Anyone with Diabetes as well as CD? How does the CD affect your diabetes?

[Elspeth]

I am wondering how CD affects everybody`s diabetes because strange things have been happening to mine and I dont know if the 2 are affected. Does anyone have any insight into this?

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Hi Elspeth is it type 1 or type 2 diabetes? And what problems are you finding? A lot of gf foods are low GF but not all - as we all know the Free From aisles are packed with sugary cakes and GF biscuits. Have you had advice from a dietitian on how to manage both conditions ? ie. eating lots of white rice/ mashed potato is actually high in GI and not many people realise that when they first go GF. Yet simple swaps like new potatos & brown rice can help stick to a GF and low GI diet.

[Elspeth in reply to FionaGFG]

Hi Fiona it is type 1 diabetes and I am on a 1:6 ratio. I rarely eat the sugary stuff and when I do I work out how much insulin to take. I am wondering if gluten can make the sugar levels fall or rise quickly and for no apparent reason? I have not been very good at being gluten free in the past and my sugar levels have been all over the place with no patterns at all no matter how hard I tried to control them. I have been gluten free now for just over a month and my bg levels have been great for that time but I think I may have been glutened the week before last with the oats from the crumble in weatherspoons because I checked my sugar an hour after eating it expecting it to be up a little and to have to take more insulin but it was 5, so then didnt worry about it till I checked it another 3 hours later, having had nothing else to eat and only water to drink and it was up at 21! I wondered if this is a common symptom?

[FionaGFG Administrator]

I'm sure other diabetic coeliacs can give you their experiences. However, it's best to avoid any oats as the avenin protein is very similar to gluten and may cause you as it does many coeliacs glutened symtoms. Many coeliacs immune systems will attack the protein in oats in the same way as gluten in other grains. Plus unless you specificially eat gluten free oats produced in a gf clean factory I'd think it was highly unlikely that it was gluten free - even if you could tolerate the avenin there'd be much cross contamination of pre made crumble in a pub chain. I'd suggest you see your diabetic dietitian and contact Diabetes UK for advice. Sticking to a strict GF diet and avoiding sugary stuff (inc dessert) is the safest way to get your diet and sugar levels under control. See your GP if you can't see a dietitian and say you'd like more advice.