Carbohydrates are one of the three main pillars of our diet, along with fats and proteins. They are sources of fast energy for the organism, which if not spent are stored in the form of glycogen or fat.
The NeoSugar supplement by Neoactives is presented as a very complete formula for controlling the carbohydrate profile in pre-diabetic patients especially, or as support for patients who have already been diagnosed with diabetes with a large insulin-resistance component.
Dr. Francisco Martínez Peñalver – Neolife Medical Team
The metabolism of carbohydrates occurs from the moment they are ingested until they are eliminated and includes their absorption, assimilation and use.
Carbohydrates are one of the three main pillars of our diet, along with fats and proteins. They are sources of fast energy for the organism, which if not spent are stored in the form of glycogen or fat. The metabolism of carbohydrates occurs from the moment they are ingested until they are eliminated and includes their absorption, assimilation and use (conversion to glycogen deposits or peripheral use mainly in the muscle). Strategies for controlling this metabolism have touched on each and every one of these processes, with those that involved in the optimization of use and the elimination of these carbohydrates proving to be the most effective.
The new nutritional supplement NeoSugar is a compound comprised mainly of cinnamon, alpha-lipoic acid, gymnema, blueberry extract and especially chromium in a supratherapeutic concentration.
Cinnamon reduces serum glucose in patients with type 2 diabetes in addition to being beneficial in the lipid profile of these patients, so the main therapeutic guides on diabetes are starting to look at its efficacy (1). Therefore, it is a useful option to reduce basal glycemia while fasting, but also to improve the levels of glycated hemoglobin as shown in a recent study in China and a meta-analysis in the USA (2 and 3).
As for alpha lipoic acid, this is used in medicine as a supplement to try to achieve homeostasis, i.e. normal metabolism. Its action is beneficial for both the metabolism of carbohydrates and the lipid profile, as demonstrated in a recently published meta-analysis (4). Another use of alpha lipoic acid in high doses is described on the peripheral neuropathy of diabetic patients, where it appears to have a protective and beneficial effect on the recovery of neuronal function (5).
The properties of blueberry extract that act to control carbohydrate metabolism are basically two. On the one hand is the metabolic part, which stabilizes the carbohydrate profile, modulating insulin resistance and decreasing the postprandial glucose peak following ingestion of hydrates (6). But on the other hand, the ingestion of blueberry extract has been shown to have some protective effect on the appearance of retinopathy in diabetic patients (7).
Gymnema is an age-old remedy against diabetes. In certain regions of India, the leaves of this plant are used to decrease the levels of both basal glucose and postprandial glucose without side effects like the much feared symptomatic hypoglycemia.
And finally, perhaps the most significant nutritional supplement for controlling carbohydrate metabolism: chromium. Since the early 80s it has been used as a nutritional supplement to try to improve blood glucose control in diabetic patients. Chromium has been shown to decrease glycemia in patients with postprandial peaks outside the recommended level, without affecting the glycemia of patients with a normal profile. So it acts selectively on the population that does not have an adequate carbohydrate profile (8).
There is a clinical trial where patients with type 2 diabetes were given bread with chromium-enriched yeast, and they observed how the basal glycemia and insulin resistance of these patients improved, their glycosylated hemoglobin was reduced and they even lost weight and had lower systolic blood pressure (9). Finally, in patients with type 2 diabetes with obesity and compulsive eating habits, the use of chromium picolinate has some improvement on the disastrous effects of compulsive eating episodes on the glycemic profile, decreasing the morbidity and mortality of these situations (10).
The NeoSugar supplement by Neoactives is presented as a very complete formula for controlling the carbohydrate profile in pre-diabetic patients especially, or as support for patients who have already been diagnosed with diabetes with a large insulin-resistance component.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(1) Khan A et al. Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8
(2) Lu T et al. Cinnamon extract improves fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutr Res. 2012 Jun;32(6):408-12.
(3) Davis PA et al. J Med Food.Cinnamon intake lowers fasting blood glucose: meta-analysis. 2011 Sep;14(9):884-9
(4) Akbari M et al. The effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplementation on glucose control and lipid profiles among patients with metabolic diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Metabolism. Oct 2018;87:56-59.
(5) Ziegler D et al. Oreal treatment with alpha-lipoic acid improves symptomatic diabetic polyneuropathy: the SIDNEY 2 trial. Diabetes Care. 2006 Nov;29(11):2365-70.
(6) Törrönen R et al. Berries reduce postpandrial insulin responses to wheat and rye breads in healthy women. J Nutr. 2013 Apr;143(4):430-6.
(7) Kim J et al. Vaccinium myrtillus extract prevents or delays the onset of diabetes-induced blood retinal barrier breakdown. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2015 Mar;66(2):236-42.
(8) Anderson RA et al. Chromium supplementation of human subjects: effects on glucose, insulin, and lipid variables. Metabolism. 1983 Sep;32(9):884-9.
(9) Yanni AE et al. Controlling type 2 diabetes by inclusion of Cr.enriched yeast bread in the daily dietary pattern: a randomized clinical trial. Eur J Nutr. 2018 Feb;57(1):259-87.