May• 2019 | 25PHOTO: THE VOORHEES
Vitamin C Tablet Key to
Diabetes Breakthrough
A new study from Deakin University
has found that taking 500mg of
vitamin C twice a day can help
those with type 2 diabetes by
lowering elevated blood sugar levels
throughout the day and minimising
spikes after meals. Heart health also
benefits from a dose of vitamin C as
blood pressure is lowered.
Lead researcher, Associate
Professor Glenn Wadley says that
participants had a significant
36 per cent drop in the blood sugar
spike after meals and that these
results mean that they spend almost
three hours less per day living in a
state of hyperglycaemia.
The vitamin C used
in the study is about
ten times the normal
dietary intake and
available from most
health food stores. For
those diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes, this could
be a potentially cheap,
convenient and effective
additional therapy to
their usual anti-diabetictreatments to improve glycaemic
control and the disease’s related
conditions.Managing Back Pain
With 540 million people worldwide
affected by back pain at any one
time, it is now the leading cause of
disability. Most back pain will usually
clear up within six weeks, whether
treated or not. Monash University
researcher, Professor Rachelle
Buchbinder says that back pain
should not be treated as an ‘injury’
but rather a condition that comes
and goes and, in many cases, can be
effectively managed.
Recent guidelines for managing
the condition include keeping the
affected area warm to relieve pain and
related tightness, staying as
active as possible – avoiding
bed rest – and as a second
line of treatment, low
doses of painkillers and
physical therapies such as
massage and acupuncture.
Of course, your health care
provider should always
assess your condition and
provide individual advice.NEWS FROM THEWorld of Medicine