Should diabetics take vitamins? In a word, YES. Taking a multivitamin/multimineral supplement every day is good for almost everybody on the planet.

The question of whether vitamin supplements can actually help diabetics with the diabetes is another question altogether, and the answer isn’t quite as simple.

Studies have, of course, been conducted concerning the effect that various vitamins and minerals have on diabetes. Most of those studies were either inconclusive or proved that particular vitamins and/or minerals had no effect on the disease at all.

There are exceptions. High-quality B-complex vitamin compounds have shown promising affects on diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy is a peripheral nerve disorder that can cause numbness, tingling, and pain in the legs and feet.

The fact is that diabetics must live on restricted diets. Because diets are restricted, very often diabetics don’t get the proper nutrients through the food they eat. So vitamin and mineral supplements are recommended by their doctors.

The vitamin and mineral supplements that are most often recommended by doctors to their diabetic patients are:

Chromium: helps to lower insulin levels, decrease fasting glucose levels, and increase glucose tolerance.

Manganese: is an important factor in the key enzymes of glucose metabolism.

Magnesium: generally impacts the glucose levels.

Vitamin E: improves insulin activity and is a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown that higher levels of Vitamin E help to improve the glucose tolerance of Type 2 diabetics.

Vitamin C: helps to lower sorbitol levels in diabetics.

Vitamins B6 and B12 and Biotin: B-complex vitamins have been proven to have positive effects on diabetic neuropathy.

Vanadium: increases insulin sensitivity and decreases the needed amount of insulin required.

Inositol: is needed to maintain healthy nerve function.

Before you begin any vitamin/mineral nutritional supplement program, be sure to discuss it with your doctor.