Our modern age has brought about many advancements in technology and medicine. Yet overall health has deteriorated. While we have conquered old diseases, new ones have taken their place. While we suffer from Alzheimer's, cance, diabetes, and heart disease, we can avoid them altogether by changing our lifestyle.

According to the media and the medical establishment, all you need to do is eat a proper diet and exercise. Unfortunately, this leaves out one key ingredient; supplementation. The simple fact is that the food we buy from our grocer's shelves lacks essential nutrients as that produce comes from farms where the soil is depleted of nutrients.

Most of us in the developed world don't meet the requirements as set by our government health agencies. And those requirements are the minimum levels. Clearly we need to supplement before disease takes its toll. As a diabetic you lose far more nutrients through the kidneys than the average healthy adult. The kidneys, in order to rid the body of excess glucose, passes vitamins along with that sugar and out into the urine. No prescription drug will ever prevent the complications of retinopathy and neuropathy.

The lack of vitamins leads to more free radical damage and the faster aging that occurs in diabetics. It's crucial to replace what is lost and flushed down the toilet.

Some of the most important vitamins for the diabetic are: Vitamin C; E and B-complex. Besides these, vitamins A, D and K can also prevent the onset of diabetic complications.

But supplementing with vitamins are only the first step. For years you've lived a lifestyle that has brought you the disease and taking a few vitamins will not reverse or cure your diabetes unless you take a full approach to changing the lifestyle that has made you sick. That includes losing excess weight and exercising regularly. Vitamins can help, but they will not be effective unless you take an active approach to your healt.

If you are diabetic and want to avoid the complications so common, here are the essential vitamins that can help you stay healthier longer:

Vitamin C: Vitamin C is a molecule similar to glucose and like glucose it needs insulin to get into your cells. Even if you take adequate amounts of this vitamin, as a diabetic you still have a deficiency of vitamin C. You need to take much more than the average person.

Lack of this vitamin leads to scurvy-like symptoms: Poor wound healing; less immunity to infections; excessive bleeding; elevations in cholesterol and a depressed immune system. Vitamin C is required for immune system function and the manufacture of collagen, the main protein substance of the body. Taking vitamin-C helps maintain the elasticity and functioning of the blood vessels and maintains proper blood pressure control. It has a mild effect on improving blood sugar control.

Supplementing with Vitamin-C is an absolute necessity for diabetics. A supplement of 2000 mg (milligrams) has been shown to reduce the glycosylation of proteins in the blood and helps avoid the toxic accumulation of sorbitol inside the cells. Citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin-C as are vegetables such as broccoli, bell peppers, potatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Vitamin E: This important vitamin acts as an antioxidant to protect against the dangers of damage to cell membranes and nerve cells. The delicate nerve cells in the eyes, hands and feet are particularly vulnerable to damage. With no feeling in the feet, infection can set it. Amputation and blindness are the two most severe results of a lifestyle lived wrong. Vitamin E has been shown to prevent free radical damage from LDL, the bad cholesterol.

It improves the function of blood vessels and the cell lining.

It increases magnesium concentration within the cells and decreases levels of C-reactive proteins and other inflammatory compounds.

Vitamin E increases levels of glutathione which is important for the antioxidants within the cells.

It improves the rate of electrical impulses in the nervous system and helps increase blood flow to the eyes.

Lastly it helps to improve kidney function and normalizes creatine clearance. Many diabetics suffer from kidney disease and the primary group on dialysis.

If you choose to supplement with vitamin E, make sure you use the natural form of the vitamin. The natural vitamin has a "d-" designation (as in alpha tocopherol). "dl-" is the synthetic form. Your body only recognizes the natural form.

Vitamin B-3: Niacin helps in the burning of calories and, like the mineral chromium, is an essential component of GTF (glucose tolerance factor) that helps move glucose through cell membranes. It has been shown to lower the need for insulin in type 1 diabetics, improve pancreas beta function and improve blood glucose regulation. The best form of niacin is inositol hexaniacinate which helps reduce fats in the blood and has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels by 18%, triglycerides by 26% and increase the good HDL cholesterol by 30% when 1800 to 3000mg is used daily. Both niacin and niacinamide make up an important part of the B-3 complex. Niacinamide plays a role in energy production.

Vitamin B-6: Also called pyridoxine, it plays a part in the chemical transmitters in the nervous system, red blood cells and prostaglandins. Supplementation with B-6 help fight nerve damage. Most diabetics are deficient in B-6. It also is beneficial for gestational diabetes, brought on by pregnancy.

Use these vitamins to help you avoid diabetes, control your blood sugar and live a healthier life. Take an active approach now before you experience the result of years of neglect.