There is a lot of steps that you can take to help reduce the effect of the disease, like eat a cleaner diet, do some sport, drink a lot of water and find the right superfood/supplement that can help. Like our favorite blue-green algae: spirulina! Spirulina is a natural & affordable way to help you control your blood sugar level.

This Superfood is consumed worldwide and is recognized to regulate glucose levels, blood pressure and cholesterol.

Did you know that the findings of several scientific articles indicate that the administration of 10 grams of spirulina per day for at least 90 days tend to bring different parameters significantly towards normal levels (blood glucose, plasma insulin, serum C-peptide, and activities of the glucose metabolizing enzymes hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase).

Diabetes (Type 2) is one of the most prevalent diseases in many developed countries and is of great concern globally. “Diet plays a central key role in maintaining the blood glucose levels in diabetic patients to prevent complications arising. As spirulina has been associated with cholesterol regulatory, antioxidant and immune modulatory properties, it seems to be helpful to diabetic patients as a functional food.

nutrition_balance Spirulina helps in maintaining the nutritional balance in such chronic conditions. Considering the critical lipid profile in Diabetic patients, spirulina has been reported to have blood lipid lowering effects which have a positive impact on both healthy subjects as well as heart patients. Since dyslipidemia, oxidative and inflammatory stress are considered to be the contributing factors for diabetes, spirulina has great promise as a functional food for management of type 2 diabetes.”

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Journal of Medicinal Food

Role of Spirulina in the Control of Glycemia and Lipidemia in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Panam Parikh, Uliyar Mani, Uma Iyer. Journal of Medicinal Food. December 2001

Published in Volume: 4 Issue 4: July 7, 2004

Panam Parikh, MSc

Department of Foods and Nutrition, M S University of Baroda, Vadodara-390002, Gujarat, India

Uliyar Mani, PhD,

Uma Iyer, PhD

Spirulina, with its high concentration of functional nutrients, is emerging as an important therapeutic food. This study aimed to evaluate the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic role of Spirulina. Twenty-five subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus were randomly assigned to receive Spirulina (study group) or to form the control group. At baseline, the control and study groups were matched for various variables. The efficacy of Spirulina supplementation (2 g/day for 2 months) was determined using the preintervention and postintervention blood glucose levels, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and lipid profiles of the diabetic subjects. Two-month supplementation with Spirulina resulted in an appreciable lowering of fasting blood glucose and postprandial blood glucose levels. A significant reduction in the HbA1c level was also observed, indicating improved long-term glucose regulation. With regard to lipids, triglyceride levels were significantly lowered. Total cholesterol (TC) and its fraction, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), exhibited a fall coupled with a marginal increase in the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). As a result, a significant reduction in the atherogenic indices, TC:HDL-C and LDL-C: HDL-C, was observed. The level of apolipoprotein B registered a significant fall together with a significant increment in the level of apolipoprotein A1. Therefore, a significant and favorable increase in the ratio of A1:B was also noted. These findings suggest the beneficial effect of Spirulina supplementation in controlling blood glucose levels and in improving the lipid profile of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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Alterations in beta-islets of Langerhans in alloxan-induced diabetic rats by marine Spirulina platensis

December 2009, Vol. 24, No. 6 , Pages 1253-1256 (doi:10.3109/14756360902827240)

1. Muthuraman, R. Senthilkumar, K. Srikumar

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry, India

Address for Correspondence:  K. Srikumar, PhD, FABMS, Reader, Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet, Puducherry-605014, India. Tel: +91-413-2654422. E-mail: frenzram@gmail.com

Marine Spirulina platensis may potentially influence the metabolic process in animal cells, and the effect of marine Spirulina platensis in normal and alloxan-induced diabetic rats was therefore investigated. Normal and diabetic rats (albino Wistar strain) were orally administered marine Spirulina platensis for 30 days and their blood levels of glucose and insulin and body weight changes were determined. Pancreatic histopathology was also noted. Treatment with marine Spirulina platensis caused significant alterations in the content of these indicators and therefore in the antidiabetic capacity of the treated animals compared to control rats.

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Spirulina protects against Rosiglitazone induced osteoporosis in insulin resistance rats

References and further reading may be available for this article. To view references and further reading you must purchase this article.

Sumeet Guptaa, H.J. Hrishikeshvanb and Prabodh K. Sehajpalc, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author

a  Department of Pharmacology, M. M. College of Pharmacy, M. M. University, Mullana, Ambala, Haryana, India

b  Department of Pharmacology, Krupanidhi College of Pharmacy, Kormangala, Bangalore, India

c  Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar-143005, Punjab, India

Received 8 June 2009;

revised 30 September 2009;

accepted 5 October 2009.

Available online 5 November 2009.

Abstract

Aim

The study was undertaken to assess the protective effect of Spirulina fusiformis extract against Rosiglitazone induced osteoporosis and pharmacodynamic effects of Rosiglitazone with Spirulina in treating hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia of insulin resistance rat.

Method

For this aim, 30 Wistar albino rats were equally divided into five groups as control (C), diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetes mellitus + Rosiglitazone (DM + R), diabetes mellitus + Spirulina (DM + S), and diabetes mellitus + Rosiglitazone + Spirulina (DM + R + S). Serum glucose, triglyceride, HDL, LDL and insulin concentrations were estimated by routine standard methods in blood samples collected on 21th day. Integrity of the bone surface was examined by scanning electronic microscopy, and bone strength was measured by micro-hardness test on 45th day.

Results

A significant decrease in total bone mineral density was observed in group DM + R rats (p < 0.05). The number and depth of resorptive pits on surface of the bone in Rosiglitazone treated rats improved clearly with Spirulina administration. The intactness and integrity of the bone surface as well as the bone strength improved due to the high content of calcium and phosphorous in Spirulina. Besides, chromium and gamma-linoleic acid in Spirulina helped to decrease the fasting serum glucose, HDL, LDL and triglycerides levels in insulin resistance rats.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that combination therapy of Rosiglitazone with Spirulina reduced the risk of osteoporosis in insulin resistance rats. Additionally, Spirulina complemented the antihyperglycemic and antilipidemic activity of Rosiglitazone.

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Spirulina maxima prevents fatty liver formation in CD-1 male and female mice with experimental diabetes.

Rodríguez-Hernández A, Blé-Castillo JL, Juárez-Oropeza MA, Díaz-Zagoya JC.

Source

Laboratorio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital General de Zona No. 1, Instituto Mexicano de Seguro Social, UNAM, Ciudad Universitaria, DF.

Abstract

The dietary administration of 5% Spirulina maxima (SM) during four weeks to diabetic mice, starting one week after a single dose of alloxan, 250 mg/Kg body weight, prevented fatty liver production in male and female animals. The main action of SM was on triacylglycerol levels in serum and liver. There was also a moderate hypoglycemia in male mice. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances also decreased in serum and liver after SM administration. There was also a decrease in the percentage of HDL in diabetic mice that was reverted by the SM administration. The sum of LDL + VLDL percentages was also partially normalized in diabetic animals by the SM administration. An additional observation was the lower incidence of adherences between the liver and the intestine loops in the diabetic mice treated with SM compared with diabetic mice without SM. Male and female mice showed differences to diabetes susceptibility and response to SM, the female being more resistant to diabetes induction by alloxan and more responsive to the beneficial effects of SM. It is worth future work of SM on humans looking for better quality of life and longer survival of diabetic patients.

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Nutritional and Therapeutic Potential of Spirulina

Authors: Khan, Z.1; Bhadouria, P.1; Bisen, P. S.1

Source: Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Volume 6, Number 5, October 2005 , pp. 373-379(7)

Abstract:

Spirulina, a filamentous cyanobacterium, possesses diverse biological activities and nutritional significance due to high concentration of natural nutrients, having bio-modulatory and immuno-modulatory functions. Different Spirulina preparations influence immune system viz. increase phagocytic activity of macrophages, stimulating the production of antibodies and cytokines, increase accumulation of NK cells into tissue and activation and mobilization of T and B cells. Spirulina have also shown to perform regulatory role on lipid and carbohydrate metabolism by exhibiting glucose and lipid profile correcting activity in experimental animals and in diabetic patients. Preparations have been found to be active against several enveloped viruses including herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza virus and HIV. They are capable to inhibit carcinogenesis due to anti-oxidant properties that protect tissues and also reduce toxicity of liver, kidney and testes.

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A randomized study to establish the effects of spirulina in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Eun Hee Lee,1 Ji-Eun Park,1 Young-Ju Choi,2 Kap-Bum Huh,2 and Wha-Young Kimcorresponding author1

1Department of Nutritional Science and Food Management, Ewha Womans University, 11-1 Daehyeon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-750, Korea.

221C Diabetics and Vascular Research Center, 40-19 Nogosan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul 121-806, Korea.

corresponding authorCorresponding author.

Corresponding Author: Wha-Young Kim, Tel. 82-2-3277-3093, Fax. 82-2-3277-2862, Email: wykim@ewha.ac.kr

Received September 25, 2008; Revised October 23, 2008; Accepted November 10, 2008.

Abstract

Spirulina is a microscopic and filamentous cyanobacterium that contains essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidative components. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of spirulina intervention in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. The subjects were 37 type 2 diabetic patients who visited a diabetic clinic in Seoul and randomly assigned into spirulina (8 g/day) or control group. During the intervention period of 12 weeks, subjects were asked to keep usual diet and prohibited to take any functional foods or dietary supplements. Spirulina supplementation for 12 weeks did not affect anthropometric parameters, however, lowered plasma triglycerides level significantly (p<0.05). Spirulina supplementation also resulted in a significant reduction in plasma malondialdehyde level (p<0.05) and an increase in plasma adiponectin level (p<0.1). The lipid lowering effect of spirulina supplementation was different according to serum lipid levels of the subjects before entering the intervention. The subjects with higher initial triglyceride level showed higher reduction in plasma triglyceride and blood pressure. The subjects with higher initial total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol level showed higher reduction in plasma concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, IL-6, and blood pressure. It seems that spirulina supplementation is more effective in subjects with dyslipidemia. This study provides the evidence for beneficial effects of spirulina supplementation on blood lipid profiles, inflammatory variables, and antioxidant capacity in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes. The results suggest that spirulina is a promising agent as a functional food for diabetes management.

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http://www.thebioscan.in/Journals_PDF/5334-%20D.%20%20JALAJA%20KUMARI.pdf

http://www.idb.hr/diabetologia/06no2-1.pdf