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How much do we know about dietary supplements for diabetes?
What do we know about the effectiveness of dietary supplements for diabetes?
What do we know about the safety of dietary supplements for diabetes?
Kidney disease has been linked to using some dietary supplements. This is of particular concern for people with diabetes, since diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease. If you have or are at risk for kidney disease, a health care provider should closely monitor your use of supplements.
Alpha-lipoic acid has been studied for its effect on improving blood sugar and lipid (fat) levels in people with diabetes as well as on complications of diabetes, including diabetic macular edema (an eye condition that can cause vision loss), diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage caused by diabetes), and diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage caused by diabetes).
Safety
Berberine is found in certain plants such as barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, and tree turmeric. Plants with berberine have been used medicinally in Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
Safety
Found in many foods, chromium is an essential trace mineral. If you have too little chromium in your diet, your body can’t use glucose efficiently.
Safety
We don’t have reliable evidence that any herbal supplements can help to control diabetes or its complications.
Cinnamon:
Other Herbal Supplements:
Other herbal supplements studied for diabetes include bitter melon, various Chinese herbal medicines, fenugreek, ginseng, and milk thistle. Overall, research has been limited in the number, size, and quality of studies and hasn’t proven that any of these herbal supplements are effective.
Safety
Found in many foods, including in high amounts in legumes, seeds, nuts, whole grains, and spinach, magnesium is essential to the body’s ability to process glucose.
Safety
For more information on magnesium, see the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Consumers.
There are conflicting findings on the effects of omega-3s on diabetes and related cardiovascular problems.
Safety
For more information on omega-3 supplements, see NCCIH’s Omega-3 Fatty Acids webpage.
Safety
For more information on selenium, see ODS’s Selenium: Fact Sheet for Consumers.
Safety
For more information on vitamin D, see ODS’s Vitamin D: Fact Sheet for Consumers.
Nutrition and Physical Activity for People With Diabetes
Nutrition and physical activity are important parts of a healthy lifestyle for people with diabetes. Eating well and being physically active can help you do the following:
For more information, see NIDDK’s webpage Diabetes Diet, Eating, & Physical Activity.
Prevention of Diabetes by Lifestyle Changes
NCCIH is supporting research on the possible effects of:
The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226
Telecommunications relay service (TRS): 7-1-1
Website: https://www.nccih.nih.gov
Email: info@nccih.nih.gov (link sends email)
NCCIH and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provide tools to help you understand the basics and terminology of scientific research so you can make well-informed decisions about your health. Know the Science features a variety of materials, including interactive modules, quizzes, and videos, as well as links to informative content from Federal resources designed to help consumers make sense of health information.
Explaining How Research Works (NIH)
Know the Science: How To Make Sense of a Scientific Journal Article
Understanding Clinical Studies (NIH)
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Supplements—Systematic Reviews/Reviews/Meta-analyses
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Supplements—Randomized Controlled Trials
Website: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a website, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. The site includes questions and answers about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.
Website: https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you
The National Diabetes Education Program is sponsored by NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with many Federal, state, and local partners. Its services include information and publications on diabetes.
Toll-free in the U.S.: 301-496-3583
Website: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/community-health-outreach/information-clearinghouses
To provide resources that help answer health questions, MedlinePlus (a service of the National Library of Medicine) brings together authoritative information from the National Institutes of Health as well as other Government agencies and health-related organizations.
Information on diabetes
Website: https://www.medlineplus.gov
NCCIH thanks David Shurtleff, Ph.D., D. Craig Hopp, Ph.D., and Peter Murray, Ph.D., NCCIH, for their review of the 2023 update of this publication.
This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.
NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider(s). We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.
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Related Topics
Prediabetes: Your Chance to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes (CDC)
Diabetes (NIDDK)
For Consumers
Information on diabetes
For Health Care Providers
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Supplements—Randomized Controlled Trials (PubMed®)
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Supplements—Systematic Reviews/Reviews/Meta-analyses (PubMed®)
Type 2 Diabetes and Dietary Supplements
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Follow NCCIH:
Contact Us
Privacy and Policies
Accessibility
FOIA
Vulnerability Disclosure
en Español
Site Map
Archive
NCCIH Home
National Institutes of Health
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
USA.gov
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®
Site Last Updated:
An official website of the United States government