Help with Starch Induced Blood Sugar Spikes

Blood glucose spikes, especially after a high carbohydrate starchy meal. There is an enzyme making the news lately called Transglucosidase / Pronounced (trans-gluco-side-ace) and here is why you need to know about it. Laboratory studies have recently shown that when this enzyme comes in contact with starchy foods and natural enzymes in the digestive tract, there is a 31% reduction in rapidly digested starch, which is the kind that causes those blood sugar spikes after a big meal and it also causes an 11% increase in slowly digested starch, causing it to get converted to sugar more slowly if AT ALL.

 THIS IS EXCITING RESEARCH AND DESERVES A CLOSER LOOK. 

If you are a PRE-diabetic that is good news, as prescription treatments can potentially drop you glucose levels too low. Hey, it is also BIG news if you are a full blown type 2 diabetic. WHY?

 Latest guidelines from the "Institute of Medicine" indicates a healthy diet as one whose carbohydrate intake should be 65% of daily food intake. Here are some issues with such a high starch diet regimen: Starch is probably the BIGGEST source of sugar in your diet - even if you eat whole grain bread, brown rice and perhaps whole wheat pasta. Starchy foods are HIGH in glucose precursors - starch gets turned into SUGAR in the digestive process even if some is faster and some slower than others Impact of insulin EXCESS: Insulin is a hormone that is absolutely necessary for carbohydrate and fat metabolism, however when it is secreted in excess, it can become a death hormone. Chronically ELEVATED insulin levels put a body at risk of dying from diseases such as cancer, stokes, heart attacks and ultimately lead to a "Burnt-Out" pancreas incapable of any glucose control at all. EVEN non-diabetics with normal fasting blood sugar levels are at an increased risk IF their after meal glucose levels rise TOO HIGH, TOO FAST.

 The MOST DANGEROUS PERIOD is approximately the first two hours after a starchy meal when all starch gets turned into sugar and can cause spikes in your glucose level and INSULIN levels into the DANGER ZONE. By taking a supplement including TRANSGLUCOSIDASE before A STARCHY MEAL and adequate soluble and insoluble fiber you can go a long ways to counter acting this situation. The American Diabetes Association recommends 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day and most of us do not get ANYWHERE NEAR THAT LEVEL OF FIBER.

 Transglucosidase This is a powerful supplement combined with getting adequate fiber especially with starchy meals and should aid in reducing blood glucose spikes after a meal. ONE capsule contains 450,000 (IU) or international units of Transglucosidase)

Another source I found Enzymedica reduce IN addition to that supplement consider also taking: RhoVita , to lower cortisol, elevated cortisol levels can influence blood glucose levels


   contains alpha lipoic acid (also influences blood glucose, and pine bark (for inflammation),

  VitaBurn (Fat Burner) contains chromium, spirulina, chlorella, and garcinia cambogia and can be a great aid if weight loss is desired

  Privita - if your testosterone levels are low or you are estrogen dominant The statements and products shown on this website have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified integrative physician prior to using our products if possible.

Niacin for raising HDL

Benefits Of Niacin



The benefits of niacin include improved circulation, lowered cholesterol, healthy skin, prevention of diabetes, and treatment for osteoarthritis.

Niacin, also known as vitamin B3, is naturally produced in the body and is found in many of the foods we eat. These include meats, tuna fish, poultry products, eggs, peanuts, vegetables, cheeses, potatoes, oats, brown rice, barley, wheat flakes and milk. Also rich in vitamin B3 are foods such as cereals and breads therefore they improve the benefits of niacin.

Niacin and Circulation

Histamine which niacin helps to produce is a compound that is capable of dilating blood vessels, which in turn improves circulation. This helps blood to circulate to the hands, feet and all parts of the body, which helps to prevent atherosclerosis or what is sometimes called hardening of the arteries. An additional effect of this benefit of niacin is reducing the risk of heart attack or other vascular diseases.

Niacin Lowers Cholesterol Levels

In spite of the many different cholesterol medications on the market one of the best benefits of Niacin is the lowering low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol as well as triglyceride levels. In addition to lowering LDL, the bad cholesterol, B3 or niacin increases the good cholesterol HDL or high-density lipoprotein levels. The HDL levels can be increased by as much as 15 to 35 percent, which is more significant than the 5 to 25 percent lowering of the LDL, which is still impressive nonetheless. If you have had a heart attack studies have shown that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs in combination with niacin can decrease the likelihood of a second heart attack.

Healthy Skin and Niacin

Niacin can help keep skin healthy and is used for a variety of skin problems, including inflammation, acne, rosacea, dull skin tone and sagging skin. Regular use can help reduce these problems. Niacin also helps the skin with moisture retention and aids skin’s elasticity and tone. You can use supplements but to increase the benefits of niacin on your skin, eat fish, meats, grains and green vegetables or other foods high in vitamin B3.

Niacin Helps Prevent Diabetes

There us evidence that niacinamide a substance contained in niacin may help delay the onset of insulin dependence for type 1 diabetics. There have been studies performed on animals in which have shown niacinamide can improve the effectivity of drug treatments that are used for diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is another story. This can cause higher levels of cholesterol and fats in the bloodstream. Niacin along with other medications can lower these however niacin may also raise blood sugar that can result in hyperglycemia. This can be very dangerous for someone with diabetes. Therefor you should only take niacin for diabetes as directed by your physician.

Osteoarthritis and Niacin

Niacinamide has been found to increase joint mobility. Also Niacin can reduce joint and muscle fatigue along with increasing muscle strength. Therefore vitamin B3 has been successfully used to treat osteoarthritis. If high doses are taken the benefits of niacin can be seen in around three to four months. The anti-inflammatory effects of niacin have been proven to be effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Taking vitamin B3 has also shown to rebuild worn out cartilage in arthritis sufferers.

Other Benefits of Niacin

In addition to those discussed above there are many other claimed niacin benefits, however they have not all been fully established. These include the following:

Treating Alcoholism

Decreasing the risk of cataracts

Mental Confusion

Promoting relaxation

Preventing Migraines

Production of adrenal hormones

Crohn Disease

Production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach

Treating depression

Lowered risk of Alzheimer’s disease

Preventing motion sickness

Production of sex hormones

Treating Schizophrenic symptoms

Treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD)

As you can see there benefits of niacin are numerous. However as with any type of vitamin or supplement you should consult with your doctor or medical professional prior to taking these on your own accord.

If you try to take niacin on your own—without your doctor’s supervision—you may take an ineffective dosage, or even a dangerous dosage. Or you may experience troublesome side effects that could be managed easily if you had the right information.

FDA Disclaimer

The statements and products shown on this website have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified integrative physician prior to using our products if possible.

Omega supplementation

 I usually recommend Omega supplementation to almost everyone, but especially people with Hypertension, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Thyroid disease, Constipation, IBS, Eczema, Psoriasis and Depression

Some people avoid fish because they don't like the taste or because of the potential for mercury contamination. If this is your situation, then you can do one of two things. You can increase your intake of plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids, or you can take omega-3 supplements.
Cold-water oily fish, like salmon, herring and tuna, are good sources for the omega-3 fatty acids, but there are plenty of plant-based sources of omega-3s you can eat if you don't want to consume fish. Plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flax seeds, canola oil, soy, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Research suggests eating flax seeds may help to prevent cardiovascular disease, but the evidence is not as strong for flax as it is for fish oil and fish oil supplements.

Dietary modification to increase the consumption of cold-water fish (eg, salmon) rich in polyunsaturated fats may help to raise HDL-C. Capsules containing omega-3 fatty acids (1.48 g of docosahexaenoic acid + 1.88 g of eicosapentaenoic acid) have been formulated and are commercially available in some parts of the world (as Omacor). In a recent small study in patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia, treatment with this formulation for 8 weeks increased HDL-C by 8%, particularly the more buoyant HDL2 subfraction.
The Studies Look Promising…

The usual dose used in these studies ranges between 900 mg and 5 grams a day of a combination of EPA and DHA. In order to achieve this amount, one would need to consume a lot of fish. Therefore, supplements are typically used. Ingesting 900 mg of omega-3 fatty acids each day resulted in a 4-percent decrease in triglyceride levels after six months. The average effective dose used in most studies was between 2 to 4 grams, and this resulted in an average drop in triglycerides between 25 to 45 percent. The effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acids on triglycerides is dose-dependent, meaning that the more omega-3 fatty acids ingested, the lower your triglyceride levels will fall. This works best when following a healthy diet. Omega-3 fatty acids seemed to affect recently ingested triglycerides more. Additionally, individuals with extremely high triglyceride levels (greater than 500 mg/dL) seem to derive the most benefit from omega-3 fatty acid supplementation.




Also see my Niacin Blog for suggestions on increasing HDL.


You will notice that one of the supplements have CoQ10. It has been studied for congestive heart failure and I have recommended that people at future risk of heart disease add this to their regimen. You will need two of these to approach the content of the other products on this page. CoQ10 is known to be highly concentrated in heart muscle cells due to the high energy requirements of this cell type. For the past 14 years, the great bulk of clinical work with CoQ10 has focused on heart disease. Specifically, congestive heart failure (from a wide variety of causes) has been strongly correlated with significantly low blood and tissue levels of CoQ10. The severity of heart failure correlates with the severity of CoQ10 deficiency. It is naturally present in small amounts in a wide variety of foods but is particularly high in organ meats such as heart, liver and kidney, as well as beef, soy oil, sardines, mackerel, and peanuts. To put dietary CoQ10 intake into perspective, one pound of sardines, two pounds of beef, or two and one half pounds of peanuts, provide 30 mg of CoQ10.
Testing is available. http://www.gdx.net/core/one-page-test-descriptions/Essential-Metabolic-Fatty-Acids-Test-Description.pdf http://www.metametrix.com/files/test-menu/sample-reports/Fatty-Acids-Bloodspot-SR.pdf
FDA Disclaimer

The statements and products shown on this website have not been evaluated by the US Food and Drug Administration.

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Those seeking treatment for a specific disease should consult a qualified integrative physician prior to using our products if possible.