What kinds of supplements can help my dad reverse his condition?

I've never been to the diabetes section before, as I don't have it myself, and my dad's diabetes seemed to be in control (as much in control as it can be).

But today he's in the hospital from heart-related problems. I'm really upset.

My dad's 66. He's had type II diabetes for about 25 years now. His condition gradually got worse and worse, and after a couple wake-up calls - such as being hospitalized for heart problems twice - he started to make an effort to take better care of himself, changing his diet a bit to be lower GI (Ezekiel Bread is one thing that helped), but he's still very clearly overweight and in poor health.

I'm a big supplements person, a big "cure the problem rather than treat the problem endlessly" person, and I want to know what kinds of supplements can help him. He takes numerous medications, and he is afraid that a supplement may interact with a medication and cause harm, which I think is a very valid concern.

I was thinking that niacin (or inositol hexanicotinate) might help him burn off some fat and improve his cholesterol (I take niacin every day now), but one of the side effects is said to be a slight blood Sugar increase, which could potentially be disastrous.

I can't think of other supplements. Do you guys have any suggestions? I really want to improve his quality of life, give him energy, and so on. Tweet