The damage caused by type 1 diabetes can lead to disease and death. By stopping, reducing or reversing the damage, patients diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can avoid things like blindness, amputation, kidney disease, and many vascular complications. The vascular damage done, as we discussed in Part 1 of the series “Controlling Damage by Type 1 Diabetes”, is caused largely in part by endothelial dysfunction and can lead to hardening of the arteries, heart attack, stroke, heart disease, and death.
We touched on how vitamin C combined with insulin therapy can help to reverse endothelial dysfunction and improve patient outcomes when treating type 1 diabetes. Many people believe that controlling their symptoms with insulin is all that they can do to combat this disease. However, controlling blood sugar is only one way to look at it.
Scientists have long since been interested in not only controlling blood sugar, but also controlling the damage that is done, even when the blood sugar is being controlled. Endothelial dysfunction is what they believe can be causing the body to be resistant to insulin and furthering the damage to the circulatory system.
What they have found is that the endothelial cells actually remember how they were functioning before blood sugar was controlled and continue to act this way even after glucose levels are regulated. This causes many problems with cholesterol levels, dilation, hardening of the arteries, inflammation, and blood platelet function. So, even when a type 1 diabetic is fully controlling insulin levels, these endothelial cells continue to do damage.
Not only has vitamin C been proven to regulate cholesterol and control inflammation, but it has also been shown to erase this “memory” of the damaging habits of the endothelial cells. By doing this, the cells are allowed to regain their function as they heal. They stop creating the free radicals that lead to oxidative stress and disease. They are better equipped to regulate levels of glucose and insulin inside of the vessels. Supplements of vitamin C can help to break the chain reaction of events that lead to endothelial dysfunction.
Now, it is important to keep in mind that your doctor must be involved in deciding on a vitamins and supplements routine that is right for you and your health. The studies that have been done on vitamin C and endothelial dysfunction were performed with intravenous vitamin C. It can be difficult to achieve the right blood serum concentrations of vitamin C necessary to control damage without doctor supervision. Common oral supplements are often too weak or contain too many additives to achieve the desired results. Some patients have been able to reach the right concentrations without the intestinal disturbances of most oral supplements by using a potent buffered vitamin C powder. Talk with your doctor about supplementing with the best vitamin C and ordering discount vitamins online to make the maintenance of your type 1 diabetes affordable.
About the Author: Phil Le Breton is owner at Wholesale Nutrition. He has a strong interest in helping people achieve greater brain and body health with vitamins and supplements. Wholesale Nutrition has provided the world with discount vitamins and the best vitamin C since 1970. Visit http://www.nutri.com to buy high-quality, low-cost wholesale vitamins today!
