Myth vs. Fact: Taking Supplements

Author: Ileana Vink, RD - DukeWELL Registered Dietitian

Diabetes Myth: If I take supplements like apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, blue green algae, or borage, it will help improve my blood sugars.

There is little evidence to show these or other supplements will help improve your blood sugar.

To prove something can help your diabetes, researchers must do tests with many different people like old people, young people, men, and women. They check to see if it helps people who have diabetes with another condition like heart or kidney disease. They also need to test to see if it has side effects that could harm you, like making you sick to your stomach. Finally, they need to make sure it actually has a positive impact on your diabetes. Does it bring down your blood sugars? Does it protect your kidneys? Does it prevent heart attacks?

For your safety, medicines are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In order to sell a medicine, the company that makes it has to prove three things. First, they have to make sure that what it says on the front of the package is what is actually inside the box. Second, they have to prove that the medicine is safe and warn people about side effects. Third, they have to prove that the medicine does what it is intended to do. For the FDA to approve a medicine for diabetes, the maker of the medicine has to prove that it helps with diabetes.

Supplements like apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, blue green algae, or borage are not regulated by the FDA. They do not always contain what is listed on the label. Supplement makers do not have to prove their product is safe before they sell it. If their product makes people sick, the FDA may recall it, but this can take a while. Finally, supplement makers do not have to prove that their supplements work. The front of the container may say that the supplement does something good for your body—like lowering blood sugars—but if you look at the fine print, you will likely find a statement that the benefits on the package have not been tested by the FDA.

You may be thinking “why not try supplements anyway, to see if they work?” Well just like medicines, supplements can have harmful side effects, and they can interact with medicines you take. So if you do decide to take a supplement, make sure to talk to your provider first. They can make sure medicines and supplements are safe to take together.