ADVERTORIAL
BLOOD SUGAR MANAGEMENT
A novel approach to
The dangers of high dietary sugar consumption continue to make media headlines. The pharmacy can play an important advisory role, highlighting approaches to reduce sugar intake and ensure effective blood sugar management.
O
ne third of people in the UK have high blood sugar (glucose) levels and are pre-
diabetic. High blood glucose is linked to obesity and insulin resistance; risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and even cancer.
Diabetes toll rises Diabetes is causing more heart attacks, strokes and amputations than ever before. Hospitals in England and Wales treat 200,000 cases a year – up 11 per cent in two years.
Delphinol® is a standardised extract of maqui berries grown in southern Chile.
The World Health Organisation has recommended that daily sugar consumption should be limited to no more than 5% of total calorie intake (around 25g/day for an adult). Many people in Western societies are consuming a much higher amount – up to 30% of their daily calories come from sugar.
The good news is that two in three Britons are actively looking to reduce sugar in their diets, including cutting down on fizzy drinks and processed foods.
Normal metabolism of sugar In order to understand how nutritional supplementation may help to control blood sugar, it is necessary to consider how sugar is normally metabolised.
Dietary carbohydrates such as starch and sucrose are digested within the small intestine to form glucose.
The glucose is then absorbed from the intestine via an active transport system, the sodium- glucose co-transporter protein, into the bloodstream.
Glucose is then transported via the bloodstream to all cells within the body, where it acts as a source of energy generation.
The removal of glucose from the bloodstream into cells is controlled by insulin, in conjunction with the chromium containing peptide chromodulin. Excess glucose is converted into fat, which is deposited around the body.
Issues with sugar metabolism In people who have a consistently high intake of dietary sugar, insulin gradually loses its ability to interact
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with cells. This hinders the normal mechanism for removing excess glucose from the bloodstream.
This is known as insulin resistance, a condition estimated to affect 25-35% of people in Western societies, and a precursor of Type 2 diabetes.
The pancreas responds by trying to produce more insulin, until the pancreatic cells become exhausted. In the longer term, high levels of glucose can result in damage to the nerves and blood vessels, resulting in disorders of the heart, kidneys and eyes.
Slowing the absorption of glucose Delphinol® is the world's only standardised extract of berries from the maqui tree, a Chilean medicinal plant. The active substances in Delphinol are delphinidins, a type of anthocyanin.
The role of delphinidins in blood glucose control is a recent discovery. A study published in Panminerva Medica (June 2014) showed that delphinidins partially inhibit the action of the sodium-glucose co-transporter protein, slowing the absorption of glucose from the intestine into the bloodstream. This avoids the sharp
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