In general, blood glucose levels have been increasing rapidly in the population, most likely because of diets high in sugar and other high-glycemic foods and drinks. This translates into a growing number of people, including children, suffering from prediabetes — a condition in which blood sugar is high, but not high enough to constitute Type 2 diabetes.

Some 70 percent of those with prediabetes will eventually develop full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

Related to the increase in prediabetes is the rise of insulin resistance, which is intimately linked to metabolic syndrome — a collection of symptoms characterized by hypertension, elevated blood lipids, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

For years, I have recommended many different types of plant extracts called phytochemicals — in particular a class known as flavonoids such as:

• Hesperidin

• Baicalein

• Naringenin

• Ginger

• Quercetin

• Curcumin

• Ellagic acid

• Kaempferol

• Silymarin

• Resveratrol

All of these compounds lower blood sugar and lessen insulin resistance. But some are more powerful than others. For example, ginger, quercetin, silymarin, and resveratrol have the greatest effects against high blood sugar. Taking several gives you a very good chance of controlling blood sugar.

The mechanism by which these plant extracts lower blood sugar and correct insulin resistance is not fully understood. But in most cases, it involves correcting biochemical defects at the level of the cell membrane, where insulin resistance occurs.

Research has also shown that changing your diet can rapidly change the mix of probiotics within the colon; this affects a person’s craving for high-sugar foods and high-glycemic carbohydrates.

Certain colon bacteria protect against wild fluctuations in blood glucose following a high carbohydrate meal. Unfortunately, those bacteria are not commercially available. However, we do know that diets high in fiber enhance the growth of glucose-controlling bacteria.