Are Your Diabetes Drugs Not Doing the Job? Flaxseed to the Rescue!

If you have diabetes, and your medication is not doing what you hoped, then adding flaxseeds may make all the difference.

This study included 168 people with type 2 diabetes who were taking the drug metformin but whose diabetes was still uncontrolled. Half of them stuck with the metformin and half of them kept taking the drug but added 8g of flaxseed twice a day.

After 12 weeks, there was significant improvement in glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides in the flax group but not in the metformin group. Most importantly, though, people in the flax group had significantly lower levels of HbA1c. That is important because HbA1c is the most important marker of long- term diabetes and blood sugar control.

This study offers hope to people with type 2 diabetes that, if your meds are not controlling your diabetes, then simply adding flaxseed might.

Nutrients. February 2025;17(4):1-12.

 

This New Review Highlights the Important Role of Vitamin D for Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer rates are increasing significantly, especially in countries that follow or have adopted a Western lifestyle and diet. It is the second most common cancer in men and the third most common in women. A new review highlights the important role vitamin D can play in correcting this concerning problem.

The comprehensive literature review included 50 studies of the role vitamin D plays in preventing colorectal cancer.

The results indicated that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. One 2023 meta-analysis of case controlled studies found a 39% lower risk with higher levels of vitamin D (Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2023, 63, 1–17).

A 2022 meta-analysis of 31 studies found a 25% reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer in the group with the highest vitamin D intake versus the lowest (Nutrients. 2022;14:1448). The large Nurses’ Health Study found that women with the highest vitamin D intake had a 58% reduced risk of colorectal cancer (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1996;88:1375–1382).

Several studies have shown that supplementing vitamin D reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. A 2022 meta-analysis showed that every 100IU of vitamin D supplemented a day reduced the risk of colorectal by 4% (Cancer Causes Control. 2022;33:167–182).

Several studies have also shown that vitamin D leads to better outcomes in people with colorectal cancer, including better survival times in cases of advanced colorectal cancer (Oncotarget. 2017;8:40214–40221; Cancer Epidemiol. Biomark. Prev. 2012;21:582–593; Clin. Cancer Res. 2019;25:7497–7505).

This important new review concludes that vitamin D “plays a crucial role in both CRC prevention and treatment.”

Nutrients. 2025;17(8):1351.

 

Natural Help for Long COVID Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

With COVID came a dramatic increase in chronic fatigue syndrome, which was already common enough. A safe and surprisingly simple natural supplement might help.

A just published study has found that COVID significantly increases the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). While 0.6% of the non-COVID people in the study had CFS, 4.5% of people with COVID did. Remarkably, 89% of the people with post-COVID CFS also had long COVID (Journal of General Internal Medicine. Jan 2025:doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-09290-9). This study shows that COVID, and especially long COVID, increases the risk of developing CFS.

A second study showed that people with COVID are 59% more likely to develop CFS than people without COVID (Journal of Infection and Public Health. Nov 2024;17(11):102559).

Now a study has suggested that a blend of probiotics and prebiotics might help.

The study gave 26 people with post-COVID CFS either a placebo or a blend of probiotics and prebiotics for 3 months. The probiotic blend consisted of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Bifidobacterium lactis and Bifidobacterium longum. The probiotic FOS as well as zinc was added.

While both groups improved in general, physical and mental fatigue, only the probiotic group had significant improvement in post-exercise malaise. This finding is important, since the Journal of General Internal Medicine study found that post-exercise malaise was the most common symptom in post-COVID CFS with 24% of people experiencing it.

The study also found that the probiotics increased creatine by a significant 15.3%. This, too, is a potentially important finding, since people with post-COVID CFS have low tissue creatine concentrations. This is one way the probiotics may improve muscle and brain energy.

This study suggests one safe, simple way of potentially improving some of the key symptoms of post-COVID chronic fatigue syndrome.

Eur J Nutr. 2024 Nov 26;64(1):28.