Evidence-graded research on diabetes and blood-sugar control — what the systematic reviews and trials really show about diet, supplements and metabolic health.
Key takeaways Strongest evidence: berberine 0.9–1.5 g/day lowers fasting glucose, post-meal glucose, and LDL/triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, with effect sizes comparable to low-dose oral diabetes drugs in short trials (Wang et al. 2024 meta-analysis, Liu et al. 2025 meta-analysis). “Nature’s Ozempic” is not supported by the data — GLP-1 … Read more
Key takeaways Viscous soluble fiber has the most practical supplement evidence: a meta-analysis found HbA1c improved by 0.47 percentage points and fasting glucose by 0.93 mmol/L in people with type 2 diabetes. Berberine shows one of the stronger glucose-lowering signals — a 46-trial meta-analysis (4,158 participants) found HbA1c reduced by 0.73% — but heterogeneity was … Read more
Key takeaways A Cochrane review of 12 RCTs (5,238 participants) found combined diet plus physical activity cut type 2 diabetes incidence with a risk ratio of 0.57 versus standard care — about a 43% reduction in high-risk adults. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed intensive lifestyle change (targeting 7% weight loss and 150 min/week of activity) … Read more
Key takeaways D3 (cholecalciferol) raises and maintains blood 25(OH)D levels more effectively than D2 (ergocalciferol) — a meta-analysis of 24 RCTs confirmed higher potency of D3 per equivalent dose (Tripkovic et al., AJCN). Correcting deficiency (25(OH)D <20 ng/mL) has clear benefit; broad supplementation in already-replete adults for cancer, cardiovascular events, or major fractures showed no … Read more
Key takeaways Strongest evidence: modest triglyceride reduction (25–30% with 2–4 g/day EPA+DHA) and reduced cardiovascular events in secondary prevention at prescription doses — FDA has approved icosapent ethyl (EPA-only, 4 g) after the REDUCE-IT trial. For primary prevention of heart disease in the general population, effects are modest at best — a large Cochrane review … Read more
