Serious complications of diabetes-including kidney failure, blindness, amputation, and even early death - can be averted by taking antioxidant vitamins, suggests a new study from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. Researchers there were able to measure the levels of all known antioxidants (chemicals that counteract the damaging effects of free radicals, which are the byproducts of various chemical reactions in the body) in the blood of 50 Type 2 (noninsulin-dependent) diabetics. They found that the antioxidant levels in diabetics showing signs of impending complications were significantly lower than those showing no such signs (study presented at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology annual meeting, April 1998).

These results strongly support what many experts have long suspected: Boosting antioxidant levels may protect diabetics from the surge of free radicals that likely precedes the onset of complications. "All diabetics should arm themselves with extra antioxidants," says the study's head researcher, Emmanuel Opara, PhD, assistant research professor of experimental surgery at the university. He recommends the following regimen:

Vitamin E. Studies show that taking 800 international units per day may reduce high blood sugar levels.

Vitamin C. 500 mg daily may help reduce the amount of blood sugar that binds to proteins in the body, one of the most damaging consequences of diabetes.

by Teri Walsh

Prevention September 1998 Page 35