Vitamin C: Controlling Stress in Diabetes

The body stores 20% of its glucose supply in the liver. The body has an emergency response to stress which releases sugar, along with cortisol, into the blood when in emergency situations. The point is there is a lot of blood sugar produced in the body aside from digestion of foods. A great deal of this additional glucose stored in the body is released from stress situations. The NoBetes formula produced in 1998-2002, designed to combat stress in diabetes, contains one method to help control blood sugar. Any alternative formula intended to help control blood sugar, that does not address the sugar load the body can produce, is not a complete formula.
One of the ingredients we chose to help combat stress in diabetes was vitamin C. There are several reasons why we felt a 1 gram dose of vitamin C would be valuable to diabetics. First of all, a serious side effect in diabetes is heart disease. One out of three people that die from heart disease in the United States is diabetic! The primary way that heart disease occurs is along the part of the artery wall that has contact with the bloodstream. There are several layers of the artery wall, but the basement membrane is the part we are concerned with in this discussion. The basement membrane is where lesions and plaque can form that lead to heart disease. Collagen helps bind and keep the basement membrane strong and not leaky, which helps to keep calcium and fats from forming lesions at these cell levels. Vitamin C is necessary in the formation of collagen. Without adequate levels of vitamin C to help produce the collagen necessary in the basement membrane, artery walls are at greater risk of being leaky and porous, which can allow greater infiltration by fats and calcium. This can eventually lead to degeneration of the area, followed by proliferation of plaque lesions and inflammation. This is the perfect setting for plaque to eventually rupture the artery wall and form clots which can lead to heart attack and stroke.
Diabetics typically have high blood pressure, excess body weight, side effects from diabetes, and many other disease conditions. The body fights degeneration and disease with antioxidants and ORAC’s. Antioxidants help repair the body and ORAC’s help donate electrons to the body (which helps stop damage from occurring - see article in this blog on ORAC’s). Vitamin C can act as an antioxidant and ORAC, repairing the body and donating its electrons to vitamin E to help vitamin E work better and longer in the body. Vitamin C can also be an electron donor in conjunction with other substances in the body. Donating electrons is a powerful way for the body to combat stress. The stress of diabetes requires more repair and support for the body than non-diabetics, which is why we chose 1 gram of vitamin C, 20 minutes before meals, 3 times each day. We felt that the combination of high blood pressure, greater blood sugar levels and other diabetic side effects demanded a higher dose of vitamin C to regulate the diabetic’s stress level. An additional reason we included Vitamin C in the NoBetes formula, is its’ ability to bolster the immune system. We felt that with all the different diseases that a diabetic can be subject to at any given time required a hearty immune system to repel them. Given the necessity to find a dosage that would meet the needs of all users of the diabetic formula, we felt 1 gram 3 times a day would give the greatest benefit to the greatest number. We would suggest that diabetics need great amounts of antioxidants and ORACs to help combat the stress of diabetes. Contact us for information about high supplement ORAC products.

Note: Consult a doctor who has experience with supplements. Additional support may be required for a diabetic as their load of stress increases. An alternative doctor, such as those specializing in Orthomolecular science or the power of supplements and other natural means of healing, may have additional recommendations to help a diabetic combat the stress that comes along with their ailment.