Diabetes rates are at an all-time high globally and subsequently, diabetic kidney disease is also becoming a sad reality for many of these same people. Although the gold standard in treating people with diabetic kidney disease are RAAS (or Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System) blockers. According to a group of researchers, however, there may be other options which can provide significant health benefits.
Antioxidants, chiefly vitamin C and vitamin E are very important to the body’s continued healthy functioning, especially as it ages. They can also help prevent cardio- and microvascular complications, decrease microalbuminuria and may even prevent the progression of diabetic kidney disease. Researchers conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of supplementation with vitamins C & E on diabetics, the results of which were reported in the Journal of Renal Nutrition.
Searching numerous medical databases, investigators found 2383 articles of relevance to the researchers’ study, which were subsequently narrowed down to just 10. Drawing upon the data collected in the studies referenced by these articles, researchers focused their analysis on a total of 445 people, intervention duration ranged from 4-48 weeks in the various studies.
Three of the referenced studies reported on serum creatinine levels and in those studies, it was noted that vitamin C and E were correlated with a reduction in creatinine. In the five studies which followed blood pressure levels, antioxidant vitamins like C & E significantly reduced systolic pressure (amount of pressure in your arteries during the contraction of your heart muscle). Hemoglobin A1c and fasting plasma glucose levels were also significantly improved by supplementation with vitamins C or E.
In conclusion, supplementation could provide substantial benefits to those with diabetic kidney disease as a component of an integrative approach to treatment, still using conventional medicines but supplementing with vitamins C & E, only under a physician’s supervision, of course.
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