Also known as sodium bicarbonate, baking soda seems to have a million and one different
uses, ranging from baking foods to cleaning surfaces to deodorizing your fridge.
It can even help whiten your teeth!
It seems as though there’s nothing that baking soda can’t do.
In fact, baking soda might even have more uses than we might have initially suspected.
Recently, there has been some discussion as to whether or not baking soda might potentially
be able to help with the effects of diabetes.
While research is still in its preliminary stages, there already appears to be a promising
amount of evidence that suggests a possible connection between the two.
Today, we’re going to take a look at this research to see if baking soda really can
help people with diabetes.
Before we begin though, be sure to subscribe to Bestie and ring the notification bell.
Some researchers have begun conducting research using animal test subjects, which
does seem to suggest there might be some evidence to back up this particular theory.
This is because baking soda may be able to help protect against the effects of an infection
known as mucormycosis, which can commonly occur in people experiencing a condition known
as diabetic ketoacidosis.
If all of that just sounded like a lot of words that don’t make much sense to you,
then worry not; allow us to break some of these words down in order to provide a better
understanding.
Let’s start with diabetic ketoacidosis, otherwise known by the much easier to pronounce
abbreviation DKA.
DKA is a serious complication related to diabetes, which occurs when your body begins to produce
too high levels of a specific type of acid in the blood known as ketones.
This can commonly occur if your body is not producing adequate supplies of the hormone
known as insulin, which helps your cells to absorb sugar to use as fuel.
Without enough insulin to help the cells absorb this sugar, your body may begin using fat
as its primary fuel source instead; as your body breaks down fat to use as energy, ketones
are released into your bloodstream.
If this leads to your body producing too many ketones, then that’s when DKA can potentially
occur.
DKA can be identified by a number of potential signs and symptoms, many of which start occurring
very quickly after DKA has begun to take effect.
Possible warning signs of DKA include excessive thirst, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, shortness
of breath, frequent urination, confusion and fatigue.
If you are concerned that you may be at risk for DKA, home testing kits are available which
can help to determine whether or not you’re currently suffering from this particular condition.
If the test is positive, then you should probably seek out a medical professional for help.
As for mucormycosis, this tongue twister of a word refers to a rare but often dangerous
infection which has a higher rate of occurring in people who suffer from DKA.
Mucormycosis is a fungal infection which can occur as a result of a type of mold known
as mucormycetes.
In addition to people with DKA, this fungal infection also commonly targets people with
weakened or compromised immune systems, and usually takes root within a person’s sinuses
or even their lungs.
The symptoms of mucormycosis include blisters, tender, swollen or red skin, or in some cases
even skin tissue that begins to take on a blackened colour.
If left unchecked, mucormycosis may even potentially turn fatal.
If all that sounds scary, then hopefully you’ll be happy to hear that there may be some good
news on the way: as it turns out, there is some scientific evidence which suggests that
household baking soda may be the key to protecting the body against fungal infections such as
the ones caused by mucormycosis.
In 2016, a study was conducted on mice to examine whether or not baking soda could prove
to be potentially useful when it comes to preventing this potentially fatal infection.
According to the research conducted on the mice, a combination of baking soda along with
iron chelation was thought to be potentially useful at helping to prevent the infection.
While more research will be needed using human participants before we can say with absolute
certainty whether or not baking soda is truly effective in this regard, the results so far
appear to be nothing short of promising.
Until a conclusion is reached on this hypothesis, the good news is that there are other potential
ways to treat someone who has been infected with mucormycosis.
For example, there are medications available that are able to help protect against the
infection using the medicine’s antifungal properties.
In some cases, surgery may be performed in order to remove infected tissue and prevent
the infection from spreading.
Depending on whether or not more research is conducted on this subject however, we may
soon be able to add baking soda to the list of possible treatment options.
What are your thoughts on the possibility that baking soda could have a significant
impact on our physical health?
As always, we’re interested in hearing what you have to say, so feel free to make a contribution
in the comment section below and help us keep the conversation going.