Diabetes is a group of chronic that affect metabolism—the way the body uses food for

energy and growth. Millions of people have diabetes, which can lead to serious health problems if it is not well. Conventional medical treatments and following a healthy lifestyle, including watching your weight, can help you prevent, manage, and control many complications of diabetes. Researchers are studying several complementary health approaches, including dietary supplements, to see if they can help people manage diabetes—the focus of this fact sheet—or lower their risk of developing the disease.
Key Facts
A healthy diet, physical activity, and blood glucose testing are the basic tools for managing type 2 diabetes. Your health care providers will help you learn to manage your diabetes and track how well you are controlling it. It is very important not to replace proven conventional medical treatment for diabetes with an unproven health product or practice.
Are dietary supplements for diabetes safe?
• Some dietary supplements may have side effects, including interacting with your diabetes treatment or increasing your risk of kidney problems.
Are any dietary supplements for diabetes effective?
• There is not enough scientific evidence to suggest that any dietary supplements can help prevent or manage type 2 diabetes.
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Keep in Mind
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
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About Diabetes
There are three different types of diabetes—type 1, type 2, and gestational. All three types of diabetes involve problems with how our bodies respond to the hormone insulin. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, a type of sugar and the main fuel for our bodies. To use glucose, our bodies need insulin. People with type 1 diabetes produce little or no insulin. People with type 2 diabetes do not respond normally to the insulin their bodies make.
About 90 to 95 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Only about 5 percent have type 1 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in childhood or early adulthood and requires treatment with insulin. Gestational diabetes affects only pregnant women. It usually goes away after the birth, but it increases the risk of the mother developing diabetes later in life. For more information about diabetes and related conditions,
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What the Science Says
Overall, there is not enough scientific evidence to show that any dietary supplement can help manage or prevent type 2 diabetes. This fact sheet addresses some of the many supplements studied for diabetes, with a focus on those that have undergone clinical trials (studies in people).
Side Effects and Risks
There are multiple case reports linking dietary supplement use to kidney disease, which is of particular concern because diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure in the United States. Supplement use should be monitored closely in patients who have or are at risk for kidney disease. For safety warnings for individual supplements, see below.To
Alpha-Lipoic Acid
Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant (a substance that may protect against cell damage). Studies have examined the effects of alpha-lipoic acid supplements on complications of diabetes.
For example:
• A 2011 clinical trial of 467 participants with type 2 diabetes found that supplements of 600 milligrams of alpha-lipoic acid daily did not prevent diabetic macular edema, an eye condition that causes blurred vision.
• Alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin E supplements taken separately or in combination did not improve cholesterol levels or the body’s response to insulin in a 2011 clinical trial of 102 people with type 2 diabetes.
Safety
High doses of alpha-lipoic acid supplements can cause gastrointestinal problems.
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Alpha-Lipoic Acid