Avoid Avandia

Another pharmaceutical has made the headlines, and once again, the news isn’t good.

Avandia, the prescription of choice for millions of people with type II diabetes, has been linked once again to heart trauma (i.e. heart attacks) in an increasing number of people.

This of course is pretty bad all on its own, but what makes it especially galling is that GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Avandia, knew about the heart risks a long time ago but did not inform the proper authorities.

In other words, they took a page right out of Toyota’s playbook.

A report from the Senate Finance Committee, the committee that looked into GlaxoSmithKline’s shenanigans, says the company “had a duty to sufficiently warn patients and the FDA of its concerns in a timely manner.”   Instead, according to the committee, GlaxoSmithKline played down the findings.

GlaxoSmithKline refutes the allegations and believes the senate committee is mistaken in their analysis.

To GlaxoSmithKline’s credit, they agreed to have Avandia put to the test through a clinical study involving 16,000 participants who’d take either Avandia or it’s alternative, Actos.  The study has yet to begin, despite being agreed to back in 2007.

I suppose these studies are necessary because they help determine whether or not a drug is safe.  But quite frankly, I’d hate to be researchers’ “lab rats.”  Because let’s face it:  They’re looking to see if taking their product leads to having a heart attack.

No thanks.

The truth is there are plenty of supplements diabetics can take to help keep their blood sugar levels under control without increasing their risk for heart attack.

Alpha-lipoic acid is one such supplement.  Alpha-lipoic acid supplements are the bottled, capsuled version of an antioxidant the body makes naturally.  It’s essential function lies in the metabolic realm, helping turn glucose into energy for cells’ use.  Similarly, alpha-lipoic acid helps control blood sugar levels.

Another supplement to consider taking for diabetes regulation is chromium picolinate.  We get chromium in our diet from the foods we eat, but only in trace amounts.  Some evidence suggests that dosing with higher amounts of chromium may help improve insulin sensitivity, thus lowering blood sugar levels.

But other studies suggest that supplementing with especially high doses of chromium can be dangerous.  To be on the safe side, always consult with your doctor before taking chromium.  Should your doctor give the go-ahead, take the lowest “high” recommended dosage, which is 400 mcg per day.

Finally, consider taking garlic.  I’ve written at considerable length about all the benefits of garlic, as it truly is a miracle supplement for a variety of health issues.  But in the diabetes realm, garlic helps to stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing down the glycation process.

Glycation is a chemical process that wreaks havoc on the body’s tissues when blood sugar levels are high.  It’s a process that mainly occurs in diabetics because they cannot convert sugar into energy.  The process is fairly complicated to explain, just know that it’s not a good thing.

While garlic will not stop glycation, at the very least it will slow down the process.

Sources
umm.edu
newsmaxhealth.com
altmedicine.about.com
all-about-beating-diabetes.com
Balch, Phyllis A. “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.” 4th Edition. Avery: New York. 2006.