Health supplements are not medicines. While they may have some regulatory effects on bodily functions, they cannot replace medication. Consumers who are ill must seek medical attention promptly and should not use health supplements as medicine, as this could delay treatment and worsen their condition. Patients already taking medications such as those for lowering blood sugar, cholesterol, or blood pressure should consult their doctor before consuming any health supplements.
As a diabetic patient, the desire for a cure is understandable. Like any other disease, diabetes will eventually be cured, and gene therapy is one such potential method. The genetic makeup of type 1 diabetes is relatively limited; some estimate that about 13 genes are important and well-understood, thus offering a greater chance of a cure through gene therapy. Some even optimistically predict a breakthrough in curing type 1 diabetes within 10 years. However, a cure for type 2 diabetes still has a long way to go.
Therefore, we regret to say that, to date, there is no cure for diabetes. Any claim that any Chinese or Western medicine, health supplement, food, or other diabetes treatment can cure diabetes at this time is undoubtedly an exaggeration, and some may even be quackery. At present, the goal of diabetes treatment should be to control the condition, preventing damage from various complications and avoiding disability or premature death due to these complications (Editor's note: Specific control target indices are shown in the attached table). Therefore, diabetic patients should actively cooperate with their doctors to achieve this goal, and should not easily believe false advertisements claiming to cure diabetes.
Reporter: Returning to this health supplement. The product's advertisement claims that its prototype was invented by British scholar John Sulston, and that Professor Sulston's "apoptosis theory" fundamentally found the cause of type 2 diabetes. Professor Xiang, what is the "apoptosis theory," and can this theory truly cure diabetes as the advertisement claims?
Professor Xiang: The "apoptosis theory," also known as "programmed cell death," simply states that human health depends on the balance between cell proliferation and death; excessive proliferation or death will negatively impact health. However, the relationship between this theory and diabetes is unclear. The main causes of type 2 diabetes include insulin resistance (i.e., decreased sensitivity) and insufficient insulin secretion. Insufficient insulin secretion may be related to an imbalance in cell apoptosis. However, to demonstrate that this theory can cure diabetes, a large amount of theoretical and factual evidence is needed. To my knowledge, there is currently insufficient evidence to confirm this.
Many advertisements for fake diabetes medications use novel and unfamiliar terms to deceive people. I urge all diabetes patients not to fall for these scams.
Reporter: According to our investigation, the approval number for this product is actually just a health food product approval number. In other words, this product is simply a health food product. The advertisements for this health food product require patients to stop taking all oral hypoglycemic drugs on the first day of taking the product, and insulin injection patients must also reduce their dosage by more than one-third at once. Professor Xiang, what are your thoughts on this?
Professor Xiang: Currently, the market offers a wide range of health foods and supplements related to diabetes, including staple foods, candies, beverages, powders, and various capsules and oral liquids. It cannot be ruled out that some of these supplements or products may, to some extent, lower blood sugar, blood pressure, blood viscosity index, and regulate blood lipids.
However, it's important to remind diabetic patients that even the best health supplements are still just food, and not medicine. To date, there is no formal research or literature proving that these health supplements or foods have a blood sugar-lowering effect. Therefore, the correct role of health supplements in diabetes treatment should be as an adjunct therapy; they should only be taken as needed while continuing to take hypoglycemic drugs or inject insulin.
Therefore, diabetic patients should never believe the nonsense in advertisements and arbitrarily stop their regular treatment. Doing so could very likely delay their condition and even lead to serious consequences.
