No matter what kind of health food, no matter how exaggerated the function of “lowering blood sugar” or “treating complications” is in any form, its essential properties are no more than health food, mineral, or health food plus certain minerals. No matter what kind of health food, no matter how exaggerated the function of “lowering blood sugar” or “treating complications” is, its essential properties are no more than health food, minerals, health food plus certain minerals in three forms: health food “sugar-free” means that it only does not contain glucose or sucrose, but it still raises blood sugar and affects health after eating too much. The main ingredients of “sugar-free” food are staple food and starch, which are not conducive to blood sugar control. In the current domestic diabetic health food, the sugar substitutes include saccharin, fructose, pectin, xylitol, stevia, aspartame, sucrose, lactose, sorbitol, maltitol and more than 10 kinds. In fact, xylitol, fructose and other sugar substitutes, like glucose, are carbohydrates composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen elements, which can produce heat (4 kcal per gram) after oxidative combustion in the body, but do not require the participation of insulin in a certain metabolic process. It has been observed that the rate and level of blood glucose increase after consumption is lower than that of glucose or sucrose for normal people or better-controlled diabetic patients. However, the absorption rate of fructose and xylitol is lower than that of glucose, if the absorption rate of glucose is 100, fructose is 43, and xylitol is even lower, about 15, so eating too much is likely to cause diarrhea. These two sugars are used for better-controlled diabetic patients, the dosage should not be more, and the caloric energy should be calculated when consumed. They should not be used for poorly controlled diabetes. Regarding other sweeteners that do not provide caloric energy and do not contain nutrients, there are only saccharin and stevia in China. They are about 300 to 500 times sweeter than sucrose. In humans, there is no evidence that saccharin causes cancer, so they can be consumed, but not in excess, especially for diabetics during pregnancy. Moreover, the main ingredients of “sugar-free” food are staple foods and starch, which are not conducive to blood sugar control without restriction. As for the fruit products in health food, those whose blood sugar control does not meet the standard should not eat them in principle. Because the carbohydrate content of fruits is about 6%-20%, such as watermelon content is low, banana content is high and the carbohydrates it contains are glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch, pectin and so on. Fructose does not require insulin in a certain process of normal metabolism. Pectin has the effect of delaying the absorption of glucose according to experimental evidence. In this sense, fruit is edible, but in another sense, it also contains glucose. Besides, its glycemic index (an indicator of the increase in blood sugar after eating) is not low. According to research, the glycemic index of apple is 95% to 100% similar to glucose, so it is not advisable to eat more. It is generally believed that when fasting blood sugar is less than 140 mg/dL, 2 hours after meal blood sugar is less than 180 mg/dL, and glycated hemoglobin is less than 7.5%, and blood sugar does not fluctuate greatly for more than 3 months, then fruit can be consumed appropriately between meals by means of food exchange. There are also rumors in the society that “so-and-so fruit is low in sweetness, can lower blood sugar, and can be eaten more”. There is no scientific basis for speculating the amount of sugar in fruits by the sweetness of taste, so diabetics should not go astray. The people of China have the habit of drinking wine to celebrate the New Year’s holidays and celebrations. The unscrupulous businessmen developed health products, will not leave behind the diabetic this broad market, the development of some “diabetic health wine”, often exaggerated its aphrodisiac, maintain or restore sexual function, warm blood vessels and blood circulation and pain relief effect. Regardless of the disguise, in fact, is the wine products, diabetics should not be gullible. According to research, the alcohol contained in wine is only for heat, each gram of alcohol produces 29 kJ (7 kcal) of heat energy without other nutrients, long-term consumption is not good for the liver, and easy to cause the rise of serum triglycerides. Moreover, a few diabetic patients taking sulfonylureas to control blood sugar are prone to panic, shortness of breath and red cheeks after drinking alcohol; those who inject insulin are prone to hypoglycemia when drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. Although alcohol metabolism does not require insulin, but for the safety of patients, it is better not to drink. If you want to drink a small amount of alcohol on New Year’s Day, you should choose alcohol with low alcohol content, such as beer (containing about 4% alcohol) and wine (containing about 14%). Remember to calculate the caloric energy when drinking and reduce the amount of staple food appropriately. Take beer as an example, 400 ml is about 469 kJ (112 kcal), which is equivalent to 30 grams of staple food, and should not be consumed on an empty stomach. In addition, alcohol can interfere with the body’s ability to produce blood sugar and thus lower blood sugar, so diabetics should pay attention to this. The scientific basis for whether supplementing with vitamins and minerals is beneficial to lowering blood sugar is still lacking. Recently, there are newspaper articles pointing out that chromium ions, zinc ions, magnesium ions, vanadium ions and selenium ions play an important role in maintaining the health of diabetics, so now you can see a large number of diabetic-specific drugs and health food containing these ions on the market for sale. Let’s unravel the mystery: Chromium This element is needed to maintain good health, but doesn’t our body have to take some extra chromium? For the majority of people there is no such need. Chromium is a mineral that is naturally present in tap water and is also present in small amounts in our organism. There has been a great deal of research done to try to prove whether chromium supplementation is beneficial to health. For most diabetics, if the diet is rich in chromium, there is no need for additional vitamin and mineral supplementation. A proper diet means getting the calories and other substances needed from a variety of foods. Dietary preferences are harmful to most people, nor should caloric intake be significantly reduced in order to maintain weight. Therefore, for diabetics, neither overeating nor partiality or avoidance of food is necessary. Chromium is abundant inside green plants and vegetable leaves and does not have to be supplemented. Folic acid plays an important role in many biochemical processes of the body. Many medical experts today recommend that people increase their intake of folic acid because it lowers homocysteine levels in our bodies. Homocysteine is a metabolite of cysteine, which is a specific amino acid used to synthesize protein in the body. There is growing evidence that people are susceptible to myocardial infarction and stroke if they have elevated levels of homocysteine in their blood. Although some issues remain to be further elucidated, some data suggest that cysteine levels are higher than normal in diabetic patients and that this abnormality is likely to be intrinsically linked to the high incidence of myocardial infarction and stroke in diabetic patients, so dietary supplementation with folic acid is certainly beneficial in diabetic patients. According to the currently popular recommended daily intake, the daily supplemental dose of folic acid for men and women with diabetes is 180 to 200 mg, and for pregnant women is 400 mg per day, a dose that is sufficient to meet the daily multivitamin metabolic needs. There is no need to exaggerate the effects of folic acid and take large amounts of supplements blindly. Melatonin Melatonin is not a cure for diabetes. In human brain tissue there is a small nucleus called the pineal gland, which secretes melatonin, so melatonin is a normal substance in the human body. Although the exact function of melatonin in the organism is not yet clear, many domestic and international sources indicate that it may play a role in sleep regulation. Currently taking melatonin seems to be very fashionable, and the major domestic pharmacies are selling it, the big newspapers and tabloids blow it up to be very magical, almost become a panacea for all diseases, such as improving sleep quality, eliminating jet lag, delaying the aging process, enhancing sexual function and preventing various diseases, etc. In fact, each of the above has not been confirmed. Apparently, those who say anything can be cured are in fact cured of nothing. There is virtually no scientific basis to support the idea that taking melatonin is beneficial. In fact, many doctors are even concerned that taking melatonin could potentially disrupt the body’s normal sleep cycle, resulting in a permanent disorder. It is advisable for diabetics not to take melatonin blindly. Note that the label of the drug is “health and medicine”, the food label should be “health and food”. Drugs and food are obvious. The health products without the Ministry of Health food label should not be consumed. There is a difference in the type, function is not the same – careful selection of hypoglycemic drugs Some diabetic patients, often heard that patients eat a certain hypoglycemic drugs good, they also follow the switch to a certain hypoglycemic drugs, so that the wrong medicine. In fact, the drug that suits others, not necessarily suitable for you. It’s up to the specialist to decide how to choose a glucose-lowering drug. As for some daily problems, this article tells you: Glucophage Note: (1) Glucophage must be used on the basis of strict dietary control and a fixed amount of daily exercise, otherwise the dose of the drug cannot be adjusted. (2) Use the medication as prescribed by the doctor, regularly visit the doctor, and regularly monitor blood sugar and urine sugar in order to keep track of changes in your condition. It is also necessary to check blood sugar regularly during maintenance treatment. (3) Hypoglycemia rarely occurs in Glucophage, which is a relatively safe hypoglycemic drug. Most of the hypoglycemia is caused by not taking the drug as prescribed or not eating on time after taking the drug. Most of the hypoglycemia is caused by not taking the medication as prescribed or not eating on time after taking the medication. Even if hypoglycemia occurs with Glucophage, the symptoms are mild and short-lived, and can be corrected by eating sugar and sugary drinks immediately. Once the hypoglycemic coma occurs, intravenous injection of 50% glucose 60-100ml should be given immediately, followed by the static order of 5-10% glucose to maintain the blood sugar at about 8.6mmol/L, and the patient should be monitored for 24-48 hours. (4) Gastrointestinal reactions, such as nausea, epigastric distension and heartburn, may occur during the course of taking glucophage, which are usually temporary and disappear as the treatment continues. (5) Patients with serious liver and kidney diseases should be especially cautious and preferably not used. Glucophage can also be used when the glomerular filtration rate is >60ml/min, but should be disabled when the glomerular filtration rate is <30ml/min. (6) In case of infection, trauma, surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, severe mental stimulation, etc., the condition of diabetes will be aggravated and lost control, then it is necessary to stop using Glucophage and switch to insulin treatment. After the condition is stabilized by insulin treatment and the stress is lifted, the treatment can be changed to glucophage again. Mepyridam Use Note: (1) Mepyridam metabolites need to be excreted by kidney, so glomerular filtration rate <60m1/min is prohibited. (2) Mepida has a rapid onset of action, with a hypoglycemic effect 30 minutes after taking the drug, peaking at 1-2.5 hours, so it should be taken 30 minutes before meals, and the diet should be controlled with regular and quantitative meals. (3) The reason why doctors and patients like to use Mepida is that it has strong hypoglycemic effect and hypoglycemia rarely occurs, but hypoglycemia can also occur if the medication is used irrationally and meals are not taken according to the requirements of diet therapy, which should be noted. (4) Patients with obvious diabetic symptoms and treated with larger doses of Mepida should pay attention to the urinary diabetic ketone examination, if there are urinary ketones should stop using Mepida and switch to insulin treatment. (5) Severe diabetes mellitus, diabetic hyperosmolar coma, ketoacidosis and combined stress should not be treated with Mepida but with insulin. Obese diabetic patients are generally not suitable for treatment with sulfonuric hypoglycemic drugs: because these drugs can promote increased insulin secretion and easily cause hyperinsulinemia, which leads to increased appetite of patients and makes obesity difficult to control. Therefore, obese diabetic patients should be preferred to bimuscarinic hypoglycemic drugs, and only if they do not work can they be considered in combination with sulfonylureas. When obese diabetic patients must use sulfonylureas as hypoglycemic drugs, they must be used under the condition of strict diet control. To determine whether sulfonylureas are truly secondary to failure, it is necessary to exclude pseudo-secondary failure: e.g., exclude failure caused by case selection problems, diet and exercise therapy, medication use, whether a full dose is achieved, the presence of stress conditions, drug purity, etc. Measure fasting and 2-hour post-lunch blood glucose and 24-hour urine glucose several times to determine whether the "good" effect criteria are met. Serum insulin and C-peptide were measured before and after taking the drug, and insulin and C-peptide secretion were not sufficient after taking the drug for secondary failure. The curve of insulin secretion is as follows: fasting value is normal or slightly lower than normal, and the peak value is significantly lower and shifted back. In the few cases where insulin resistance exists, blood and urine glucose levels are significantly higher than good indicators, although hyperinsulinemia may be present. Determine whether the sulfonylureas have been taken in adequate doses, whether they have been taken for a long enough period of time, and whether the good effect criteria have been met. By using the above aspects, it is possible to determine whether a sulfonylurea is really failing. When using sulfonylureas for the treatment of diabetes, in addition to those with contraindications, the following cases should be used with special caution when applying these drugs, and it is best not to use them: (1) Diabetic patients with liver and kidney dysfunction should be used with caution: because sulfonylureas need to be inactivated by the liver, i.e., metabolized by the liver into metabolites with no hypoglycemic effect, and then they can be excreted. When there is liver dysfunction, such as cirrhosis, the liver's ability to inactivate these drugs decreases and they cannot be metabolized in time, so serious and persistent hypoglycemia can easily occur. (2) Sulfonylureas can make weight gain and biguanides can make weight loss. It is generally advocated that the combined medication should be used early and the dose used should be small, and then the dose should be adjusted gradually according to the blood sugar situation until the effect of satisfactory blood sugar control is obtained. For those who do not have satisfactory effect with biphasic drugs alone, sulforaphane can be added, and vice versa, for those who have primary or secondary failure of sulforaphane, biphasic drugs can also be added. (3)The combination of biguanide hypoglycemic drugs and sulfonylurea hypoglycemic drugs must pay attention to what kinds of drugs can be used and what kinds of people can not use, especially pay special attention to liver and kidney function. (4) Biguanides can also be used in combination with insulin. Whether type 1 or type 2 diabetes is being treated with insulin patients, want to reduce the amount of insulin or enhance the efficacy of insulin can be added to take biguanide hypoglycemic drugs. However, it should be noted that patients with type 1 diabetes who are not treated with insulin cannot be treated with biguanides alone, because these drugs must have insulin in the body in order to exert a hypoglycemic effect. Acarbose Note: (1) The most common side effects of acarbose are nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, bloating and intestinal rumbling, and occasionally diarrhea and abdominal pain, which can be relieved in most patients by continuing to take or reducing the dosage. (2) If hypoglycemia occurs in the combination of acarbose with other hypoglycemic drugs and insulin, it should be treated with intravenous glucose immediately, but not with oral glucose treatment. (3) Avoid taking it together with antacids, choleramide, intestinal adsorbent and digestive enzyme products to prevent reducing the effect of acarbose. (4) Acarbose cannot be used alone in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. (5) It should not be used in chronic intestinal disorders with obvious digestive and absorption disorders. (6) Contraindicated in women during pregnancy and lactation. (7) Contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity to acarbose. Insulin: Not all diabetic patients need to be treated with insulin, but the following cases must be treated with insulin: (1) Type 1 diabetes, except for the dense moon period, requires lifelong insulin replacement therapy, because this type of patient has an absolute lack of insulin in the body. (2) Type 2 diabetes is treated with insulin if diet therapy, oral hypoglycemic drugs are ineffective or if there are contraindications. (3) Malnutrition-related diabetes mellitus needs to be treated with insulin. (4) Diabetic hyperosmolar coma, diabetic ketoacidosis, and lactic acidosis need to be treated with insulin, but note that medium- and long-acting insulin should not be used when intravenous IV insulin is administered. (5) Various severe stress states, such as infection, trauma, surgery. Childbirth. Myocardial infarction. Cerebrovascular accident, etc. all need insulin treatment. (6) People with severe progressive complications of diabetes, such as peripheral neuritis, hemorrhage of the fundus of the eye. Frequent angina pectoris, myocardial infarction. Cerebrovascular accident. Diabetic nephropathy, neurogenic bladder pruritus vulvae and diabetes combined with tuberculosis, etc., need insulin therapy. (7) Gestational diabetes, in order to ensure the safety of the mother and the normal growth and development of the fetus, insulin therapy is applied from the beginning of pregnancy until the end of delivery. (8) Some secondary diabetes mellitus, such as pituitary diabetes, steroidal diabetes, pancreatic diabetes, need to be treated with insulin.