Balancing blood sugar levels with diabetes can be tricky- If you have diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency, then you need to stick to a healthy treatment plan that will help you maintain a healthy response to insulin and boost energy naturally, without the need for metformin. That’s because certain medications, including metformin, interfere with your body’s ability to digest vitamin B12 (cobalamin), resulting in fatigue, memory loss, and painful numbness in the hands and feet. Here are some tips for managing diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Why you need vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that your body relies on for many important functions:
Vitamin B12 aids in DNA synthesis, thus maintaining production of healthy red blood cells that deliver oxygen to all the other cells of your body.
If you have diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency, then you may feel exhausted all day, disoriented, and forgetful. By maintaining healthy vitamin B12 levels, you effectively increase energy and enhance cognitive skills.
Take your Vitamin B12, and other Diabetes Management Tips
Vitamin B12 is also essential for your entire nervous system, as it helps to maintain myelin, a fatty substance that coats your nerve cells, protecting them from harm and enhancing intercellular communication.
If you have diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency, then you’re twice as likely to suffer from peripheral neuropathy, symptoms of nerve damage that occur both with vitamin B12 deficiency and diabetes. Symptoms include painful tingling in the extremities (hands, feet, and tongue), frequent numbness, muscle spasms, eye twitches, diarrhea, indigestion, and difficulty swallowing food.
Mortality risks of vitamin B12 deficiency
Over time, if vitamin B12 deficiency progresses, then you risk suffering life-threatening illnesses. Though pernicious anemia (one form of vitamin B12 deficiency) is no longer classified as a fatal disease, there are recently documented cases of infants diagnosed with pernicious anemia who failed to thrive. If you are pregnant or nursing, then it’s crucial to check your vitamin B12 levels, especially if you already suffer from diabetes.
Vitamin B12 helps your body regulate homocysteine levels, a hormone associated with increased risk for heart attack and stroke. By preventing symptoms of diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency, then you effectively promote cardiovascular health.
Tips for treating diabetes- naturally!
Since many symptoms of diabetes and vitamin B12 are similar, it’s important to supplement with mega-doses of vitamin B12 regularly, in order to prevent depletion.
For optimum results, avoid dietary vitamin B12 pills, and opt instead for vitamin B12 supplements that dispense cobalamin directly into the blood stream- many of which are available over-the-counter (OTC).
In addition to taking plenty of vitamin B12, also include vitamin D, which helps to regulate your reaction to insulin.
Avoid taking metformin, if you can. Metformin is highly correlated with vitamin B12 malabsorption, a condition that always leads to dangerously low levels of vitamin B12 serum levels.
Avoid foods with a high glycemic index rating.
Eat high-fiber foods for better glucose tolerance. Psyllium seed is a natural source for dietary fiber that improves digestive health and aids in managing diabetes and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Exercise- studies show that daily low-impact aerobic workouts reduce stress, help you manage your weight, and increase energy.
For maintaining a healthy insulin response, take Alpha Lipoic Acid.
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