Recent lab work from my dad showed elevated glucose levels (pre-diabetic levels). Wondering if other than diet and exercise adjustments (which will be made after his TAVR procedure within the month) if there are any suggestions for managing it?
I've read up on metformin a bit but not sure if this would be right for him. Will be asking his Med Oncologist about it soon when we meet again this month.
I got my doctor to prescribe me metformin, because I'm borderline. I did a lot of reading and it seems like a good idea. As you say, the exercise is very important. And also I need to curb my periodic sweet tooth. There is some lab research that metformin may also have some positive effect against cancer, but there's no trials on this of course. (If you asked me if I took berberine, the lipomicel version for absorbability, as an adjunct in this situation, I wouldn't know what to say.)
The most important thing, and I'm not being facetious, is exercise! And weekly volume of exercise, both aerobic and resistance, seems to be important, as long as you make sure to be eating enough protein, and allow for recovery.
My A1C (5.7) creeped up after 21 months on Eligard and associated weight gain. I started metformin and while I do not know its effect on my A1C yet, my morning glucose numbers are much better. I take berberine as well.
I was unable to bring A1C down with diet and exercise so Dr put me on Ozempic and it immediately dropped to 5.4
Would suggest getting a real-time glucose monitor such as Stello or Lingo and see what foods spike your glucose. You’ll find a way to lower it after understanding this, and combining it with exercise.
He is on Nubeqa as part of his treatment so I imagine that in conjunction with ADT is definitely contributing but wasn't expecting quite the jump he's had. I've been trying to get through to him on being more vigilant on diet. Talking to his Medical oncologist today I think helped reinforce that so we'll see. He's definitely ready to get back to exercising more after his TAVR soon.
I could not believe my last A1c jumped to 6.5 . The next day I fasted and broke my fast with an egg and oatmeal. I went radical off sugar , no honey no green or red grapes no pineapple no 0J no rice potatoes or bread or anything else that was glycimac. Got tested 3 weeks later I'm down to 5.9. I'm sticking with the diet. It's not easy we all have cravings, but I'm not stopping until I'm back to 5.5. By the way a medium size potato has as much sugar as a can of coke, I found that startling
I am told oatmeal has a load of sugar once body converts it...
Oatmeal generally has a relatively low glycemic index (GI), especially when compared to other breakfast options, making it a good choice for managing blood sugar levels. However, the GI can vary depending on the type of oats and how they are processed.
Not so unless you add sugar. Get organic rolled oats. I just add blueberries etc to get the sugars. Don't add refined sugar!!
Told by whom? Always interested to know source of info. Thank you.
Oats are high in carbs, carbs break down into sugars, A bowl of oats usually 2 little helpings.
When I do a bowl I fill the bowl.....(Not measured, and end up being counter productive)
Someone struggling with diabetes and pre diabetes could people do without oats???
And have grapefruit or similar, but probably don't even need 'breakfast'
After starting ADT it's knackered me,
I don't need so much food.
Less is more.
My opinion
Who told me oats are full of carbs? The packet...
Hey! Thx for your reply. I am usually careful to say anything about food since it will generally trigger a border war pretty quick.To your concerns about oatmeal I would reply "yes and...no". First, all oatmeal is not created equal. If in your post you are referring to those instant oatmeal packs with some sort of sweetener (maple syrup, etc) then yes, this is the equivalent of a Mars bar for breakfast. The oats themselves are highly processed so that no bran remains. Not supportive of a healthy diet, should be avoided by everyone, not just diabetics.
On the other hand if you are talking about full bran oatmeal like McCanns Steel Cut oats. Your assertions, from my reading, would be inaccurate. Yes, there are carbs that will turn to glucose. Those also exist (to a much lesser extent) in broccoli. That said, whole bran oatmeal is so full of insoluble fiber that the oats will tend to help stabilize blood glucose levels and are recommended for people who are eating carefully due to diabetes.
When I eat steel cut oats I'm also adding hemp protein, ground chia seeds, ground flax seed and pumpkin seeds creating a heart healthy breakfast packed with Omega 3 and fiber. It has definitely helped control my ADT-induced blood glucose spike. Please accept this as intended, just my view based on one person's experience backed by some reading on the topic. Good luck!
I assume his HbA1c is elevated to top end of normal from what you have said?
The most important first actions are to cut out added sugar and sugary stuff - cakes biscuits, refined carbs (eg processed white bread) soft drinks like coke, the lot AND no alcohol.
Tough I know but very important first steps and if he is disciplined will make a real difference .
If he is over weight then monitor weight weekly to assess progress. If obese then might be worth discussing ozempic as already mentioned.
Exercise is good but not enough on its own.
Whether to use metformin is a decision for diabetologist - not this forum. It won’t affect his PCa therapy.
Supplemental estradiol reduces blood glucose levels, as well as reducing: hot flashes, blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and osteoporosis if you are on traditional ADT.
That is interesting news to me Bob, about supplemental estradiol and blood glucose. I have been on add-back estrogen now for 9 weeks, a prescription I had to get from an integrative MD. The Cancer Center, however, does not routinely test for A1C which I think is strange. I had to make a special request and then its a separate jab into the arm. Fortunately I get it tested twice a year for my VA physical. Result 3 months ago was 5.2% so I guess I am doing ok but now I am curious what it would be after 9 weeks of supplemental estradiol. I do take berberine.
I would appreciate your reference on supplemental estradiol and blood glucose levels. Thanks.
Bob, I just did a search for "supplemental estradiol and blood glucose levels" so I have the reference(s) I need.
In the process, I found another benefit to be gained from supplemental estradiol I wasn't aware of. My recent PET Prostate scan indicated I had vascular calcifications so I did a Google AI overview on the subject of "vascular calcification and estrogen" and learned that estrogen inhibits vascular calcification. Another benefit of the therapy!
I had my sA1c checked in dec23 , it was 5.7, sept 24 jumped to 6.4, i refused metformin and cut out sweets lost 10 lbs and dec 24 dropped to 5,6. For what it’s worth. Bob
I started berberine 6 weeks before the last glucose screening. These numbers are nonfasting. Also, research berberine and prostate cancer as well as gut health. Hope this helps. God bless
I had a similar experience. My blood glucose shot up on ADT. I got it under control with changes in diet and exercise. I switched my diet to being more of a partial fast, and I cut carbs a lot. I reduced intake of bread, pasta and anything sweet. I didn't cut them completely out of my diet as that would have made life almost unbearable. But I reduced the portion sizes and frequency a lot. In particular I cut sweets and anything with sugar way down or out completely. Then I increased both my aerobic and resistance exercise. Now I'm loosing weight and increasing my stamina and muscle mass. It's very hard to do because these ADT drugs fight you every inch of the way. But it's doable.
I read Berberine ( natural supp ) is good . maybe research Garcinia Cambogia extract. Ck with your doctor . Cutting out all sugar and limited carbs - Keto along with the above mentioned brought my glucose to within normal range.
Keno2087: Most Practitioners will either ignore the pre-diabetic condition, or drop into a “change your diet, and get exercise, mode.” Further, a single lab blood glucose (BG) really means nothing, to be applicable it should be a fasting BG, and really, several fasting BG’s. I suggest asking your Practitioner to write for a lab A1c. The A1c sort of takes the average BG over the prior 2-3 months.
Most Practitioners will be “ho-hum,” about the move (if it is proven by A1c) into pre-diabetes, but I think a wise Practitioner will take the move seriously. Prostate cancer (PC) thrives on glucose, so lower is better.
Some PC meds cause increases in BG because they cause decreased insulin sensitivity, thus leading to higher BG. For me (I’m on Orgovyx (Relugolix)), I’ll swear that the stuff makes me absolutely crave sweets, especially Rocky Road Ice Cream. Friends on Lupron often say similar things.
How to reduce A1C? So many ways. Lifestyle changes = diet + exercise certainly works. However, many meds create fatigue and fatigue leads to couch-sitting and the evil Rocky Road. I’d suggest spending some time educating yourself and then try to determine just “why” his A1C has risen (if it, in fact, has).
I take Orgovyx + Abiraterone, and along with that 5mg of Prednisone. One day I sat down to my computer and my left eye sight was blurry. I even poked the lens of my glasses, thinking that the lens had fallen out. Nope. I dragged out my glucose monitor: BG =240! Ouch. (That level indicated Diabetes, not pre-diabetes, I had been pre-diabetic). An hour earlier I had eaten some cookies, in fact, the whole package. I went for a walk, came back an hour later and BG = 180, and my left eye worked just fine, again. (High BG can cause swelling in the lens, leading to blurry vision).
Ah, but it was not just the cookies! It was the Prednisone + the cookies. For me, that tiny 5mg Prednisone is like a Banana Split. It raises my BG, all by itself, about 40 points. But, for me that peculiar rise flattens out about 6 hours later.
My fix: Make sure my BG is low when I take the Prednisone (no food for the prior 3 hours) and no food for 6 hours after. I find this easy, but most do not find 9 hours without food easy.
For my “fix,” I had to answer the question: Is it that my A1c had risen from 5.7 (pre) to 6.4, (diabetic) or is it the “spike,” that was the most deleterious. For me, it was #1, the spike—easy to fix (sort of) by not eating 6 hours after my Prednisone. But, #2 was important too, the overall A1c.
My true fix, is for me to not eat 6 hours after Prednisone, and move to a strict keto diet. This has dropped my BG by about 40 points, be it a fasting level, and the diet has dropped my post-prandial (after meals) BG.
Metformin: Let’s say Dad’s A1C was 5 (normal) which is an average BG over the day of 97 mg/dL BG, but now is an A1C of 6, (pre-diabetes) which is an average BG of 125.
500mg of Metformin would (on average) drop A1c of 6 to ~5.5 and would likely return (in this theoretical case) such a person back to “normal.”
1,000mg of Metformin on average will drop between 0.6 to 1, so in such a theoretical case 1,000mg might not be necessary.
Metformin (originally from the French Lilac bush) is great, but not without its issues. Most folk suffer various effects such as diarrhea, cramping and so on, which usually gets better in a week or three. For me its effect is an “adverse effect” that’s +. For me, it removes my cravings for Rocky Road Ice Cream and makes it really easy for me to stay on a keto diet.
Warning: It’s critical to check with your Practitioner, and some Practioners would not allow any Metformin on a Keto diet. Also, the condition of one’s liver and kidneys come into play.
Continuous or long-acting Metformin appears to have less adverse effects.
Many here will talk about Berberine and other natural products. Will Berberine drop one’s BG, sure. But, in my case it could kill me.
Why? Because I take Orgovyx (Relugolix) and Orgovyx is very much affected by our Cytochrome P450 3A4 enzymatic system. Berberine is an inhibitor of 3A4. So taking Berberine with Orgovyx could increase my Orgovyx blood levels by about 18-20%, leading to increased adverse effect of the Orgovyx (who needs more hot flushes, or arrhythmias?).
For quantification of the above ask any ai such as perplexity.ai this question: “If a man takes Orgovyx, how much would berberine increase % the blood level of the Orgovyx due to 3a4 inhibition” Expect a long-winded answer.
Supplements and adjuvants, IMHO, are great, but only “if” they work with the whole picture including what the person is taking and things like kidney and liver function.
I hope this helps, and yes, I type very fast. Always check with your Practitioner.
I was on 1,700mg Metformin daily since 2015 and went to Enzymedica Berberine Phytosome last year with lowering of A1c.
Not sure it's strictly adt related. My levels are in line with what they were before this nightmare began. On abi/prednisone plus Lupron shots typical regime.
Diet and exercise helps. Best of luck. Work with your oncological dietician and the rest of your team on this to get those numbers down.
BG varies a lot during the day. Just after eating a meal it shoots way up. Make sure to fast before blood CMP test. What can be done other than diet and exercise? Fast,
Hey well I was on metformin , synjardi, and alglopentin, they all come with side effects of which the worst is likely nausea and hit flashes, dang those flashes make you feel Your Goin through menopause lol. Really though just know that ADT drugs will likely raise your glucose levels and you will become type 2 diabetic, I know this from experience and any one says diffrent is lying to you. One of the Main effects listed IS that metformin may/ will raise your blood sugar. Also it doesn't help that the filler in the pills is starch a big boy of carbohydrate. The problem is out pancreas normalizes how we break down sugars, we get to much it turns sugar to carb, your body can't metabolize properly stressing your kidneys to produce a waste product way higher than normal hence the constant peeing. All that and your BP and Heart rate work overtime to compensate tryin to keep you in balance but alas, it can't keep up. Your sex drive will take a hit, and you'll be moody as heck but there's more life to be lived make the adjustment and drive on bro. There's a lot I can say which I'm a witness to but I'll let u chew on that for a while. Hey your breathing walking, talking and can make a PB&J when you feel like it, everyone doesn't have that my friend. Life is Good, get to livin it. Love n light, Ssg.Cullum said so. 😇
I am a type two diabetic and while I was receiving chemo and had to take prednisone for three days to prep and prevent side effects, my blood sugar went very high, and I had to manage with insulin it over that time. I think that people that are on zytiga instead of nubeqa have to take prednisone with it and while that’s a less expensive option, I know if I had to take that I would probably have a high blood sugar from the prednisone. Not sure what he’s on, but that might be the case for him, and if it’s the prednisone that might be causing it, there might be an alternative medication that doesn’t require prednisone like I’m on. Check with his oncologist. Unfortunately the nubeqa I’m taking is much more expensive, but I was lucky to have some assistance with the cost. Good luck to you!
Best way to lose weight......just put one foot on the scale....
(My wife told me to lose 20 lbs of ugly fat fast was to cut off my head).
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Love your humor j-o-h-n!
Thank you but I wish it was mine.............. I just beg, borrow and steal....(learned how by my parents who were in the iron and steel business, yep, you guessed it. My Mom used to iron and my Dad used to steal).
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Did you put your rubbish into the neighbours rubbish bins in order to save up some expens?
We are doing that here in order to save 10 dollars for each rubbish bin. Why would we pay if the neighbours have to pay anyhow even when the rubbish bin is only half full?
I am actually concerned for the environment.
And it continues!!!!
One of my favorites.
Three guys in a bar drinking and B.S.-ing. They bring up what is the meanest animal in the jungle? Guy 1, mentions the Bengal tiger, Guy 2 mentions a Buffalo and Guy 3 mentions the meanest animal in the jungle is a "HippoGator". Two guys ask Guy 3 "what the hell is a Hippogator? Guy 3 replies, it's an animal with a Hippopotamus head on one end of its body and an Alligator's head on the other end of its body. The two guys say "you mean to say he's got a head like a Hippo on one end of his body and a head like a Gator on the other side of this body? Guy 3 says yes sir-ee. Two Guys say you also said he's the meanest animal in the jungle? Guy3 says that's right. Two Guys say, if he's got heads on both ends of his body "How do he shit?" Guy3 responds "He don't, that's what makes him so mean".
Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.
j-o-h-n
Cut WAY BACK ON ALL SUGAR. Read the labels on the foods you buy. Cut down on carbs-- potatoes, white bread, Eat lots of veggies, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, drink organic vegetable juice (add dash of worchestershire and tabasco--no vodka). Booze? Small glass of wine with meal if you must. Beer is forbidden. Ditch the hard liquor coctails. It's tough diet and can be a challenge. We are cooking up some very tasty alternative meals. Get a few healthy food cookbooks. Pasta can be replaced with chick-pea pasta, orzo, etc. It's good and low carb. Eat a minimum of fresh fruits. We eat a few orange slices or a fig or even a small bit of chocolate for after dinner desert. Avoid all deli processed meats--sausages, salami, ham, roast beef. There might be exceptions if you look hard.
Cheeses are better from Europe, in particular sheep and goat cheeses, feta, parmisan.. Triple creame cheeses are good fat sources. Fish, salmon, fatty fish are good. Meat: grass fed beef and lamb, free-range chicken once a. week. ADT diets are hormone sensitive. so Avoid any foods with hormone treatment. European dairy is better than USA for fighting cancers. I can't remember exactly why. We use unsweetened almond milk in coffee and for morning serial. I can't guarantee any of the above is the perfect fight cancer diet, but it is a fusion of Keto diets and Mediterranean Diet. good Luck.
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