Written by: Mariah Wilson
Have you been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes? Or do you have a family member or friend who struggles with high blood sugar levels or needs help with blood sugar management?
You might be reading this article because you want to prevent negative consequences associated with chronic high blood sugar levels, such as blindness, losing sensation in your hands or feet (diabetic neuropathy), and preventing painful ulcers from forming. And this is just a short list of diabetic complications. Or maybe your goal is to reduce or go off of your current medication – with the supervision of your doctor of course 😉 – because you want to live a more natural and healthier lifestyle.
Well, if you would like some educational input on combating this condition and are looking for other ways to manage diabetes by lowering yours or a loved one’s high blood sugar levels – then you’ve come to the right place. Below I will discuss evidence-based supplements that work to help with lowering blood sugar levels, and improve glucose metabolism.
The supplements I’ll be discussing have been shown to work in multiple studies, in human trials. And I do emphasize the “in human trials”, because that kind of research is the most relevant and applicable to our own health. You might be surprised by this, but a lot of supplements get put on shelves with only data showing that they work in animal studies or in petri dishes – and the last time I checked, we didn’t have any animals that read our articles…
As you can probably imagine, a lot of our clients are diabetics, and because of this, Igor and his research and editorial team from Fitness Solutions Plus have written over 8 articles geared towards helping reduce blood sugar naturally (either through exercise, nutrition, supplements etc.) and he even has a bestselling book titled, Type 2 Diabetes Reversal Secrets: 4 Simple Steps to Lower Blood Sugar in 1 Month – Without Medications. If you want to get it, click here.
Or, if you want to read the first chapter of the book (titled “11 Diabetes Myths That Are Harming Your Health”) for free, just fill out the form below, and we’ll send it to your inbox right away.
So, now it’s time to give you what you came for!
What are the best supplements to lower blood sugar? I will list them below – and then I will also go into further detail on:
- The studies
- How the supplements work
- The right dose
- Potential negative side effects
The Best Supplements to Lower Blood Sugar are… (drum roll please):
In no particular order the best supplements to lower blood sugar are:
And now, before we proceed, I do have a disclaimer to make that is very important.
Currently we are not medical professionals – but who knows what the future has in store for us – so with that in mind, we cannot diagnose or treat health conditions. Also, we do not claim that one or more supplements or lifestyle changes will cure diabetes The information presented in this article is for educational purposes only and all health inquiries and recommendations should be had with either your pharmacist, and/or your medical doctor or naturopathic doctor.
It is also important to note, that although high blood sugar levels are very important to treat, there are many other conditions that may also need to be addressed in order to optimize one’s health and promote longevity. Such conditions include: high blood pressure, obesity, elevated cholesterol levels etc., which all increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and heart disease.
However, what we can do is educate you about the research that is out there and hopefully provide you with a resource that can benefit your overall health – and that is precisely what we plan to do.
Before I dive into the research, it would be best to orient you with the type of research studies we used in this article. We only looked at randomized control trials (RCT) and meta-analyses. But wait a minute… what are RCTs and meta-analyses?
RCTs are research studies that compare one hypothesis (a theory) against a control group to see what the outcomes are. It is important to note that participants recruited for an RCT are randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control group. Having a control group is important because it helps prevent bias from occuring in the study.
For example, one study might want to examine if drinking coffee impacts or changes blood sugar levels after eating a donut. In order to test this theory, they would have two groups of participants: the one group would drink coffee after eating a donut (this is the intervention group), and then the other group would drink something flavoured like coffee… but that isn’t coffee (this is the control group) and then each group would get their blood sugar tested both before and after eating the donut (this is the outcome being measured) to see if there are changes in blood sugar levels between the two groups.
It should also be noted that RCTs are often (but not always) blinded, meaning that the participants and the researchers do not know what treatment each participant is receiving, thus further reducing the risk of bias. A study using RCTs is considered the “gold-standard” for exploring cause-effect relationships between an intervention and outcome.
A meta-analysis, on the other hand, is one study that compiles the research from multiple studies in order to try and summarize what the main findings and common results are for a specific type of intervention. For example, using the same RCT as discussed above about coffee and blood sugar levels, a meta-analysis would look at all research papers that studied the same research question. So to make a long story short – meta-analyses try to summarize the findings of multiple studies that looked to answer the same research question.
Take a look at the diagram below. It shows what kinds of studies have the strongest level of scientific evidence for them. You will see that the top of the pyramid has the strongest level of evidence, and these studies are exactly the ones that we included in this article for you! Nothing but the best for our readers 😉
So now that we have our disclaimer out of the way and I have told you our reasoning for choosing the types of research articles we looked at – I can now finally dive into all the nitty gritty details about these supplements and their potential health benefits! Are you excited to nerd out with me yet?
First, let’s start with taking a deeper look at the research behind oral aloe vera supplements.
Aloe Vera
The studies:
Two meta-analyses (remember: these are considered high quality research papers), looked at how taking aloe impacted blood sugar levels.
The one research study looked at 7 medicinal plants that had blood sugar lowering effects. Of the plants they identified, aloe vera had 3 human RCTs that supported its use in lowering hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, and improved insulin resistance.
The other research study, which was a meta-analysis, analyzed 9 research studies using aloe vera and its impacts on FBG levels and HbA1c. On average there was a reduction of 1.05% in HbA1c, and an average reduction of fasting blood glucose by 46.6 mg/dL (that’s 2.6 mmol/l for my non-American readers) after 4-14 weeks of supplementation.
How the supplement works:
The exact mechanisms of how aloe works to lower blood glucose levels and HbA1c are not precisely known. However, aloe contains at least 75 active compounds, which includes vitamins, enzymes, minerals, amino acids and other natural chemicals that will break your tongue trying to pronounce them (but just for fun, they are anthraquinones, monosaccharides, polysaccharides, lignins, saponins, salicylic acids and phytosterols).
A few important minerals it contains are chromium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc – which all play a role in the metabolism of blood sugar by improving the effectiveness of insulin – meaning that your body is able to more efficiently use the sugar that you have consumed, instead of it floating around in the bloodstream resulting in high blood sugar levels.
It is also theorized that the high carbohydrate content (specifically a sugar called “acemannan”) is thought to be responsible for the reduced fasting blood sugar levels and/or HbA1c, although the exact mechanism of how it works is currently unknown.
The right dose:
Currently there are no studies showing how high is too high for supplementing with aloe vera. But in the studies we looked at, we found that doses for the powder ranged from 100-1000 mg/day (in divided doses) and doses for aloe vera juice ranged from 15-150 ml/day without toxic side effects.
Potential negative side effects:
The adverse effects that are possible with supplementation of aloe include abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, rash, muscle weakness, and low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). It should also be noted that it is not recommended for use in pregnancy.
Milk Thistle
The studies:
One meta-analysis analyzed five randomized controlled trials that gave milk thistle for a minimum of 1 month duration. The overall results found that milk thistle significantly reduced fasting blood glucose levels on average by 26.86 mg/dL (that’s 1.5 mmol/l), and HbA1c levels reduced on average by 1.07%.
How the supplement works:
Although the exact mechanisms of milk thistle and its impacts on blood glucose levels are not fully understood, it seems that silymarin (the active component of milk thistle) plays a role by improving insulin resistance. It does so through a few different mechanisms, one of them being improved liver function, by acting as an anti-inflammatory and thus decreasing oxidative stress (AKA free radicals) in the liver.
Interestingly, many liver problems are related to insulin resistance, and it is well known that insulin resistance often comes before the development of full blown type 2 diabetes.
The right dose:
Currently there are no studies showing how high is too high for supplementing with milk thistle. However, in the studies we looked at, we found that doses ranged from as low as 200 mg/day and went as high as 700 mg three times a day for 24 weeks without toxic side effects.
Potential negative side effects:
An upset stomach (nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea) and headache were the minor adverse effects reported.
Overall, milk thistle was found to be safe and without major side effects and helps with blood sugar control.
However, milk thistle can impact certain pharmaceutical drugs (like birth control, anti-anxiety medication etc.) so consult with your pharmacist to make sure it is not contraindicated.
Gymnema Sylvestre
The studies:
One meta-analysis consisting of 10 studies with a total of 419 participants showed that supplementing with gymnema sylvestre significantly reduced fasting blood glucose by 1.57 mg/dl (0.1 mmol/l), postprandial (after a meal) blood glucose by 1.04 mg/dl (0.1 mmol/l), and HbA1c by 3.91%.
How the supplement works:
Gymnema sylvestre works by several different mechanisms:
- Gymnemic acids (active components of the herb) promote the release of insulin from the pancreas, helping reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity levels.
- Gymnemic acids help to regenerate damaged or poorly functioning cells in the pancreas (specifically islet cells, which are small cells that produce hormones that regulate blood sugar levels).
- May help reduce sugar cravings due to gymnemic acids being similar in shape and structure to sugar molecules
The right dose:
The intervention groups the study looked at were given doses ranging from 400 mg to 10 g orally in powder, capsule, or tablet form daily. The duration of the trials ranged anywhere from 21 days to 20 months.
Potential negative side effects:
Only a few studies reported minor adverse effects and these included: diarrhea, heartburn, increased thirst, abdominal cramps, headache, and decreased creatinine excretion (meaning kidneys may not be functioning optimally).
Ginger
The studies:
One meta-analysis consisting of 10 studies with a total of 490 participants found that ginger in supplement form lowered HbA1c on average by 1.0%, and fasting insulin concentrations reduced by about 1.62 μIU/ml after 1-3 months of supplementation.
How the supplement works:
There are a few mechanisms that allow ginger to lower blood glucose levels. They include:
- Reduced carbohydrate digestion, which reduces how much carbs (and therefore glucose) enter the bloodstream.
- Improving overall digestion time, aiding in blood sugar control.
- Ginger can increase the number of transporters that pull sugar out of the blood, and into muscle cells (called “GLUT-4 transporters”)
- Improves insulin sensitivity (you require less insulin to bring down blood sugar)
The right dose:
The doses from the study ranged from 1-3 g per day for a duration of 1-3 months.
At this point in time no research has been done to determine the toxic doses of ginger.
Potential negative side effects:
Ginger can cause mild side effects including heartburn, diarrhea, burping, and general stomach discomfort. Ginger could also, theoretically, increase bleeding in people who have bleeding disorders.
Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)
The studies:
Although there were conflicting conclusions between two recent meta-analyses, the one meta-analysis was in strong support for alpha lipoic acid significantly decreasing fasting blood glucose levels and HbA1c, however, fasting blood sugar levels and HbA1c values were not reported.
How the supplement works:
There are a few ways by which alpha lipoic acid can lower your blood sugar. One way it does this is through protecting beta-cell function of the pancreas. The beta cells secrete insulin and in diabetes, these cells often become impaired and insulin secretion becomes compromised.
The right dose:
The duration of intervention among the one meta-analysis varied from 2 to 51 weeks and the dosage of ALA supplements used ranged from 200 mg – 1800 mg/day.
However, in a study that assessed the level of safety for ALA, they reported dose ranges of 100 mg – 2700 mg/day without any toxic side effects.
Potential negative side effects:
One study assessed the safety of ALA and they concluded that the data is in support of the safety and use of ALA to improve health outcomes in overall healthy individuals and in patients affected by other diseases, and that ALA supplementation is safe in pregnancy even when taken at high doses.
Berberine
The studies:
Two meta-analyses have found that berberine can be used to lower blood glucose levels and improve insulin resistance. Fasting blood sugar concentration decreased on average by 0.54 mmol/L (9.7 mg/dl), and HbA1c also decreased on average by 0.54%.
How the supplement works:
There are several ways by which berberine works to lower blood sugar:
- Helps the body keep track of its own blood glucose levels (the enzyme that does this is called “glucokinase.”)
- Improve the cells that make insulin (called “pancreatic beta cells”).
- Decreases the amount of “non-sugar molecules” (like protein, and other compounds) that get converted into sugar. This process is called “gluconeogenesis.”
- Berberine also has an anti-inflammatory effect, which helps to improve insulin resistance.
The right dose:
Researchers found that extending taking it longer than 3 months makes it work better, but an optimal dose has not been determined.
In the meta-analysis the doses ranged from 0.3–3.0 g/day and were given in divided doses.
Potential negative side effects:
One meta-analysis assessing the safety and effectiveness of berberine concluded that berberine is clinically safe and well-tolerated.
Only a small percentage of people experienced adverse effects, which included regurgitation (acid reflux),vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation.
As crazy as it may seem, that was only a small list of supplements and herbal extracts that may help to lower blood sugar levels. Many supplements, in addition to the ones discussed were researched, however they were not found to be as effective as the ones you just read about. If you want to know more about these other supplements, Igor wrote a book titled, Diabetes Reversal Secrets, where he talks about 5 ineffective ingredients that are still included in blood sugar formulas, and 6 unproven ingredients. That information and more are all covered in his book. You can get access to the first chapter of his book for FREE by filling out the form below.
