Because insulin facilitates the transport of vitamin C into cells, most diabetics suffer from deficient intracellular vitamin C. Therefore, without high dosage vitamin C supplementation, a relative vitamin C deficiency exists in many diabetics despite an “adequate” dietary amount of vitamin C. The diabetic simply needs more vitamin C. High dosage vitamin C supplementation is absolutely essential in the treatment of diabetes.

Failure to correct a chronic, latent intracellular vitamin C deficiency leads to a number of problems for the diabetic, including an increased capillary permeability, poor wound healing, elevations in cholesterol levels, and a depressed immune system. Furthermore, diabetes is also associated with increased free-radical damage. Vitamin C is the principal modulator of free-radical activity in diabetes, improves blood sugar control, reduces the accumulation of sorbitol within cells, and inhibits the glycosylation of proteins. Sorbitol accumulation and glycosylation of proteins (both described below) are linked to many complications of diabetes, especially eye and nerve diseases.

Vitamin C offers a significant cost-to-benefit ratio in the treatment of diabetes. Based on current available information, it appears that an effective dosage of vitamin C in diabetics is approximately 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams daily in divided dosages.

Sorbitol and Diabetic Complications

Sorbitol is a byproduct of glucose metabolism formed within the cell with the help of an enzyme aldose reductase. In nondiabetic individuals, once sorbitol is formed it can be metabolized with the help of another enzyme (polyol-dehydrogenase) to fructose. This conversion to fructose allows the sorbitol to be excreted from the cell if concentrations increase. Unfortunately, in the diabetic with routine hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels), sorbitol accumulates and plays a major role in the development of chronic complications of diabetes.

We can best understand the mechanism by which sorbitol is involved in the development of diabetic complications by considering its involvement in cataract formation. Although the lens does not have any blood vessels, it is an actively metabolizing tissue that continuously grows throughout life. Hyperglycemia results in shunting of glucose to the sorbitol pathway. Since the lens membranes are virtually impermeable to sorbitol and lack the enzyme polyol-dehydrogenase, sorbitol accumulates to high concentrations. These high concentrations persist even if glucose levels return to normal.

This accumulation creates an osmotic gradient that results in water being drawn into the cells to maintain osmotic balance. As the water is pulled in, the cell must release small molecules like amino acids, inositol, glutathione, niacin, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium to maintain osmotic balance. Since these latter compounds function to protect the lens from damage, their loss results in an increased susceptibility to damage. As a result, the delicate protein fibers within the lens become opaque, and a cataract forms.

Drugs designed to inhibit sorbitol accumulation are extremely toxic. In contrast, vitamin C supplementation has an excellent safety profile and significantly lowers sorbitol levels. Vitamin C supplementation at a dosage as low as 100 milligrams daily, but usually 1,000 milligrams, normalizes red blood cell sorbitol in type I diabetics within 30 days in well designed, double-blind controlled trials.

Author Bio: Georgiy Kharchenko American Weight Loss Group LLC: Personal Trainer, Ephedra Products, Stimerex With Ephedra, lipodrene with ephedra

Category: Medicines and Remedies
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