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Nearly 21 million adults and children in the United States are living with diabetes. Some people with diabetes may be considering the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to either treat their diabetes or its complications. The following information may be of interest.

To ensure safe and coordinated care, people should talk to their health care providers about any CAM therapy that they are currently using or considering. It is important not to replace conventional medical therapy for diabetes with an unproven CAM therapy.

Fact Sheets

• Treating Type 2 Diabetes with Dietary Supplements
• Complementary and Alternative Medical Therapies for Diabetes (NIDDK)

Clinical Trials

The following two research studies are sponsored by NCCAM and are enrolling participants:

• Effect of EGCG on the Body's Response to Insulin
• Expressive Writing for Reducing Stress and Diabetic Symptoms in Diabetes Patients

These trials are ongoing but no longer recruiting patients:

• Chromium Effects on Insulin and Vascular Function in People at Risk for Diabetes
• Yoga for Treating People at Risk for Diabetes or With Both HIV and Depression
• Ginkgo Biloba Extract and the Insulin Resistance Syndrome

View ALL NCCAM-sponsored diabetes clinical trials

Selected Publications by NCCAM Grantees

NCCAM has funded many basic and clinical studies related to diabetes. These articles are examples of the breadth of research the Center supports. To find more articles by NCCAM grantees, search PubMed.

• Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults with diabetes in the United States.
• Two styles of acupuncture for treating painful diabetic neuropathy—a pilot randomised control trial.
• The effect of the ingestion of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) on the pharmacokinetics of metformin in non-diabetic and type 2 diabetic subjects—a double blind placebo-controlled, crossover study.

More Information

• NCCAM Intramural Research (Conducted in Bethesda, MD)
  Researchers in the Diabetes Unit of NCCAM's Division of Intramural Research are studying many aspects of diabetes, including what happens when the body does not properly react to insulin. Recent clinical trials, for example, have been studying whether vitamin C supplements are beneficial in diabetes, the safety of glucosamine with respect to insulin resistance, and whether dark chocolate lowers blood pressure and improves insulin sensitivity.
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
  A service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, the clearinghouse responds to inquiries, offers diabetes publications, and makes referrals.
• Diabetes Information from Medline Plus
• Ayurvedic Interventions for Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review