Insulin resistance & Fibro: Hi everyone... - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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Insulin resistance & Fibro

Puzzlin profile image
22 Replies

Hi everyone. Did anyone have heard about connection between insulin resistance and fibromyalgia? This leads to the next question: did anyone tried a low carbohydrate diet and seen an improvement in their fibro pains? Thanks 😊

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Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin
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22 Replies
desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee

Had been floated and discussed on here a coupe of times but evidence is not really there for it. What does your gp say about you and being insulin resistant?

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to desquinn

Thank you Desquinn for your answer. I just see a YouTube video about it and was wondering if it's something that it worth considering?

grandmama16 profile image
grandmama16

It’s sure possible. I’ve had Fibro for 30 yrs and was diagnosed with pre diabetes 10 yrs ago taking Metformin. Now I’m on insulin too. I’m lucky if I have blood sugar below 200. Yet, I can’t see how Fibro caused this or is it just aging. I’m 78. Or is it lack of exercise. I will ask the diabetic specialist about it. But what does it gain us to know this? Thank you. BTW, I’m in the USA.

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to grandmama16

Thank you grandmama to reply.

Carlt profile image
Carlt

I lost weight on a low carb diet but noticed no difference to my fibromyalgia.

I still eat very few carbs though I don't "carb count" anymore and my blood sugars are low but I still have fibromyalgia.

I think part of the problem with fibromyalgia is that it comes and goes so we may think that a drug or therapy works because trying it coincides with the end of a flare up.

I thought CBD oil was my miracle cure because I tried it and my flare up subsided but it made no difference when my next flare up kicked in.

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to Carlt

Thank you Carlt for your reply and the advice about CBD oil even if I don't know what it's. I'll google it.

Carlt profile image
Carlt in reply to Puzzlin

Not advice.Some folk swear by it and others get no benefit whatsoever.

CBD is cannabis oil with the good stuff removed making it legal.

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to Carlt

Thanks Carlt

aytias profile image
aytias

Hi, I would say it's worth exploring but it depends on the person. For me, it worked very well but again, that's me. I've been in low carb since I got fibromyalgia and it has helped me regulate energy, hunger and weight, only second to meditation.

Also, when I fast, all muscle pains just disappear. Unfortunately, they come back when I stop fasting 😢

All the best

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to aytias

Thank you aytias for your interesting reply. It looks like that in your case it's related to food because even fasting help you.

desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee in reply to Puzzlin

Just in reply to this thread and others it is important to consider that you can have multiple variables and that's that changes can take and work independently for the most part and then interact with each other.

It is possible to have for example a diet thing going on with it causing changes and getting to the point it settles and the initial honeymoon period passes and your fibro plods along, But throw in a food intolerance or some or diet issue and fibro may suffer or your fibro has a moment all on its own and then the correlation is the diet but may have nothing to do with it. This is why one data point from a single person is meaningless.

Carlt s point on CBD is an example of many variables and we have many stories of individuals subjectiveness coming into play and relying on their own data point.

saluhouse profile image
saluhouse in reply to aytias

Hello aytias. I used to think fasting helped my fibro. The less I ate the better I felt. But obviously that isn’t doable for very long - you get bored and hungry.

Then I discovered it was the sulfites in food that was making me feel so bad. It’s mind blowing when you find out how prevalent it is across so many different products.

Basically it is a preservative and shelf life enhancer. It is spayed on prawns on the boat - added to wine - in every potato product - and all ready meals. Obviously all junk food and fizzy drinks are saturated with it.

If you can eliminate sulfite/sulfate from your diet by eating very natural (preferably) organic food, cooked at home. You might feel better. It is worth a try.

Sulfate is added to medicine/ toiletries/toothpaste etc. you can find sulfate free products if you look hard enough.

Best wishes xxx

aytias profile image
aytias in reply to saluhouse

Hi Saluhouse,

Thank you for sharing your experience. I think I didn't clarify the kind of fasting I was doing.

Being already on a low carb diet, I would stop eating completely (only water + electrolytes) for 2-4 days. Within the second day, I would completely stop being hungry alongside all the other benefits I mentioned in a previous post. My disappointment would usually come from stopping this diet; you can't keep losing body and muscle mass forever! That for me works far better than eating within a window or following a caloric restriction. Again, this is personal and might work for everyone. Also, I highly doubt anyone would find it easy to stop eating for 3 days! But, coming from an early life of constantly consuming food and being hungry, then falling into fibromyalgia and the associated sleep problems which explode your hunger, it felt like an oasis to get rid of all of that even for a few days.

I didn't know about the sulfates, thank you! Although I tend to eat fresh food anyway.

Best wishes

aytias profile image
aytias

I guess I was trying to answer the second question and not the first.For the first one, I'd agree with desquinn that it's a multi variable problem and it's very difficult to isolate them.

For the second one, I'd say it's worth the try. But it's not a miracle cure. It's more like another tool that might help ease the effects.In the end, for me therapy and meditation gave me far better results. But at least I had something to rely on when I wasn't feeling well. Hope that helps.

All the best

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to aytias

Thanks all.

desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee in reply to aytias

here have been a number of anecdotal comments of people excluding or going on a diet and having a beneficial effect. But any systematic review has not found anything that seems to stand out as being beneficial.

But diet is something you can control and that is worth playing about with.

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to desquinn

Thank you desquinn

klr31 profile image
klr31

I think it's worth trying to cut out sugar and dairy to see how it affects Fibromylgia, perhaps lower carbs too at some point.

Karen

Puzzlin profile image
Puzzlin in reply to klr31

Thank you Karen.

JayCeon profile image
JayCeon

Every time I read up on the theory and experience of low carb proponents it to me always boiled down to actually mainly avoiding processed food. And that was because in the US (and UK?) carbs are "always" processed / simple carbs.

Trying to reduce even complex carbs didn't make a difference to my fibro symptoms. And my docs recommended me not to reduce my carbs any more, since I need a radical diet anyway for IBS-D, hyperacidity, lipids, histamine. I have reduced any sugars even more though - bits of dark chocolate.

Chrisbel profile image
Chrisbel

I have been on this low carb, no chemicals, no sugar, no wheat or gluten, non inflammatory diet, along with supplements, as part of a natural way of dealing with fibro symptoms, and it has definitely worked for me for the last ten or so years. I put together notes for a talk on natural ways of dealing with fibro which I can copy and paste here, if you are interested, let me know. cheers

JayCeon profile image
JayCeon in reply to Chrisbel

Chrisbel, I just had the idea you might like to just regularly link to one of the posts you've posted already, like your latest one. healthunlocked.com/fibromya....

My treatment report would also be very long.

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