Doctor Reviews: Sugar Defender

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Sugar Defender claims to be the top-rated supplement for controlling blood sugar levels. But who’s giving it this rating? We can’t just take someone’s word for it, so let’s dig into the research to find out if it lives up to its claims.

Problem with Sugar Defender

One major issue with Sugar Defender and similar supplements is that they cram too many ingredients into one formula. This leads to what we call the dilution effect. Take Sugar Defender, for instance: in a daily 200 mg dose, it contains a whopping 23 different ingredients. That means each ingredient is only about 9 mg on average – equivalent to just 2 grains of sand. Such tiny amounts are unlikely to offer any significant benefits. Even if a supplement has potential benefits, if you’re not getting enough of it, it won’t be effective.

Ingredients of Sugar Defender

As we dive into the ingredients, remember that this is a common issue we’ll encounter. Let’s look at the doses used, whether they’re using active compounds, and if there’s evidence they can help with blood sugar control for energy.

Chromium

Chromium is a common ingredient in supplements targeting diabetes and blood sugar regulation. Studies on individuals with diabetes suggest that chromium supplementation might slightly reduce HbA1C, a marker for blood sugar, by approximately 0.6%. It could also lead to a modest weight loss of around 0.5-1 kg over a span of 12-16 weeks. However, chromium appears to be most effective for individuals with poorly controlled diabetes.

Research on non-diabetic overweight or obese individuals, including adults and children, indicates that chromium doesn’t contribute to fat reduction or improved blood sugar control. Therefore, while chromium may offer some limited benefits for those with poorly managed diabetes or PCOS, its impact on the general population is likely minimal.

Additionally, the doses required to observe significant benefits from chromium are typically higher than 200 mcg. Sugar Defender, however, contains only a mere 0.7 mcg, nearly 300 times less than the lowest effective dose. With such a negligible amount of chromium in Sugar Defender, its effectiveness is questionable.

Maca

Maca, a root vegetable utilized in traditional medicine for its purported energy-boosting properties, is another ingredient in Sugar Defender. There’s a small clinical study indicating that consuming 2500 mg of maca twice daily for 8 weeks may enhance certain aspects of physical performance, such as grip strength. However, it’s essential to note that this study lacks a control group, making its reliability questionable. Furthermore, the study was conducted on a small cohort of elite male athletes, which may not accurately represent the general population’s response to maca supplementation.

Grape seed

Unfortunately, grape seed extracts don’t seem to be very effective for controlling blood sugar. While there’s some weak evidence suggesting they might boost cognitive function, the doses needed for this benefit far exceed what you’ll find in Sugar Defender.

Guarana and Green Tea

Guarana packs a punch with its caffeine content, similar to coffee, while green tea offers both caffeine and EGCG, a helpful antioxidant. Daily consumption of coffee or green tea has shown to be more preventive against type 2 diabetes than actively lowering blood sugar levels. Research indicates that caffeine consumption from these sources is linked to a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

However, the caffeine doses in Sugar Defender won’t be sufficient to enhance exercise performance, as observed in studies on similar supplements.

African mango

African mango extracts have been tested in a few clinical trials for blood sugar management and weight loss. However, these trials used a specific extract in much higher doses than what’s included in Sugar Defender. Additionally, most trials lacked placebo groups and were conducted by the same researcher, raising concerns about bias.

Eleutherococcus and Panax ginseng

While Eleutherococcus and Panax Ginseng might offer benefits for blood sugar control in individuals with diabetes, research suggests they don’t necessarily improve energy levels or exercise performance. Studies have shown no significant improvement in endurance or performance for individuals using these ingredients, even though they may help with blood sugar management.

Astragalus and Gymnema

Astragalus and Gymnema are traditional herbs thought to aid in blood sugar control. However, research indicates that the doses required for effectiveness far exceed what’s found in Sugar Defender. To see significant benefits, you’d need to consume much higher doses than what’s typically included in supplements.

Coleus forskohlii and Capsicum

Many believe that extracts from Coleus forskohlii and capsicum can aid in burning fat and promoting weight loss. However, studies indicate that neither of these ingredients actually leads to significant weight loss.

For example, while some studies suggest Coleus forskohlii may help with weight loss, closer examination reveals that it’s not more effective than a placebo. Similarly, studies on capsicum extract show no significant impact on weight loss or energy expenditure in humans.

Grapefruit seed and Raspberry ketones

While grapefruit seed extracts and raspberry ketones are often included in weight loss products, there’s limited evidence supporting their effectiveness for weight loss or blood sugar control.

Amino acids

Amino acids like L-Glutamine, L-Tyrosine, L-Arginine, Beta Alanine, L-Ornithine, L-Tryptophan, and L-Carnitine are commonly used to enhance focus, energy, and exercise performance. However, their effectiveness varies, with some, like beta alanine, having more evidence supporting their performance benefits. Typically, these amino acids are consumed in doses much higher than what’s found in Sugar Defender.

Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate

Derived from licorice root, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate has various potential uses, but there’s no evidence suggesting it helps with blood sugar control or energy levels.

GABA

GABA, often used for managing mood and anxiety, lacks strong evidence supporting its effectiveness. Most of the evidence comes from theoretical research rather than studies demonstrating real benefits in humans.

Ingredient analysis summary

Let’s break down the ingredient analysis for Sugar Defender. First, we’re eliminating ingredients with no evidence supporting blood sugar control or any related health benefits, such as Maca, Grape Seed, Grapefruit Seed, Raspberry Ketones, and Monoammonium Glycyrrhizinate.

Next, we’re removing ingredients that haven’t reliably shown any real benefits in humans beyond possibly a placebo effect, like Coleus Forskohlii, L-Glutamine, and GABA.

Moving forward, we’ll focus on ingredients that might boost energy or related aspects like athletic performance, mood, or cognitive function, without specifically aiding blood sugar control, such as Capsicum, L-Tyrosine, L-Arginine, Beta Alanine, L-Ornithine, L-Tryptophan, and L-Carnitine.

Now, let’s identify ingredients that have shown promise in controlling blood sugar, especially in individuals with diabetes or metabolic issues. Chromium stands out here with the strongest evidence, particularly when used at doses ranging from 200-1000 mcg per day. Additionally, Guarana, African Mango, Eleutherococcus, Astragalus, Green Tea, Gymnema, and Panax Ginseng are worth noting.

Lastly, we’re removing ingredients that likely don’t provide enough dosage to be beneficial. After this evaluation, we find that Sugar Defender lacks any useful ingredients at effective dosages.

Is Sugar Defender Effective?

In simple terms, Sugar Defender is completely useless in controlling blood sugar, as well as aiding in energy and weight loss. It’s not that the ingredients are necessarily bad – some do show potential benefits for blood sugar control, albeit with weak evidence. However, Sugar Defender’s attempt to include too many ingredients in one formula results in negligible doses of each. Consequently, the supplement offers little to no value.

Overall rating

Rating Sugar Defender by effectiveness for improving blood sugar, I’m giving it an F. It’s completely useless, and you’ll be better off dropping some water into your mouth.

Rating it by cost, I’m giving it an F. It can be easily replicated at a much cheaper cost by taking chromium at a moderate dose.

Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a B. There are a number of ingredients that have the potential to cause issues, but the doses are so low they’re unlikely to do much of anything.

Overall rating, I’m giving an F. I would recommend you stay away from it.

Top alternatives to Sugar Defender

If you’re looking to achieve similar effects, but better than those of Sugar Defender, I would use:

• Chromium nicotinate (GTF) – 1 to 5 caps / day
• Chromium picolinate – 1 to 5 caps / day

Learn more about

• Chromium For Weight Loss
• Best Supplements for Diabetes
• 6 Weight Loss Tips for Type 2 Diabetes
• Supplement reviews

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