highortoolow(2).
Goodformsofexerciseincludeweightlifting,briskwalking,running,biking,dancing,hiking,swimming
andmore.
BottomLine:Exerciseincreasesinsulinsensitivityandhelpsyourmusclespickupsugars
fromtheblood.Thiscanleadtoreducedbloodsugarlevels.

2.Controlyourcarbintake
Yourbodybreakscarbsdownintosugars(mostlyglucose),andtheninsulinmovesthesugarsintocells.
Whenyoueattoomanycarbsorhaveproblemswithinsulinfunction,thisprocessfailsandblood
glucoselevelsrise.

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However,thereareseveralthingsyoucandoaboutthis.
TheAmericanDiabetesAssociation(ADA)recommendscontrollingcarbintake
bycountingcarbsorusingafoodexchangesystem(3).
Somestudiesfindthatthesemethodscanalsohelpyouplanyourmeals
appropriately,whichmayfurtherimprovebloodsugarcontrol(4,5).
Manystudiesalsoshowthatalowcarbdiethelpsreducebloodsugarlevels
andpreventbloodsugarspikes(6,7,8,9).
Whatsmore,alowcarbdietcanhelpcontrolbloodsugarlevelsinthelong
run(10).
Youcanreadmoreinthisarticleonhealthylowcarbeatingwithdiabetes.
BottomLine:Carbsarebrokendownintoglucose,whichraisesbloodsugarlevels.
Reducingcarbohydrateintakecanhelpwithbloodsugarcontrol.

3.Increaseyourfiberintake

Fiberslowscarbdigestionandsugarabsorption.Forthesereasons,itpromotesamoregradualrisein
bloodsugarlevels.
Furthermore,thetypeoffiberyoueatmayplayarole.
Therearetwokindsoffiber:insolubleandsoluble.Whilebothareimportant,solublefiberspecifically
hasbeenshowntolowerbloodsugarlevels(11,12,13).
Additionally,ahighfiberdietcanhelpmanagetype1diabetesbyimprovingbloodsugarcontroland
reducingbloodsugarlows(13,14).
Foodsthatarehighinfiberincludevegetables,fruits,legumesandwholegrains.
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Therecommendeddailyintakeoffiberisabout25gramsforwomenand38gramsformen.Thats
about14gramsforevery1,000calories(15).
BottomLine:Eatingplentyoffibercanhelpwithbloodsugarcontrol,andsolubledietary
fiberisthemosteffective.

4.Drinkwaterandstayhydrated
Drinkingenoughwatermayhelpyoukeepyourbloodsugarlevelswithinhealthy
limits.
Inadditiontopreventingdehydration,ithelpsyourkidneysflushouttheexcess
bloodsugarthroughurine.
Oneobservationalstudyshowedthatthosewhodrankmorewaterhadalowerrisk
ofdevelopinghighbloodsugarlevels(16).
Drinkingwaterregularlyrehydratestheblood,lowersbloodsugarlevelsand
reducesdiabetesrisk(16,17,18,19)
Keepinmindthatwaterandothernoncaloricbeveragesarebest.Sugar
sweeteneddrinksraisebloodglucose,driveweightgainandincreasediabetesrisk
(20,21).
BottomLine:Stayinghydratedcanreducebloodsugarlevelsandhelppreventdiabetes.
Waterisbest.

5.Implementportioncontrol
Portioncontrolhelpsregulatecalorieintakeandcanleadtoweightloss(22,23,24).
Consequently,controllingyourweightpromoteshealthybloodsugarlevelsandhasbeenshownto
reducetheriskofdevelopingtype2diabetes(22,23,25,26,27,28).
Monitoringyourservingsizesalsohelpsreducecalorieintakeandsubsequentbloodsugarspikes(23,
24).
Herearesomehelpfultipsforcontrollingportions:
Measureandweighportions.
Usesmallerplates.
Avoidallyoucaneatrestaurants.
Readfoodlabelsandchecktheservingsizes.
Keepafoodjournal.
Eatslowly.
BottomLine:Themorecontrolyouhaveoveryourservingsizesthebettercontrolyouwill
haveoveryourbloodsugarlevels.

6.Choosefoodswithalowglycemicindex

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Theglycemicindexwasdevelopedtoassessthebodysbloodsugar
responsetofoodsthatcontaincarbs(29).
Boththeamountandtypeofcarbsdeterminehowafoodaffects
bloodsugarlevels(30,31).
Eatinglowglycemicindexfoodshasbeenshowntoreducelong
termbloodsugarlevelsintype1andtype2diabetics(32,33).
Althoughtheglycemicindexoffoodsisimportant,theamountof
carbsconsumedalsomatters(34,35).
Foodswithalowglycemicindexincludeseafood,meat,eggs,oats,barley,beans,lentils,legumes,
sweetpotatoes,corn,yams,mostfruitsandnonstarchyvegetables.
BottomLine:Itsimportanttochoosefoodswithalowglycemicindexandwatchyour
overallcarbintake.

7.Controlstresslevels

Stresscanaffectyourbloodsugarlevels(36,37).
Hormonessuchasglucagonandcortisolaresecretedduringstress.Thesehormonescauseblood
sugarlevelstogoup(38,39).
Onestudyshowedthatexercise,relaxationandmeditationsignificantlyreducedstressandlowered
bloodsugarlevelsforstudents(40).
Exercisesandrelaxationmethodslikeyogaandmindfulnessbasedstressreductioncanalsocorrect
insulinsecretionproblemsinchronicdiabetes(40,41,42,43,44).
BottomLine:Controllingstresslevelsthroughexerciseorrelaxationmethodssuchasyoga
willhelpyoucontrolbloodsugars.
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8.Monitoryourbloodsugarlevels
Whatgetsmeasuredgetsmanaged.
Measuringandmonitoringbloodglucoselevelscanalsohelpyoucontrol
them.
Forexample,keepingtrackhelpsyoudeterminewhetheryouneedto
makeadjustmentsinmealsormedications(31).
Itwillalsohelpyoufindouthowyourbodyreactstocertainfoods(45,46).
Trymeasuringyourlevelseveryday,andkeepingtrackofthenumbersin
alog.
BottomLine:Checkingyoursugarsandmaintainingalogeverydaywillhelpyouadjust
foodsandmedicationstodecreaseyoursugarlevels.

9.Getenoughqualitysleep
Gettingenoughsleepfeelsgreatandisnecessaryforgoodhealth(47).
Poorsleepinghabitsandalackofrestalsoaffectbloodsugarlevelsandinsulinsensitivity.Theycan
increaseappetiteandpromoteweightgain(48,49).
Sleepdeprivationdecreasesthereleaseofgrowthhormonesandincreasescortisollevels.Bothof
theseplayanimportantroleinbloodsugarcontrol(47,50,51).
Furthermore,goodsleepisaboutbothquantityandquality.Itisbesttogetasufficientamountofhigh
qualitysleepeverynight(49).
BottomLine:Goodsleephelpsmaintainbloodsugarcontrolandpromoteahealthyweight.
Poorsleepcandisruptimportantmetabolichormones.

10.Eatfoodsrichinchromiumandmagnesium
Highbloodsugarlevelsanddiabeteshavealsobeenlinkedto
micronutrientdeficiencies(31,52).
Examplesincludedeficienciesinthemineralschromiumand
magnesium.
Chromiumisinvolvedincarbandfatmetabolism.Italsohelpscontrol
bloodsugarlevels,andalackofchromiummaypredisposeyoutocarb
intolerance(53,54,55).
However,themechanismsbehindthisarenotcompletelyknown.Studiesalsoreportmixedfindings.
Twostudiesofdiabetespatientsshowedthatchromiumhadbenefitsforlongtermbloodsugarcontrol.
However,anotherstudyshowednobenefits(55,56,57).
Chromiumrichfoodsincludeeggyolks,wholegrainproducts,highbrancereals,coffee,nuts,green
beans,broccoliandmeat.

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Magnesiumhasalsobeenshowntoaffectbloodsugarlevels,andmagnesiumdeficiencyhasbeen
linkedtoahigherriskofdevelopingdiabetes(31,58,59).
Inonestudy,peoplewiththehighestmagnesiumintakehada47%lowerriskofbecomingdiabetic(60).
However,ifyoualreadyeatplentyofmagnesiumrichfoods,thenyouprobablywillnotbenefitfrom
supplements(61).
Magnesiumrichfoodsincludedarkleafygreens,wholegrains,fish,darkchocolate,bananas,avocados
andbeans.
BottomLine:Eatingfoodsrichinchromiumandmagnesiumonaregularbasiscanhelp
preventdeficienciesandreducebloodsugarproblems.

11.Tryapplecidervinegar
Applecidervinegarhasmanybenefitsforyourhealth.
Itpromoteslowerfastingbloodsugarlevels,possiblybydecreasingitsproduction
bytheliverorincreasingitsusebycells(62,63,64).
Whatsmore,studiesshowthatvinegarsignificantlyinfluencesyourbodys
responsetosugarsandimprovesinsulinsensitivity(63,65,66,67,68,69).
Toincorporateapplecidervinegarintoyourdiet,youcanaddittosaladdressings
ormix2teaspoonsin8ouncesofwater.
However,itsimportanttocheckwithyourdoctorbeforetakingapplecider
vinegarifyouarealreadytakingmedicationsthatlowerbloodsugar.
BottomLine:Addingapplecidervinegartoyourdietcanhelpyourbodyinmanyways,
includingreducingbloodsugarlevels.

12.Experimentwithcinnamonextract

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Cinnamonisknowntohavemanyhealthbenefits.
Forone,ithasbeenshowntoimproveinsulinsensitivitybydecreasinginsulinresistanceatthecellular
level(70,71).
Studiesshowcinnamoncanalsolowerbloodsugarlevelsbyupto29%(72,73,74).
Itslowsthebreakdownofcarbsinthedigestivetract,whichmoderatestheriseinbloodsugaraftera
meal(75,76).
Cinnamonalsoactsinasimilarwayasinsulin,althoughatamuchslowerrate(77).
Aneffectivedoseis16gramsofcinnamonperday,orabout0.52teaspoons(78).
However,definitelydonttakemorethanthatsincetoomuchcinnamoncanbeharmful.
BottomLine:Cinnamonhasbeenshowntoreducefastingbloodsugarlevelsandimprove
insulinsensitivity.

13.Tryberberine
BerberineistheactivecomponentofaChineseherbthatsbeenusedtotreatdiabetesforthousandsof
years.
Berberinehasbeenshowntohelplowerbloodsugarandenhancethebreakdownofcarbsforenergy
(79,80,81).
Whatsmore,berberinemaybeaseffectiveassomebloodsugarloweringdrugs.Thismakesitoneof
themosteffectivesupplementsforthosewithdiabetesorprediabetes(79,82).
However,manyofthemechanismsbehinditseffectsarestillunknown(81,83).

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Additionally,itmayhavesomesideeffects.Diarrhea,constipation,flatulenceand
abdominalpainhavebeenreported(84).
Acommondosageprotocolis1,500mgperday,takenbeforemealsas3dosesof
500mg.
Youcanreadmoreaboutthisimpressivesupplementhere:BerberineTheWorlds
MostEffectiveSupplement?
BottomLine:Berberineworkswellforloweringbloodsugarlevelsandcan
helpmanagediabetes.However,itmayhavesomedigestivesideeffects.

14.Eatfenugreekseeds
Fenugreekseedsareagreatsourceofsolublefiber,whichcanhelpcontrolbloodsugarlevels.
Manystudieshaveshownthatfenugreekcaneffectivelylowerbloodsugarindiabetics.Italsohelps
reducefastingglucoseandimproveglucosetolerance(85,86,87,88).
Althoughnotthatpopular,fenugreekcaneasilybeaddedtobakedgoodstohelptreatdiabetes.Youcan
alsomakefenugreekflourorbrewitintotea(89).
Fenugreekseedsarealsoconsideredoneofthesafestherbsfordiabetes(87,88).
Therecommendeddoseoffenugreekseedsis25gramsperday.
BottomLine:Considergivingfenugreekseedsatry.Theyareeasytoaddtoyourdietand
canhelpregulatebloodglucoselevels.

15.Losesomeweight
Itsanobrainerthatmaintainingahealthyweightwillimproveyourhealthand
preventfuturehealthproblems.
Weightcontrolalsopromoteshealthybloodsugarlevelsandhasbeenshown
toreduceyourriskofdevelopingdiabetes(22,23,24,25,26).
Evena7%reductioninbodyweightcandecreaseyourriskofdeveloping
diabetesbyupto58%,anditseemstoworkevenbetterthanmedication(90).
Whatsmore,thesedecreasedriskscanbesustainedovertheyears(91,92,93).
Youshouldalsobeconsciousofyourwaistline,asitisperhapsthemostimportantweightrelatedfactor
forestimatingyourdiabetesrisk.
Ameasurementof35inches(88.9cm)ormoreforwomenand40inches(101.6cm)ormoreformenis
associatedwithanincreasedriskofdevelopinginsulinresistance,highbloodsugarlevelsandtype2
diabetes(94).
Havingahealthywaistmeasurementmaybeevenmoreimportantthanyouroverallweight(94).
BottomLine:Keepingahealthyweightandwaistlinewillhelpyoumaintainnormalblood
sugarlevelsanddecreaseyourriskofdevelopingdiabetes.

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TakeHomeMessage
Makesuretocheckwithyourdoctorbeforemakinglifestylechangesortryingnewsupplements.
Thisisparticularlyimportantifyouhaveproblemswithbloodsugarcontrolorifyouaretaking
medicationstoloweryoursugarlevels.
Thatbeingsaid,ifyouarediabeticorhaveproblemswithbloodsugarcontrol,thenyoushouldstart
doingsomethingaboutitassoonaspossible.

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