Astaxanthin For Diabetes

What is Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that is marked by chronic high blood sugar levels and the bodies inability to properly manage blood glucose. When you have diabetes, your body either no longer produces insulin or no longer responds to it. When cells no longer respond properly to insulin and blood sugar levels remain high, then there are dire consequences. People who have diabetes may then go on to develop a host of health problems such as heart disease, foot problems, eye degeneration, or go into a coma. Therefore, it is very important to manage diabetes properly.

There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2. In type 1 diabetes, your body no longer produces insulin. This type of diabetes is not caused by a prolonged poor diet, rather it occurs at birth with the immune system attacking the cells produced by the pancreas. In type 2 diabetes, your body may not produce insulin, or it may not respond properly to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is generally caused by eating a diet high in sugar and processed carbohydrates, burning out the pancreas, sometimes resulting in obesity, high blood pressure, and other risk factors. The number of people with diabetes has quadrupled in the last 20 years. Over 4 million people in the UK have diabetes. The main causes are dietary factors and obesity.

HOW ASTAXANTHIN CAN BENEFIT DIABETES

Astaxanthin's role as an anti-oxidant makes it effective in cancelling the free radicals, which are damaged cells, caused by obesity and lack of exercise, associated with diabetes. These free radicals are highly inflammatory, and this inflammation is what speeds up the onset of diabetes by altering insulin’s action and contributing to the disease. If inflammatory diabetes begins, then a viscous cycle can be set off. As the body becomes sensitive to insulin, the insulin resistance also leads to more inflammation. Blood sugar levels creep higher and higher, eventually resulting in type 2 diabetes.

By targeting the free radicals with a very strong natural anti-oxidant, this can reduce their impact and therefore reduce chronic inflammation. Astaxanthin can also improve the body’s ability to metabolise the sugar in the blood, helping to increase sensitively to insulin and keep blood sugar levels in a normal range. Studies have also shown that taking astaxanthin can assist weight loss and lower cholesterol, both of which benefit diabetes. Astaxanthin may also even be able to reduce the risks of developing a severe complication from diabetes, such as kidney disease.