Tag: Diabetes

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Unpasteurized or organic apple cider vinegar medicinal uses come from the “mother of vinegar,” which is made up of living nutrients and beneficial bacteria.

Let’s discuss an ingredient that even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was said to have used and prescribed: apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar (also referred to as ACV) is a type of vinegar made through the fermentation of apple cider. Specifically, it’s made by crushing apples to squeeze out the juice. Bacteria and yeast are then added to the juice to start the alcoholic fermentation process, which turns the sugars into alcohol. Then, in a second fermentation process, the alcohol is converted into vinegar by acetic acid-forming bacteria. Acetic acid and malic acid give vinegar its sour taste.

Most of the apple cider vinegar you buy in the store is then filtered and pasteurized to give it a clean appearance and to kill off all the bacteria to give it a long shelf life — but that’s not the ACV we’re interested in.

Many of organic, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar’s medicinal uses come from the “mother of vinegar,” which is made up of living nutrients and bacteria that you can actually see in the bottom of bottles of raw apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar as an all-around natural health remedy has been gaining in popularity, and when you look at the benefits, you won’t be surprised.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Diabetes
One ACV health benefit that research has suggested is helping with diabetes. It is believed that the acetic acid found in apple cider vinegar may help prevent digestion of complex carbohydrates in your food, which would help to lower blood sugar. A few studies help support this idea. But that’s just the beginning. One study found that two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels of study participants in the morning by four to six percent. Another study showed vinegar improves insulin sensitivity to a high-carbohydrate meal in 19% of subjects with type 2 diabetes and 34 percent with pre-diabetes. The net result is that taking apple cider vinegar with meals can lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Apple Cider Vinegar as a Weight Loss Aid
Another key health benefit of apple cider vinegar is weight loss. A 2009 study on mice showed that consuming acetic acid (the active component in ACV) upregulates the expression of genes for fatty acid oxidation enzymes in the liver, causing a suppression in body fat accumulation. In another study, a double-blind trial showed that a daily intake of apple cider vinegar might be useful in the prevention of metabolic syndrome by reducing obesity.

In addition, taking vinegar seems to work as a weight loss aid by making you feel full, which in turn helps reduce the number of calories you consume. In a 2005 study, participants who consumed vinegar with a high-carb meal (a bagel and juice) consumed on average 200 to 275 less calories per day. The vinegar also helped lower glucose and insulin responses.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Throat and Sinus Issues
Apple cider vinegar is anathema to all kinds of germs that attack the throat. In effect, it acts like a sponge and draws out throat germs and toxins from the surrounding tissue. It also helps clear up the sinuses by breaking up and reducing mucous. Since it has antibacterial properties, it is also useful in helping with infections.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Skin Issues
Apple cider vinegar can help your skin in a number of ways. A concoction of two parts water and one part apple cider vinegar can be used as a skin toner. You can either apply it directly on a skin irritation or soak in a bath with about one cup of apple cider vinegar to help relieve many skin irritations such as sunburns, bug bites, and poison ivy exposure. It is also said to help fade age spots and acne scars, and help remove warts.

Apple Cider Vinegar for Kidney Stones
Apples, apples juice, and apple cider vinegar contain natural malic acid, but of the three, apple cider vinegar has the highest concentration. This is important because studies have shown that malic acid supplementation increases urinary citrate excretion and urinary pH: both of which help in dissolving calcium oxalate stones, the most common form of kidney stones.

Other Natural Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
In addition to the mentioned uses above, apple cider vinegar also has the following health benefits…

Potassium, magnesium, and other minerals are present in the apple cider vinegar “mother.” Potassium controls the water balance in the body and maintains a healthy heart rhythm. Magnesium is a catalyst in enzyme activity, helping digestion and assisting in the uptake of calcium to form healthy bones. The “mother” is also a rich source of iron, beneficial phytochemicals, and it is high in prebiotics that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

ACV stimulates a condition called acetolysis in which toxic wastes that are harmful to the body are broken down and rendered harmless.

Mixing one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with water and a little honey and drinking with meals can be helpful for those with digestive problems.

Apple Cider Vinegar Around the Home
In addition to all its health benefits, vinegar can also be useful around the home for a variety of uses. Because of its antimicrobial properties, vinegar is often touted as one of the best natural cleaning agents. In fact, one study found the key ingredient in vinegar, acetic acid, is lethal to E. coli.  A combination of vinegar and lemon juice may also be effective against salmonella.

Apple cider vinegar is also touted as a key ingredient in an effective natural weed killer formula, a way to neutralize odors in the home, and a key ingredient for a water/vinegar produce bath. For the produce bath, use 10% vinegar to 90% water and briefly swish and soak your produce. However, it is not advised to do this with porous fruits like berries since they can soak up the vinegar and be damaged in the process.

Apple Cider Vinegar is also excellent in many recipes, from pickles to salad dressings. Just make sure you find unpasteurized, organic apple cider vinegar for the real health benefits. The darker or murkier the bottom of the bottle is, the better.

Be sure to pick up your Organic Unfiltered Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar available in pints, quarts, and gallons at Whitaker’s Natural Market!

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Vitamin C shown to improve blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure in patients with type 2 diabetes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that fully one third of the American population is prediabetic, with elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels that can – if untreated – lead to full-blown type 2 diabetes.  Diabetes, which currently affects over 30 million Americans, causes the risk of heart disease to skyrocket – and can feature serious complications such as nerve damage, kidney disease, and retinal damage.

Now, a brand-new Australian study shows that vitamin C can lower elevated blood glucose in type 2 diabetics, helping to control dangerous after-meal surges and “spikes.”

The misunderstood health benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is a potent natural antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune system booster.  Thankfully, a handful of forward-thinking doctors – early vitamin C pioneers such as Dr. Frederick Klenner, Linus Pauling, Dr. Mathias Rath, and Thomas E. Levy, MD, JD – have long spoken out about the ability of vitamin C to treat, and even reverse, a host of serious conditions.

In the 1940s, Dr. Klenner reported curing a variety of diseases, including polio and hepatitis, with high-dose vitamin C – while in the present day, Dr. Paul Marik, Professor of Medicine of Eastern Virginia Medical School, administers a vitamin C protocol that drastically improves survival rates for patients suffering from sepsis, a life-threatening systemic infection.

But the therapeutic value of this non-toxic, inexpensive natural nutrient has been consistently downplayed by the medical powers-that-be. Time and again, the mainstream medical community seems to have greeted even the most impressive vitamin C studies with indifference, suspicion, and even scorn.

Fortunately, well-designed scientific studies on vitamin C’s benefit are accumulating – as manifested by this latest study, conducted by an international team of researchers and published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Study: Vitamin C can reduce blood sugar spikes by a substantial 36 percent
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in 2019 in Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism, adult participants with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into two groups. One group took 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid in divided doses every day for four months, while the other group received a placebo.

Participants were given standardized meals, and their glucose levels were monitored continuously for 48 hours.  The results were clear-cut.

The vitamin C group experienced significantly lower after-meal blood sugar levels – reducing by roughly three hours the time spent every day in hyperglycemia – a state of elevated blood glucose.

Why is this important?

Research has shown that blood sugar “spikes” damage cells in multiple ways, and are linked to heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure, cognitive dysfunction, and retinal damage.

Clearly, the less time spent in hyperglycemia – the better.  However, better glucose control wasn’t the only benefit for the participants in the vitamin C group.

The ascorbic acid also lowered elevated blood pressure – a primary risk factor for heart disease.

The team reported that participants’ blood pressure readings dropped by an average of 7 mmHg in the systolic number (which measures the pressure exerted by heartbeats) and by 5 mmHg in the diastolic (which measures the pressure in between beats).

Incidentally, the vitamin C group also experienced a significant lessening of disease-promoting oxidative stress.  The researchers concluded that the study provided evidence for use of vitamin C as an adjunct therapy to improve control of blood sugar and blood pressure in people with type 2 diabetes.

In one study, which was published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers evaluated the daily vitamin C intake of 108 men.  They found that men in the group with the highest levels of vitamin C intake had a 66 percent less chance of developing coronary heart disease – the number one killer in the United States – than men in the lowest-intake group.  In other words, men who consumed higher levels of vitamin C were two-thirds more likely to avoid developing heart disease.

Researchers believe that this beneficial effect is due to vitamin C’s ability to prevent and alleviate endothelial dysfunction – the stiffening of arterial walls that interferes with the healthy flow of oxygen-rich blood.

And, in a 2003 observational study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 85,000 female nurses were followed for 16 years.  Women who took supplemental vitamin C reduced their risk of heart disease by a hefty 28 percent.

Researchers credit vitamin C with improving electrical conduction throughout the heart muscle, reducing inflammation, and decreasing clotting factors – which contribute to stroke risk.  Vitamin C also appears to help protect against two other heart problems: atrial fibrillation – a type of irregular heartbeat – and dilated cardiomyopathy, a harmful enlargement and weakening of the heart.

How much vitamin C do I need a day?
According to natural health experts, the current vitamin C RDAs advised by the Office of Dietary Supplements are good for a laugh – and not much else.

Vitamin C proponents note that the ODS recommendations – a paltry 75 to 90 mg of vitamin C a day – are enough to prevent the severe form of vitamin C deficiency known as scurvy, but not enough to maintain optimal health or combat disease.

Knowledgeable integrative and functional doctors usually advise taking anywhere from 1,000 to 6,000 mg of vitamin C a day, in divided doses – with even higher levels recommended for serious chronic conditions.

As the studies suggest, daily supplementation with inexpensive, non-toxic vitamin C can provide major protective dividends to the heart – while helping to regulate blood sugar levels. Clearly, having optimal levels of this essential micronutrient is a “win/win” scenario.

Be sure to check out our vast selection of Vitamin C supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market on your next visit!

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Type 2 diabetes risk linked to a lesser-known vitamin deficiency, multiple studies reveal the truth

According to a 2018 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the current number of American adults living with type 2 diabetes stands at over 30 million. 

Why does this matter?
We know that type 2 diabetes, a potentially life-threatening condition, can have devastating consequences that include nerve damage, kidney damage, retinopathy, Alzheimer’s disease, and a much greater risk of heart disease.

Yet, we know (based on science) that supplementation with an underappreciated vitamin – vitamin K – can drastically reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

In recent years, researchers have uncovered vitamin K’s role in proper blood clotting and the mineralization of bones – as well as its ability to prevent arterial calcification (plaque).  What is not as well known, however, is vitamin K’s important role in glucose metabolism.

Warning: Insulin resistance can set the stage for type 2 diabetes

Insulin – a hormone produced in the pancreas – helps cells absorb glucose from carbohydrates, thereby reducing blood sugar and providing the cells with glucose for energy.  The trouble begins when the body becomes resistant to insulin – or fails to make enough. Insulin resistance can, in turn, lead to high blood sugar, and the eventual onset of type 2 diabetes.

Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are brought about by environmental and lifestyle factors – such as overweight, obesity, a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar, and lack of exercise.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which results from autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas, type 2 diabetes is preventable.  By the way, it’s worth noting, about 90 percent of all people with diabetes have type 2.

Clearly, an urgent need exists for natural, non-toxic interventions against type 2 diabetes.  And, recent studies reveal vitamin K as a strong candidate.

Study yields clear-cut results: Ramping up vitamin K intake slashes your risk of diabetes

In a 2016 study published in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that subjects who increased their dietary vitamin K intake reduced their diabetes risk by a whopping 51 percent.

The team even discovered a precise formula for measuring the reduction: a 17 percent less risk of type 2 diabetes for every additional 100 mcg of vitamin K a day.  This encouraging study was only the beginning of a cascade of research highlighting the preventative effects of vitamin K on diabetes.

Multiple studies involving hundreds of adult participants have demonstrated that vitamin K supplementation, at amounts ranging from 500 mcg to 1,000 mcg a day, significantly increased beneficial insulin sensitivity and reduced insulin levels – often within four weeks.

If high levels of vitamin K acted against type 2 diabetes, could low levels of the nutrient be linked with the disease?  This was the question researchers set out to answer in a 2018 study published in Journal of Nutrition and Biochemistry.

And, the answer was clear.

The team found that people with type 2 diabetes had blood levels of vitamin K that were 2.7 times lower than those of a control group of non-diabetic participants of the same age.

More good news: Vitamin K combats obesity that can contribute to diabetes

In an influential Dutch study, researchers gave 214 post-menopausal women either 180 mcg a day of vitamin K2 or a placebo for three years.  Keep in mind, vitamin K exists in two forms – vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) from plant foods, and vitamin K2 (menaquinone) from animal products.  Both forms have been shown in studies to benefit glucose control, but some research has shown vitamin K2 to be the more effective of the two.

The researchers found that the supplementary vitamin K2 activated Gla proteins, which are important in bone and mineral metabolism.  The participants in the vitamin K2 group who showed the largest increase in Gla protein activity also experienced significant reductions in harmful abdominal fat.

And the good news kept on coming: the vitamin K group also had substantial reductions in body mass index, waist and hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio – when compared to the placebo group. These benefits, of course, translate to a lowered risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Vitamin K also appears to fight against obesity and overweight by boosting levels of adiponectin, a beneficial hormone that helps regulate the metabolism of sugars.  In addition, studies have shown that vitamin K reduces the activity of nuclear factor kappa B, a primary driver of inflammation.

In the latest medical research, vitamin K is beginning to receive credit for fighting diabetes through multiple mechanisms.  In an extensive overview of studies published last year in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, the authors credited vitamin K2 with improving insulin sensitivity through its anti-inflammatory and lipid-lowering properties.

Action steps: Prevent diabetes with natural techniques

You can increase your dietary intake of vitamin K with cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens, including broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and kale. Vitamin K is also found in meat, dairy products, and fermented foods – such as grass-fed beef liver, organic chicken breast, yogurt, and raw cheese.

Interestingly, your body produces small amounts of vitamin K as well, courtesy of beneficial bacterial in the gut microbiome.  The National Institutes of Health currently recommends an adequate daily intake of 120 mcg of vitamin K for men and 90 mcg for women.
However, if you are dealing with insulin resistance or blood sugar issues, vitamin K supplementation may be recommended.

Note: If you have already been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, vitamin K can still help control blood sugar levels. And, in addition to helping regulate glucose, vitamin K is believed to help prevent cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

With diabetes claiming way too many lives every year throughout the world, it’s time to take this devastating disease more seriously. You can reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by getting sufficient exercise, cutting down on simple carbohydrates, eliminating refined sugars, and eating fiber-rich foods in addition to supplementing with Vitamin K.

Be sure to check out our Vitamin K rich foods such as Grassfed Beef Liver, Organic Chicken, Grassfed Raw Cheese, Cabbage, Spinach, Fermented Foods, and more as well as our Vitamin K supplements at Whitaker’s Natural Market on your next visit!