pre-diabetes?

[pinkytoe]

I bring this topic up because it complicates life and health for so many and maybe mine too. I read that many of us are pre-diabetic and don't know it. I am constantly hungry and sometimes feel like I will faint if I don't eat something so decided to test my blood sugar. It was 140 upon waking for two days straight and higher after eating lunch. I am lean, active and eat lots of veggies and sweets rarely so this baffles me. Had non-fasting blood tests done at docs and they were similar but she didn't seem concerned. I am going to buy a fresh testing kit and use it after different foods to see how it reads.

[Yppej]

How familiar are you with things like the glycemic index and the keto diet?

You could eat a lot of vegetables but if they are starchy ones with lots of carbs (potatoes being one example) it can affect your blood sugar adversely. The same is true of "healthy whole grains".

[JaneV2.0]

I'm currently listening to Gary Taubes' The Case for Keto (so far, very good)--A refresher for me--while eating a bowl of ramen with pork and scallions. Oops.

Constant hunger would seem to me to be a danger signal. Carbohydrates drive insulin, which is known as the "hunger hormone." Excess insulin, over time, can lead to pancreatic burnout--e.g.diabetes.

I've done LCHF/keto. I've done--am still doing--intermittent fasting. It's probably time to combine the two.

[catherine]

If you want to test for pre-diabetes, you need to get your HbA1c done. The glucose level is just a snapshot in time. Your HbA1c is a much better gauge of whether you have diabetes or pre-diabetes or are fine.

[SteveinMN]

you need to get your HbA1c done. The glucose level is just a snapshot in time.

This is important. HbA1c measures over a period of about three months, a much better barometer of a body's inability to compensate for glucose levels with insulin. A1c is not perfect, of course -- it is not a measure of control, merely of averages over a good period of time. But foods can spike blood glucose even three hours after they've been eaten.

We also have found that people who switch from a "standard" diet to a low-carb/keto diet experience what feels like blood sugar lows even though their blood glucose levels are normal or even high. The body can get so used to high levels of carbohydrates that cutting the supply can make the body think it's deficient in glucose even when it isn't.

[Jane v2.0]

...

We also have found that people who switch from a "standard" diet to a low-carb/keto diet experience what feels like blood sugar lows even though their blood glucose levels are normal or even high. The body can get so used to high levels of carbohydrates that cutting the supply can make the body think it's deficient in glucose even when it isn't.

Years ago, I used to experience regular bouts of "hypoglycemia," resulting in faintness, nausea, an inability to speak fluently, and other troubling symptoms if I went too long without eating. (It would have been interesting to see what my blood sugar level really was.) LC eating seemed to solve that problem, and I regularly go 18 hours between meals now with no problems.

[pinkytoe]

The doc wasn't interested in further testing (which is unusual these days). I don't think I could do a full on keto diet for very long but will limit carbs further and see if that helps. I just make sure to carry nuts with me so if I get hungry while out I have something to eat. It's more aggravating than worrying at this point.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Sheesh, I'd push the doctor for further testing. I know cost cutting medicine, but I'd say it runs in your family or something, you have relatives with diabetes and are worried. Diabetes is a basic health screening every bit as much as cholesterol (probably more so, but I'm talking what they do basic screenings for), can't believe they are so stingy running an A1C test. Actual diabetics are having them 4 times a year sometimes, and they would deny people worried about diabetes maybe screening tests at most once a year. It's like they do not get the concept of *preventative* medicine at all, "get back to us when you have full blown diabetes".

[catherine]

Diabetes is a basic health screening every bit as much as cholesterol (probably more so, but I'm talking what they do basic screenings for), can't believe they are so stingy running an A1C test. Actual diabetics are having them 4 times a year sometimes, and they would deny people worried about diabetes maybe screening tests at most once a year. It's like they do not get the concept of *preventative* medicine at all, "get back to us when you have full blown diabetes".

I agree! It's a simple blood test!

[pinkytoe]

I questioned the doc about it but she said all my other readings were normal and its probably just a blip. Told me to avoid sweets and drink more water. I guess she sees a lean, healthy-looking older person with no family history and comes to the conclusion that its not an issue.