The modern diet of industrialized countries contains too much sugar and simple carbohydrate foods that are regarded by the body as foreign agents. These foods disrupt the normal functioning of all of the body’s systems, and often lead to chronic health issues, the most well known of which are chronic high blood sugar and diabetes.
The herb gymnema has a long history of use in India’s Ayurvedic medicine for lowering high blood sugar and taking stress off the pancreas. The Hindi name for gymnema is gurmar, meaning “destroyer of sugar.” It is a key herbal ingredient in NutriPlex Formulas’ GTF Complex, alongside other foods that are equally as important in addressing blood sugar imbalances in different ways.
Symptoms of high blood sugar
High blood sugar is related to an imbalance in the diet, the consumption of too many sweets, chronic stress, hormonal fluctuations, and problems with the pancreas. Symptoms include visual impairment (in more serious cases), poor circulation to the extremities, wounds that are slow to heal, chronic hunger and fatigue, frequent urination, and more.
The most well known health concern associated with high blood sugar is diabetes, affecting more than 30 million Americans. However, many more also suffer from conditions that doctors call pre-diabetes, which includes chronic high blood sugar.
Low energy caused by pancreatic overload
The major organ involved with blood sugar balance is the pancreas, which secretes a hormone called insulin that is meant to remove excess sugar from the bloodstream, and either excrete it or store it away for later use. When the pancreas is constantly overburdened because it has to deal with too much sugar in the diet, it eventually wears out, and a condition called insulin resistance takes place. This means that insulin does not work as well as it used to.
If your body doesn’t make enough, or any, insulin, or if your cells resist the insulin your body makes, the glucose can’t get into them and you have no energy.
Gymnema comes to the rescue
Gymnema contains a group of acids, called gymnemic acids, that decrease the absorption of sugar from the intestine. Gymnema may also increase the amount of insulin in the body, and increase the growth of cells in the pancreas. Both of these actions take the burden off the pancreas to have to keep producing enough insulin to deal with too much blood sugar.
Additional benefits of gymnema
In addition to addressing high blood sugar and diabetes, gymnema has also been used for metabolic syndrome, weight loss, malaria, an antidote for snake bites, a digestive stimulant, a laxative, an appetite suppressant, and a diuretic.
One of the more notable actions of gymnema is its role in weight loss and obesity. Gymnemic acids delay glucose (sugar) absorption in the blood and stops cravings for sugar. Also, gymnemic acid molecules prevent sugar molecules from being absorbed by the intestine. This, too, results in lower blood sugar levels.
How gymnema optimizes GTF Complex
Gymnema is one of several excellent plants that are contained in NutriPlex Formulas’ GTF Complex. High chromium yeast, fenugreek, cinnamon, and bovine pancreas are other ingredients that have been studied to lower and balance blood sugar and support the pancreas.