Vitamin C could help sufferers of type 2 diabetes reduce blood sugar levels, according to a new Victorian study.
The Deakin University study, carried out over 10 years, shows that taking vitamin C could help more than one million Australians with type 2 diabetes reduce their blood sugar levels, with participants experiencing a 36 per cent drop in their blood sugar spikes after meals.
Published in the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism journal, the study shows that taking two 500mg doses of vitamin C daily can lower elevated blood sugar levels and reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes in type 2 diabetics.
“We found that participants had a significant 36 per cent drop in the blood sugar spike after meals,” lead researcher Associate Professor Glenn Wadley said. “This also meant that they spent almost three hours less per day living in a state of hyperglycaemia.
“This is extremely positive news as hyperglycaemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in people living with type 2 diabetes.”
More than 1.2 million Australians have been diagnosed with the disease. The dose of vitamin C used in the randomised study was about 10 times the normal dietary intake … You’d need a dozen oranges a day to reach the levels we’re talking about.”
While vitamin C isn’t a cure for diabetes, Professor Wadley says it’s another tool in the box in reducing blood sugar level to a healthy level.
