Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R). Reuters/Mike Stone Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) has a novel defense of his past advocacy of a questionable diabetes product.

Huckabee, who launched his 2016 presidential campaign last week, said on Sunday that he was not required to explain everything he had done in recent years.

"I don't have to defend everything that I've ever done," he said on CBS' "Face The Nation."

Huckabee was responding to a question about his past endorsement of a supposed diabetes cure. According to The New York Times, the American Diabetes Association warned against the product.

The paper reported in March that Huckabee appeared in an internet infomercial telling viewers to ignore "Big Pharma" and instead look at a "weird spice, kitchen-cabinet cure."

"In his diabetes video, Mr. Huckabee promotes the 'Diabetes Solution Kit,' a $19.95 booklet with advice on eating, exercise, and dietary supplements," The Times' Trip Gabriel wrote. "[His] video peddles a diabetes 'cure' consisting of cinnamon and chromium picolinate. Both the American Diabetes Association and the Canadian Diabetes Association warn that dietary and herbal supplements are ineffective for treating diabetes."

But Huckabee dismissed criticism over his advocacy of the diabetes cure and other questionable products. He said on CBS that such attacks were linked to his presidential campaign and that there was "going to be a lot of criticism thrown my way."

"I am not doing those infomercials, obviously, now as a candidate for president," he said. "But if that's the worst thing somebody can say to me is I advocated for people who have diabetes to do something to reverse it and stop the incredible pain of that, then I am going to be a heck of a good president."

Huckabee also said the controversial dietary supplements were only one part of the diabetes cure he advocated. The former governor stressed the plan also involved more mainstream ways of fighting diabetes, including exercise and healthy eating.

"One of the elements of the plan was dietary supplements, but it is not the fundamental thing," he said. "The fundamental thing is always ... exercise, it's good eating habits, it's maintaining sugar levels, it's not eating a bunch of junk food, processed food, lots of carbs, sugar, those types of things. As somebody might say, it's not rocket science."

Watch part of his interview below: