Blood Sugar Levels during the day

[TasteLessFood4Life]

I have recently done a bloodtest and my hba1c came back as prediabetic. Since then, I have started to pay closer attention to my blood sugar levels more closely and pre/post meal.

There have been some interesting discoveries:

huge spikes in blood glucose 1 hour after meal. Note, this is usually after having oats at breakfast or brown pasta/rice for lunch or dinner. Nothing refined. Typically, it increases from 5.5 mmol/L to 9-10.5. However, this decreases after the 1 hour mark to 6-7 mmol/L. So, even I am on a healthy diet and exercising - it seems that the blood sugars are not playing ball.

Fasting glucose is between 5.3 and 5.7mmol/L, so borderline ok.

As I have CVD, it is not ideal to be having these spikes and slightly elevated sugar levels. Was not an issue before, maybe the statins have contributed to this too?

Any tips on how to tackle this new phenomena in my body - it has come as a surprise. I know there are guidelines, but be would be good to hear from people on statins and juggling these spikes.

Planned course of action, try to mitigate by cutting carbs and have fewer spikes as a result.

Should I change my statin perhaps? Currently on 40mg Lipitor.

Appreciate your help/views as always.😎

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

I am at risk of developing diabetes as my father was diabetic and was borderline for gestational diabetes after a glucose tolerance test. I have no other risk factors, I am not overweight, I exercise and I am careful with my diet.My HbA1c is hovering at 4.1 mmol/L

As far as I understand, it's normal for your blood sugar levels to rise after a meal, however they should be below 9 mmols/l, two hours after you have eaten.

Perhaps see what your blood sugar levels are 2 hours after you've eaten.

There is more information on the Diabetes UK website. They also have a helpline.

diabetes.org.uk/diabetes-th...

What has your GP suggested?

[TasteLessFood4Life in reply to Milkfairy]

Hi,

Thanks for your message, over 2 hour period, it goes down to below 8. It is the the peaks that I am worried about tbh. Insuline is working and getting it to normal levels over a 2 hr period. From my research, it seems that the peak shouldnt be that high in the first place. Also, if I over indulge on bad food - my level could be very high potentially.

If peaks that normalise are ok, then maybe it is a combination of factors, age, genes but should be tracked nonetheless.

Dad was type 2.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to TasteLessFood4Life]

It's finding a balance of watching and not obsessing that can be tricky.

My GP checks my HbA1c, twice a year.

Another alternative source of information is the Zoe website.

zoe.com/learn/category/heal...

[Heythrop51]

I used to be pre-diabetic before lifestyle changes. Recently got a free Dexcom trial that monitors BG 24x7. Lowest and highest were 3.6 and 7.5. The upper one was peak after a sneaky donut and coffee in Simmons.

[KathleenV]

I was also told I am prediabetic and found it a big shock. I was told not to eat pasta, rice or potatoes at all. Also no cakes, biscuits, chocolate or sweets. Small portions of fish allowed and also vegetables and fruit. I am not overweight but have now lost a stone. On telling the nurse this I was told that in losing weight that is the way to stop the problem so it will not develop into diabetes. I was also told that only a blood test will show if 'sensible eating' is working. It will not show up for a year. I rang the diabetes uk helpline and all this was confirmed. I hope this helps

Kathleen

[Stentsandrun in reply to KathleenV]

The problem with not eating certain things, particularly potatoes, rice and pasta, is that a lot of people will find it very difficult to sustain over a long period of time and eventually get to the point where they will think "blow it" and resume eating them (as with most diets). The key is to eat them in moderation?

[AlfredV in reply to Stentsandrun]

"Everything in moderation" is joy to the ears of processed food manufacturers. I'm 4 years without rice, corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, cakes, biscuits, pastries, sweets, etc and not struggling in the slightest.

It all comes down to priorities. There's plenty of other real food choices than filling up on rubbish that promotes illness and overeating, but for some sugar-laden treats, takeaways and UPFs are more important than good health. We only have to look at the numbers of people who still smoke and vape, despite the obvious harms.

[Stentsandrun in reply to AlfredV]

Good for you if you have the willpower and determination not to eat the foods you have mentioned, I also have cut out what I deem the enemy, however not all people have. I meant the foods you would find in a balanced diet. Fairly obviously nobody, heart disease or not, should be eating processed food, for many reasons. There is nothing wrong with eating potatoes and wheat based products in moderation, you do not need to make such dramatic changes, most people will just get fed up with it in the long run.

The main problem is the availability of cheap rubbish food and the seemingly increasing inability of people to cook their own meals from fresh. People are addicted to them, just as with other addictive things.

[AlfredV in reply to Stentsandrun]

I do struggle with the vague definition of 'in moderation'. Many people with heart disease also have a degree of insulin resistance and are on their way towards diabetes. It is primarily poor glucose control that causes the inflammation that gives rise to atherosclerosis. For people in this position telling them it is okay to eat high carbohydrate foods 'in moderation' is akin to telling someone with lung cancer that a few cigarettes a day won't hurt, or an alcoholic that as long as they avoid the strong spirits they will be okay.

Obviously, we are all at different points in our journey, so one person having a moderate amount of potatoes per week might be fine, compared to another person who has a much higher level of insulin resistance, even assuming that they both have the same understanding of what a moderate amount is.

[Stentsandrun in reply to AlfredV]

I think the word exercise is far too often omitted from these conversations. Most people who are edging towards or have T2 diabetes (something like 90+% I believe) have brought it upon themselves from poor diet and lack of exercise, and will be overweight or obese. If they undertook regular exercise then eating things like potatoes in moderation (as in part of a balanced diet) would probably not be anything like the problem it is. We have become a sedentary population unfortunately, and along with eating the wrong foods are paying the price, as the increase in CHD demonstrates.

[KathleenV in reply to Stentsandrun]

Yes I agree

[scentedgardener]

I was first prediabetic when I started taking Bisoprolol. I found when that dose was lowered to 1.25 mg I was no longer prediabetic.I was quite concerned as my two biggest risk factors were my age and my family history, according to Diabetes UK, neither of which could I change.

[fishonabike in reply to scentedgardener]

beta blockers like bisoprolol interfere with the way your body deals with glucose

[Thesnowman51]

I’m interested in why you should have a spike after eating porridge? Oats are not carbs. What are you having with it? Are you having fruit juice - that can cause a spike.

As others have said an initial spike is expected after meals. Kathleenv - your advice seems extreme, cutting out all that, surely ‘in moderation’ is the requirement

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Thesnowman51]

Oats are a type of complex carbohydrate.

[AlfredV in reply to Thesnowman51]

Oats are predominantly carbs. All carbohydrates (with the exception of fibre) end up broken down into sugars, and with the likes of oats and other grains this process begins before you've even swallowed it.

[Stentsandrun in reply to AlfredV]

Yes, of course they break down into sugars, but we need sugars in order to function, why do you think people load up on natural carbohydrate before undertaking distance runs? It is the fact that they don't get used that causes the problem, as in lack of exercise. It is refined sugar that is the biggest problem not that derived from natural carbs. Oats have a slow release of natural sugar and fibre, which makes them a very good choice. As I have said if it is not used to fuel movement it will cause problems, it's not rocket science.

[AlfredV in reply to Stentsandrun]

No, we don't need sugar to function. The amount of carbohydrates required for a human to function is zero. Yes, certain parts of the body can only work off a single energy source of glucose (as opposed to ketones), such as red blood cells. This is why the liver maintains glucose stores, and if that runs out (which can happen in under a day) the liver has a process called gluconeogenesis which produces glucose on demand. Without this mechanism we would all die in our sleep. There is no requirement to consume sugars to live or even thrive, in fact there are some athletes that perform perfectly well from a zero carbohydrate intake. I accept that many athletes like to carb load before an event, but there are also performance athletes that don't.

I find the fewer carbohydrates I consume, the better I do. I tend to average anything from zero to about 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. The (wrong) idea that we are dependent upon consuming carbohydrates to live is in part responsible for the obesity epidemic we see in the western world today.

[Stentsandrun in reply to AlfredV]

Sorry your opening statement is wrong and extremely misleading.

nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/f....

The obesity epidemic is cause by in the main cheap, usually processed food full of additives, preservatives, trans fats, palm oil etc, in short take aways, Macedees and all the rest of it, coupled with an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and an apparent inability of people to be able to do one of the most basic things, cook their own food from scratch using fresh ingredients. As I pointed out to another member, a McDonalds Burger Bun has something like 12 ingredients in it, proper bread should have 3 and water. The so called 100% burger also has about the same, not just Beef, this is where the problems lie. M&S "Be good to yourself" food is full of sugar and preservatives as well. If people just cooked their own food and got enough exercise most of the problems would disappear.

You only have to look at the stupid things like "Hello Fresh" to see how some people need there bums wiping for them to do the most basic food preparation.

[AlfredV in reply to Stentsandrun]

I guess myself and many others are some sort of medical anomaly then. Either that or the NHS advice is wrong - it wouldn't be the first time. But I have absolutely no problem at all if people want to base their meals around carbohydrates. It's no business of mine.

[Happyrosie in reply to Stentsandrun]

I completely agree with you Stentsandrun. I’ve eaten a diet following the Eatwell NHS advice, along with a Mediterranean diet, for years and years. Except for the Eatwell advice to have low fat options. A low fat option will have additives to make them palatable, so should be avoided. A limited amount of fat e.g. full-cream milk, virgin olive oil etc. Is good.

[Stentsandrun in reply to Happyrosie]

Absolutely agree, especially regarding "low fat" products. They are usually full of sugar and all sort of other things you need to be avoiding.

[KathleenV in reply to Thesnowman51]

Yes I know but it is not my advice but that of the nurse. I did go back to the doctors and was given the same advice. It makes no sense to me and though I have cut out chocolates and sweets completely I do sometimes have bread and potatoes.

[TasteLessFood4Life in reply to Thesnowman51]

Sorry - I should have added, I have oats with a banana usually.

But similar reaction after dinner too if I have carbs like bread or naan bread, brown of course. I have a CGM atm, will post more findings. Note, I cross check CGM with usual blood sugar monitors.

[Stentsandrun in reply to TasteLessFood4Life]

Shop bought Naan breads are awful, full of crap, basically processed food. It's dead easy to make your own!

[Stentsandrun in reply to Thesnowman51]

I'm not sure why anyone would worry about "spikes". It's basically filling your tank before driving 300 miles. It's when you only drive 2 miles and then fill up again, you end up with petrol all over the floor

[TasteLessFood4Life in reply to Stentsandrun]

Cheers - like the analogy.

😎

[MWIC]

the spikes after eating are perfectly normal - if your body is working this will then reduce back to a normal level after a min of 2 hours so no point taking a measurement until 2 hours after you eat (and that means not eating for the 2 hours after your meal)

[princesspeachuk]

I have type 2 diabetes and take Metformin and follow a low carb diet.I had to come off statins after trying numerous ones after a massive rise in my blood sugars.

Check the patient leaflet in your meds and take it to your GP.

[Hidden]

even non diabetics have a 2hour spike post food. Your readings are very good. I have type 2, got levels back to pre diabetic levels by sensible eating, regular eating, can’t exercise so plenty of water during the day. If you are awake around 3 am your blood sugar readings will be elevated. It’s called dawn phenomenon, now that is a weird one. Take care 🦊x

[TasteLessFood4Life in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your message, I was aware of the dawn phenomena, good that I am sleeping like a baby when that is taking place.