Salba and Type 2 Diabetes

Introduction

A study has been completed related to Salba, a natural dietary supplement relating to diabetes. One of the conclusions of this study has shown that Salba improves both major and emerging cardiovascular risk factors related to type II diabetes. Salba is a unique form of whole grain that is rich in fiber, 'linolenic acid (ALA),' as well as minerals. In addition to conventional treatment, the supplement is beneficial to people with type II diabetes.

Main Digest

Diabetes Type II

Diabetes is a form of metabolic disorder involving the way a person's body uses digested food for both energy and growth. The majority of the foods people consume is broken down into glucose; the form of sugar in a person's blood. Glucose is the primary source of fuel for a person's body.

After a person digests their food, glucose passes into their bloodstream and is used by their cells for energy and growth. In order for glucose to get into a person's cells, insulin has to be present. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by a person's pancreas, a large gland located behind the stomach. When a person eats, their pancreas automatically produces the appropriate amount of insulin needed to move glucose from their blood into their cells.

People who have diabetes have a pancreas that either produces too little or even no insulin, or their cells fail to respond the way they should to the insulin their pancreas does produce. Glucose builds up in their blood, overflows into their urine, then passes out of the person's body. Because of this, their body loses its main source of fuel, even though their blood has enough or more than enough glucose.

The most common form of diabetes is type II diabetes, with approximately ninety to ninety-five percent of people who have diabetes experiencing this type. Type II diabetes is usually associated with:

• Obesity
• Older age
• Physical inactivity
• Certain ethnicities
• Family history of diabetes
• Previous history of gestational diabetes

Children, adolescents, Mexican-Americans, African-Americans, as well as Pacific Islanders are all experiencing an increase in diabetes type II. Approximately eighty-percent of people who experience type II diabetes are overweight.

When a person is diagnosed with type II diabetes, their pancreas is commonly producing enough insulin; yet for reasons that remain unknown, their body is unable to use the insulin as it should be able to - something referred to as, 'insulin resistance.' Once a person is insulin resistant for several years, their insulin production decreases. The result is the same as it is for people with diabetes type I; glucose builds up in the person's blood and their body is unable to properly use its main source of fuel.

The symptoms related to type II diabetes develop slowly, with an onset that is not as quick as the symptoms in type I diabetes. These symptoms can include frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, weight loss, and slow healing of sores or wounds. Some people affected by type II diabetes do not experience symptoms.

A Study of Salba

Researchers, using a single-blind cross-over design, assigned either thirty-seven grams a day of Salba, or wheat bran to participants over a period of twelve weeks in addition to their regular conventional diabetes therapies. The participants included eleven men and nine women between the ages of eight and sixty-four years. The study was performed at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Canada.

When compared with participants who consumed the wheat bran, those who consumed Salba reduced their systolic blood pressure by six point three mmHg, reduced their high-sensitivity C-reactive protein by forty, and their von-Willebrand factor by twenty-one. The people who consumed Salba also experienced a significant decrease in their A1C level and their fibrinogen related to their Salba baseline. Long-term supplementation with Salba decreased a person's major cardiovascular risk factor and emerging factors safely beyond more conventional forms of therapy, all while maintaining good glycemic and lipid control in people who have well-controlled type II diabetes.

Diabetes is both highly prevalent and heterogeneous; it has cardio metabolic implications that may be improved through thorough glycemic control. Reduction of major risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as dyslipidemia and high blood pressure, as well as emerging risk factors, to include pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic markers, are highly suggested by health care professionals. Despite pursuit of both medications and changes in a person's lifestyle, meeting these goals is many times hard to achieve, putting people who experience disabilities at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

New forms of treatments are highly desirable because of the potential health issues related to diabetes. Dietary interventions as a means of primary intervention, or potentially as a form of therapeutic option, which might present benefits beyond current conventional forms of treatments, are greatly desired. Salba is one of these dietary supplements.

There is a growing body of evidence recommending that whole grains might play an important part in the prevention of chronic disease. Endorsement of whole grains by large health agencies around the planet, to include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are based upon epidemiological and prospective population studies that suggest a strong inverse relationship between an increase in the consumption of whole grain foods and a reduction in the incidence of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. People who consume three or more serving each day of whole grains can benefit from the cardio-protective benefits of the whole grain.

What is not known; however, is which of the constituents of whole grain are responsible for benefiting people with diabetes and cardiovascular risks. 'Phytoprotective,' constituents, to include antioxidants, dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals are constituents that have been proposed as being responsible. The physiological mechanisms of the cardio-protective effects remain poorly understood at this time. Main sources of whole grains in a person's diet include breakfast cereals and breads; items that are fairly nutrient-depleted because of industrial processing. An introduction of different varieties of whole grain is something that should be encouraged to everyone to enhance effective health strategies.

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Cite This Page (APA): Langtree, I. C. (2011, March 7). Salba and Type 2 Diabetes. Disabled World. Retrieved May 22, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/medical/supplements/salba.php

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