Diabetics Squeezed Between Large Drug Companies And Fraudulent Natural Health Supplement Makers

The large drug companies (and the diabetic associations funded by them) will tell you that non-pharmaceutical products cannot help diabetics lower blood sugar levels and reduce weight.

Natural health supplement manufacturers will promise you that they can stabilize your blood sugar level by 50 points and help you drop 50 pounds in a matter of days, without the benefit of diet or exercise. So who’s telling the truth? Neither!

Pharmaceutical companies make tremendous profits by selling your doctor, and in turn you, highly researched, clinically-tested and expensive ethical, by-prescription-only drugs. If they were to endorse lower cost, over-the-counter natural solutions, they couldn’t make as much money. So it’s in their own best interests, not yours, to dismiss claims made by natural health supplement makers. On the other hand, providers of supplement solutions, by and large, are looking out for their own interests as well, offering up products that can range from sugar pill effectiveness to dangerously harmful.

Able to slip around U.S. Food and Drug Administration scrutiny, many supplement manufacturers claim unsubstantiated, unattainable benefits to suffering diabetics, relieving them only of money from their wallets. So how can a diabetic find a supplement that truly can help them achieve healthy blood sugar control and weight levels?

Supplements To Avoid

The FDA has published consumer tips that can help you identify fraudulent supplement products, including:

• Products that claim to work by a secret formula (most advances are documented within a solid clinical test framework, revealing ingredients, testing methods and proper usage for resulting benefits)
• Claims that a product is “amazing”, “miraculous” or “major breakthrough”, particularly those that dismiss the need for diet and exercise to accompany any supplement taken
• Promises of “quick” results, “easy” blood sugar or weight loss attainment
• Unattributable testimonials that identify the satisfied customer by initials only or not at all

Supplements That Work

To find a supplement that truly does help diabetics to maintain healthy blood sugar and weight levels, consumers should look for the following:

• Supplement claims that are substantiated by clinical tests, conducted by reputable medical institutions, such as Harvard University Medical Center (beware of unsubstantiated claims or phantom tests)
• Products should carry a seal of approval (US Pharmacopeia or NF) verifying stated purity level, dosage and proper manufacturing standards)
• Include a recommendation of diet and exercise to accompany the use of their supplement (all doctors recommend a diet and exercise regimen for proper health along with any supplementation)

By following these guidelines, diabetics will find that a small number of supplement manufacturers can, despite claims from large drug companies, provide help for sufferers of the diabetic condition.