Living is risky for anyone; it is particularly risky for diabetics.
The process of generating energy into our cells, that in the end keeps us alive, is called oxidation.
Now, let's cross to the dark side...
free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that need to complete themselves...
so to bring this about they grab electrons from neighboring molecules, therefore damaging and destabilizing them.
This causes a "chain reaction" of cellular destruction and is called oxidative damage.
Oxidative damage is thought to be the principal cause of many degenerative diseases, including the aging process.
High blood sugar levels accelerate the production of free radicals...
this places diabetics, type 1 and type 2, at increased risk.
The use of vitamin C and E supplements by type 2 diabetics, has been a long source of controversy.
A clinical trial conducted at the Bertram Diabetes Research Unit and the Institute for Food Research in Norwich, England, finds that too much of the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E can be harmful for type 2 diabetics.
Now vitamin E is the premier antioxidant in your body's fatty tissues.
The English researchers gave type 2 diabetics capsules, providing either a placebo or 800 mg (1200 IU) of vitamin E a day.
For the first two weeks, there were no differences between the two groups.
On the 29th day of the trial, however, blood tests revealed white blood cell damage in the volunteers receiving vitamin E.
These are the blood cells that get stuck in the lining of arteries when they attempt to remove cholesterol, and they form the framework for arterial plaques.
The supplemental vitamin E seemed to be acting exactly the opposite of the way it was expected to act, causing cell damage rather than preventing it.
There are eight forms of vitamin E in nature, and the test participants were given just one.
In fact, because the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E is so much easier to measure, researchers tend to pretend that the other forms of the vitamin just don't exist.
It's possible that giving too much of just one form of vitamin E overwhelmed the other forms of the vitamin E, and this led to the result of free radical damage rather than free radical protection.
The findings of the study, however, are clear.
Too much vitamin E, like too much vitamin C, is not a good thing if you have type 2 diabetes.
Try to take "natural" vitamin E supplements that at least provide gamma-tocopherol and some of the tocotrienol forms of vitamin E in addition to alpha-tocopherol, and don't take more than 100 IU (67 mg) a day.
Better yet, get your vitamin E from eating 1 or 2 tablespoons (up 50 g) of raw nuts and seeds every day.
The process of generating energy into our cells, that in the end keeps us alive, is called oxidation.
Now, let's cross to the dark side...
free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that need to complete themselves...
so to bring this about they grab electrons from neighboring molecules, therefore damaging and destabilizing them.
This causes a "chain reaction" of cellular destruction and is called oxidative damage.
Oxidative damage is thought to be the principal cause of many degenerative diseases, including the aging process.
High blood sugar levels accelerate the production of free radicals...
this places diabetics, type 1 and type 2, at increased risk.
The use of vitamin C and E supplements by type 2 diabetics, has been a long source of controversy.
A clinical trial conducted at the Bertram Diabetes Research Unit and the Institute for Food Research in Norwich, England, finds that too much of the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E can be harmful for type 2 diabetics.
Now vitamin E is the premier antioxidant in your body's fatty tissues.
The English researchers gave type 2 diabetics capsules, providing either a placebo or 800 mg (1200 IU) of vitamin E a day.
For the first two weeks, there were no differences between the two groups.
On the 29th day of the trial, however, blood tests revealed white blood cell damage in the volunteers receiving vitamin E.
These are the blood cells that get stuck in the lining of arteries when they attempt to remove cholesterol, and they form the framework for arterial plaques.
The supplemental vitamin E seemed to be acting exactly the opposite of the way it was expected to act, causing cell damage rather than preventing it.
There are eight forms of vitamin E in nature, and the test participants were given just one.
In fact, because the alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E is so much easier to measure, researchers tend to pretend that the other forms of the vitamin just don't exist.
It's possible that giving too much of just one form of vitamin E overwhelmed the other forms of the vitamin E, and this led to the result of free radical damage rather than free radical protection.
The findings of the study, however, are clear.
Too much vitamin E, like too much vitamin C, is not a good thing if you have type 2 diabetes.
Try to take "natural" vitamin E supplements that at least provide gamma-tocopherol and some of the tocotrienol forms of vitamin E in addition to alpha-tocopherol, and don't take more than 100 IU (67 mg) a day.
Better yet, get your vitamin E from eating 1 or 2 tablespoons (up 50 g) of raw nuts and seeds every day.