This is difficult to frame...

[Gildersleeve]

Because we try to ask questions about diabetic issues. On the other hand as you suggest many things are between us and our Dr's and our consultants. We are sharing our own experiences.

Often we are trying to find out truth over lies. Trying to avoid how what we do could possibly cause harm.

So obviously there is much talk about diet. Exercise. The effects for or against the meds that we may be put on to try and halt or stop diabetes becoming worse.

Also how to monitor your sugar readings. Not to buy unreliable monitors.

So something like vitamins or minerals that claim to help reduce or maintain glucose levels perhaps should just be avoided. Also for legal reasons you may decide that you cannot give an answer either way.

But today I saw information from a reputable vitamin company. You can buy direct or they are available in well known pharmacies.

So any thoughts on following?
Or would prefer to be non commital. I am truly not trying to put you in an awkward position.

It is not overpriced and you do get a fair amount of tablets.

Eg a supplement that gives you 21 nutrients plus a 60% Omega-3 capsule, all in one dual pack. Including Chromium, an essential trace mineral that helps maintain normal blood glucose levels.

 

[Lucyr]

If you don’t feel your diet is balanced just buy a multivitamin from boots or the supermarket

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

An interesting question @Gildersleeve - and one which comes up on the forum from time to time. These sorts of supplements are often advertised and marketed with fairly extravagant claims.

Diabetes UK doesn’t recommend regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements, because there isn’t robust evidence that they are helpful or cost-effective for people with diabetes.

If people have been identified by their Dr as having a particular deficiency (eg Vit B12) then targetted treating of that can be beneficial. But for most people a varied menu with lots of fruits and vegetables, alongside protein and fats will give the body all the trace elements it needs.

Some members here check their menu with a free online tool such as Chronometer to see if they could do with more of a particular vitamin or mineral.

An ex-GP who used to be a member here used to say that the only thing you were likely to get out of these sorts of supplements was very expensive wee (as most of the things in them would go straight through you), and a slimmer bank account. 😉

 

[Inka]

The amount of chromium we need is tiny. If you eat a diverse diet, it shouldn’t be hard to get. There’s some helpful information here @Gildersleeve

What is chromium and why do we need it in our diets?

A dietitian explains what this little-known nutrient is, the role it plays in the body, how much we need, and which foods it can be found in.

www.bbcgoodfood.com

“There are some case reports to suggest the high doses of chromium can harm the kidneys and liver. A healthy and balanced diet should provide enough chromium for the body, so supplements should not generally be necessary.”

 

[Leadinglights]

There can be instances where less is better than more and problems can be caused by overdoing these type of things.
In the interests of research a food nutritionist at work was drinking 2 litres of probiotics a day and became extremely unwell , it too him a long time to recover.

 

[gail2]

[I take vit d on advice of my dentist for my teeth cleared it with my gp as im on a lot of meds

 

[Lucyr]

Diabetes UK doesn’t recommend regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements, because there isn’t robust evidence that they are helpful or cost-effective for people with diabetes.

Multivitamins are pretty cheap, I paid £4.95 for a 6 month supply of multivitamins with iron in boots yesterday and I wasn’t buying the cheapest brand. If you know your diet is a bit limited and might have some gaps then I’d say there’s no harm in a multivitamin every day to cover off the bases, it’s under 3p a day

 

[Lucyr]

And also on the point of “multivitamins aren’t cost effective it’s best to only buy targeted instead” that also isn’t true

It’s important I take iron as I’ve had an iron deficiency in the past, so I just take the RDA every day to add to what I get from food. My multivitamin with iron was £4.95 for 180 pills, each containing 14mg of iron.

If I buy a 180 tablet pack of boots iron supplement (regular strength so 14mg iron each same amount) then it would cost £6.15. Then because I’d need to take it with vitamin c and orange juice is too sugary let’s get a vitamin c supplement too. The cheapest 180 day supply of vitamin c I could find was £6.00.

So that’s £12.15 by buying the targeted iron and vitamin c only, for a 6 month supply, when you can get the same amount in a multivitamin for £4.95. It’s way more expensive to buy targeted

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

That’s true @Lucyr

For targeting I was really meaning where people have been told they have a particular deficiency which was causing problematic symptoms. Eg Vit B12

Generally we should be able to get all the vitamins and minerals we need from our diet. And I get the feeling that nutritionists often suggest that multivitamins aren’t the best way to ‘fix’ a deficient diet, and that increasing the variety of foods is better?

There are a lot of multivitamins sold and taken as a matter of course in the UK, but I’m not sure how much evidence there is to back up their effectiveness?

Each to their own though.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

There’s a page about supplements (including vitamins) here:

Herbal and food supplements

Many people rely on traditional herbal and complementary remedies, which are said to help with blood glucose control. These remedies can be homemade or bought from local shops, and while they may have benefits, they should not be a substitute for your medications.

www.diabetes.org.uk

Supplements​

Vitamin and mineral supplements are becoming increasingly popular, but they have no clear benefits for people with diabetes, unless you have a deficiency or your doctor prescribes them. An exception is pregnant women and those planning to have a baby.

Most people should aim to get all their nutrients from a varied and balanced diet. If you are concerned that you may be at risk of lacking a particular nutrient, discuss this with your healthcare team.

 

[Proud to be erratic]

Those of us with absolutely no panc'y we can't self create vits A, D, E & K (if I've rememberd correctly). So I had to take a multi-vit daily. Then it became clear from a blood test I needed extra vit D and now take both. I shop around for best prices and certainly wouldn't remotely consider something because it specifically contains chromium or similar.

 

[soupdragon]

Those of us with absolutely no panc'y we can't self create vits A, D, E & K (if I've rememberd correctly). So I had to take a multi-vit daily. Then it became clear from a blood test I needed extra vit D and now take both. I shop around for best prices and certainly wouldn't remotely consider something because it specifically contains chromium or similar.

I think it's that we don't absorb the fat soluble vitamins so well.

 

[Lucyr]

I get the feeling that nutritionists often suggest that multivitamins aren’t the best way to ‘fix’ a deficient diet, and that increasing the variety of foods is better?

My dietician (nhs diabetes specialist one) said better to have a multivitamin every day and cover any key gaps whilst you just do your best with getting a varied diet

 

[Lisa65]

Vitamin D deficiency is pretty common in the UK because most of the time the sun isn't strong enough for us to produce it.
I spend a lot of time outdoors all year round so I don't take it, but Larry does. He doesn't like the outdoors much, plus he has skin problems with means he should minimise sun exposure.

 

[debs248]

I'm taking Vit D only as I rarely get sun exposure.

My B12 was ok before starting Metformin and I'll keep an eye on it.

Iron has always been high and as I eat meat and a variety of veg I'm not expecting any other deficiencies.

Hubby takes a multivitamin but only 2-3x per week as his diet is ok but due to IBS he limits quantities of certain veg. Once or twice a year I'll take one of them but certainly wouldn't do it regularly.

 

[MarcR]

I think there is some evidence that vitamins D can help lower hba1c and improve insulin resistance and fasting blood glucose. So if your deficient in vitamin D, a supplement could help.

 

[MarcR]

Title: Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Journal: Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism (2024)

 

[Nayshiftin]

I am often given high-dose Vit D, but thought more related to my arthritis than my diabetes. As type 2 with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) I believe that stops us getting the Vits and minerals.