a most preferred formulation of the present invention useful for managing blood glucose levels generally and helping individuals with diabetes mellitus with the management of their diabetes , includes alpha lipoic acid ( herein “ α - lipoic acid ”), linolenic acid complex , biotin and coenzyme q - 10 . acceptable ranges of the four constituents per day of the preferred formulation of the present invention are as follows : the α - lipoic acid component of the preferred formations of the present invention , is an antioxidant co - enzyme . one form of α - lipoic acid acceptable for use in the formulations of the present invention is a 600 mg . softgel available from nature &# 39 ; s life ® of larkspur , calif . the “ linolenic acid complex ” component of the preferred formulations as defined herein contains one or more of the following constituents : palmitic acid , stearic acid , oleic acid , linoleic acid , gamma linolenic acid , alpha linoleic acid , icosenoic acid and erucic acid . biotin ( c 10 h 16 n 2 o 3 s ) is sometimes referred to as vitamin b7 or vitamin h . a preferred form of biotin for use in the formulations of the present invention is in 5 mg . capsules . coenzyme q - 10 is present in human cells and has a pivotal role in the production of the body &# 39 ; s energy , as all atp is converted to energy with the aid of coenzyme q - 10 . a preferred form for use in the formulations of the present invention are softgels containing 100 mg . ubiquinone . the following daily regimen incorporating the four components of the present invention was developed : α - lipoic acid — 600 mg . tid orally ; linolenic acid complex — 1300 mg . bid orally ( for a total per day of 25 mg . linolenic acid , 1910 mg . linoleic acid and 130 mg . gamma linolenic acid ); biotin — 5 mg . tid orally ; and coenzyme q - 10 — 100 mg . bid orally . the above formulation taken orally with or directly after meals is referred to herein as the example 1 regimen . the example 1 regimen was followed by two adult males previously diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and being treated with prescription drugs , as described below in examples 2 and 3 . a 59 year old caucasian male 30 pounds over - weight was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus in 1996 . treatment initially began with metformin and amaryl ®, with dosages increasing over time . the metformin and amaryl ® dosages were then supplemented with lantus ® injections at bedtime in increasing dosage over the next 3 years , as summarized below in table a . by november 2006 , lantus ® dosage was maximized at 55 units qd , and the patient &# 39 ; s endocrinologist was recommending adding a fast - acting insulin at mealtime . during the last week of november 2006 , the individual supplemented his prescription drug regimen with the example 1 regimen taken with or directly after meals with all amounts as described in example 1 , except that a liquid coenzyme q - 10 was not precisely measured and was estimated to range from 100 to 150 mg . per day until april 2007 , when 100 mg . softgels were substituted . after two days of the example 1 regimen , the individual &# 39 ; s blood glucose level was substantially lower , and he decreased his lantus ® injections from 55 to 45 units . during the next 8 - 10 days , while maintaining the example 1 regimen , his blood glucose levels continued to decrease such that he was able to decrease his lantus ® injections in a step - wise fashion over this time period from 45 to 35 units . during the next 7 days , while continuing to maintain the example 1 regimen , the individual decreased his lantus ® injections from 35 to 25 units at bedtime . in january 2007 , the individual was able to decrease his amaryl ® dosage from 8 mg . per day to 4 mg . per day . in june 2007 , the dosage of metformin was decreased from 2550 mg . per day to 2000 mg . per day , while still maintaining acceptable blood glucose levels . a 58 year old caucasian male 70 pounds overweight was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus in 1999 , after which treatment with metformin , avandia ® and byetta ® progressed as is summarized in table b below . as can be seen above , the individual &# 39 ; s prescription drug regimen was increasing in dosage of metformin over the years , and upon supplementing the prescription drug program with the example 1 regimen , over time the individual was able to omit the avandia ® and reduce the metformin dosage to a minimal level . without knowing the precise mechanism ( s ) by which the formulations of the present invention contribute to the maintenance of acceptable blood glucose levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus while decreasing dosages of metformin and other prescription drugs which otherwise over time were requiring increased dosages , it is believed that the components of the present invention work synergistically to normalize insulin receptors damaged by the presence of excess insulin in the body . the excess insulin , which is believed over time to cause a trend of steadily increasing down - regulation of the insulin receptors , is at least partially reversed when the formulations of the present invention are orally administered . while the components of the example 1 formulation were administered above periodically during the day , orally , in individual softgels and capsules for each component , and so the components may be purchased individually , a most preferred form for administration of the formulations of the present invention is a mixture wherein one or more , and preferably all four , and most preferably three of the components are separately microencapsulated and then packaged together for oral administration in capsules or other forms . in the most preferable form , the alpha - lipoic , coenzyme q - 10 and biotin are micro encapsulated and the linolenic acid complex becomes the matrix in which the microencapsulated components are embedded . microencapsulation processes are well known to those of skill in the art , but have not been used to package medical foods / nutritional supplements for use as described herein . when administering mixtures of the separately microencapsulated components of the medical foods and / or nutritional supplements of the present invention , preferred recommended dosages are 5 % to 95 % of each of the constituents described above . most preferred dosages are from 50 % to 75 % of each of the constituents described above . these substantially decreased dosages result from controlled and sustained delivery of the active substances achieved by the use of microcapsules , so that substantially more of each component of the formulations of the present invention reaches the blood circulation . most preferred ranges of the four constituents per day of the formulation of the present invention when one or more are of the constituents are microencapsulated are as follows : another preferred delivery form of the formulations of the present invention is packaged as a mixture , preferably microencapsulated , in small impermeable , disposable packages such as packets ( e . g ., 1½ ″× 2 ″ in size ) or small tubes ( e . g ., ¼ ″ diameter × 2 ″ in length ) which may be foil , plastic , or other disposable material . in these configurations , the contents of the packages containing the formulations are mixed with food or a cold liquid . alternate formulations and regimens of the present invention include α - lipoic acid , linolenic acid complex , biotin and coenzyme q - 10 and also thiamine , often referred to as vitamin b1 . recommended thiamine dosages to be combined with the formulations of the present invention are from 5 to 25 mg . per day . it is further contemplated that vitamin b12 could be substituted for the thiamine , in dosages of from 20 to 60 μg . per day . in yet another embodiment , a b vitamin complex is combined with the formulations of the present invention . other formulations and regimens of the present invention include α - lipoic acid , linolenic acid complex , biotin and coenzyme q - 10 and also l - carnatine . while it is contemplated that further components as described above may be combined in the formulations of the present invention , or administered in conjunction with the formulations of the present invention , a further embodiment of the present invention consists essentially of α - lipoic acid , linolenic acid complex , biotin and coenzyme q - 10 . while acceptable ranges of daily dosages are listed below any of the other formulations described herein may be limited to consist essentially of the stated ingredients at the stated ingredient dosages or dosage ranges . while there have been described above the principles of the present invention in conjunction with preferred embodiments thereof , it is to be clearly understood that the foregoing description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention . particularly , it is recognized that the teachings of the foregoing disclosure will suggest other modifications to those persons skilled in the relevant art . such modifications may involve other features which are already known and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein . although claims have been formulated in this application to particular combinations of features , it should be understood that the scope of the disclosure herein also includes any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed either explicitly or implicitly or any generalization or modification thereof which would be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art , whether or not such relates to the same invention as presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any or all of the same technical problems as confronted by the present invention . the applicants hereby reserve the right to formulate new claims to such features and / or combinations of such features during the prosecution of the present application or of any further application derived therefrom .
a medical food and / or nutritional supplement for oral administration by mammals includes α - lipoic acid , linolenic acid complex , biotin , and coenzyme q - 10 . a preferred method of manufacturing the medical food or nutritional supplement is by separate microencapsulation of one or more of the components followed by encapsulation of the individual components , for oral administration . other methods of delivery include packaging in impermeable , disposable packets and mixing the formulations with food or a cold liquid .