Questions And Answers - Blood Sugar
Q:I have been told that I have diabetes, or "pre-diabetes", or that I am in the "honeymoon period" . My readings are all over the place: sometimes in the 120's, others in the 90's, sometimes, but rarely in the 150-170's. My doctor does not want to put me on medication yet. I exercise regularly and am not overweight though my diet is variable. I certainly like sweets, pizza, and pasta. What is the long term effect of these continued high blood sugar levels? A:Firstly, kudos for your physician for giving diet/lifestyle changes a chance to work. Reduction of body fat often is the first best start. This may or may not be true in your case but certainly sweets, pizza, etc. are affecting your numbers. If you can discipline yourself at this time to eat unrefined foods and be more active, your beta cells that produce insulin may get the rest they need to become efficient again. Our diabetes management booklet has many referenced foods/supplements that may help to stabilize your glucose levels. In time, your favorite foods may be reintroduced in moderate amounts. You appear to be more in the pre-diabetes range at this time. Complications are a long process. If your daytime levels stay under 120-140, that is good. Fasting levels are higher due to hormonal activity nighttime; these levels are a much slower road towards any complications. Continue working on lifestyle/diet, as both can always be a bit better, and in time, you may start seeing continued improvement. Q:Why do I still have high blood sugar readings even after a super low carb dinner? Im currently on 500mg metformin twice daily. I have already lost 30 pounds and now weigh 300 lbs. A:A set dose of medication doesn't guarantee good control, even with diet improvement. You have started a good path with losing body fat, b Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Levels After Eating
Blood sugar level simply means the concentration of a simple sugar (glucose) in certain amount of blood. In the United States, it is measured in mg/dl or milligrams per deciliter. Glucose concentration in the body fluctuates the whole day. Actually, there can be significant variations from minute to minute. Blood sugar levels after eating normally skyrocket and exercising will normally drop the levels. Doctors are interested in fasting glucose, glucose levels after eating, which is at times tested. Blood Sugar Levels Before and After Eating Blood sugar levels in our bodies will fluctuate depending on various conditions and circumstances. Here are the different levels: 1. Normal Blood Sugar Levels After Eating According to the American Diabetics Association, normal blood sugar levels after meals should be 70 mg/dl –140mg/dl.This should be the reading 2 hours after a meal. If the levels are lower than 70mg/dl, it might mean that you have hypoglycemia. If your blood sugar is slightly higher than 140mg/dl, it does not necessarily mean that you have diabetes. However, you might need to have an oral glucose tolerance test later on to determine the severity of your elevated post-meal blood sugar. 2. Normal Levels of Fasting Blood Sugar This blood sugar level is taken first thing when you wake up before your first meal. A normal level of fasting blood sugar lies from 70mg/dl to 92mg/dl. This is also the blood sugar level for a normal person who has not eaten for the past few hours. 3. Normal Blood Sugar Level for Type 1 Diabetics American Diabetes Association recommends that blood sugar targets should lie between the following: Before eating your blood sugar should be: Adults: 90-130mg/dl 13-19 years old: 90-130mg/dl 6-12 years old: 90-180mg/dl 0-6 years old: 100-180mg/dl Aft Continue reading >>
Healthy Blood Sugar Part 2: Home Screening
I have many patients who come in to see me with no physical complaints and, once screened, are revealed to be either pre-diabetic or even diabetic! You may not know that your annual blood test could easily miss a pre-diabetic condition. This is a huge oversight in the medical system. That’s why it’s so important to screen yourself and your family for rising blood sugars on a regular basis – even if you eat healthily and exercise enough. As I mentioned in the first part of our Pre-Diabetes Video-Newsletter Series, rising and high blood sugar, even within the normal range, has been shown to increase the risk of dying of a heart attack or stroke by 40%. Join me this week in the second installment of our Pre-Diabetes Series, as I walk you through the simple process of self-screening your blood sugar at home. The problem with Current Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Test Ranges While diabetes is climbing at an alarming rate, the blood sugar ranges that are used to screen for pre-diabetes are outdated, and many of those at risk are slipping through the cracks. Today, close to 90 million people have pre-diabetes caused by high blood sugar and 90% of them do not know it, according to the CDC. (1) The normal ranges for fasting blood sugar – that’s your blood sugar first thing in the morning before breakfast – have been between 80-120mg/dL for many years. Once the blood sugar rises above 125mg/dL, you are diagnosed with diabetes. Over 110mg/dl, you are considered pre-diabetic. Although some experts have assigned fasting blood sugar over 100mg/dL as pre-diabetic, other labs and doctors don’t screen for pre-diabetes until you are over 110mg/dL. The problem is that the risk for most degenerative disease such as cardiovascular disease and death rises significantly with fasting Continue reading >>
Why Your “normal” Blood Sugar Isn’t Normal (part 2)
Hi, I just found this site and would like to participate. I will give my numbers, etc. First, my last A1c was 6.1, the doc said it was Pre-diabetes in January of 2014, OK, I get it that part, but what confuses me is that at home, on my glucometer, all my fastings were “Normal” however, back then, I had not checked after meals, so maybe they were the culprits. Now, I am checking all the time and driving myself crazy. In the morning sometimes fasting is 95 and other times 85, it varies day to day. Usually, after a low carb meal, it drops to the 80’s the first hour and lower the second. On some days, when I am naughty and eat wrong, my b/s sugar is still low, and on other days, I can eat the same thing, and it goes sky high, again, not consistent. Normally, however, since February, my fbs is 90, 1 hour after, 120, 2nd hour, back to 90, but, that changes as well. In February, of 2014, on the 5th, it was horrible. I think I had eaten Lasagne, well, before, my sugars did not change much, but that night, WHAM-O I started at 80 before the meal, I forgot to take it at the one and two hour mark, but did at the 3 hour mark, it was 175, then at four hours, down to 160, then at 5 hours, back to 175. I went to bed, because by that time, it was 2 AM, but when I woke up at 8:00 and took it, it was back to 89!!!! This horrible ordeal has only happened once, but, I have gone up to 178 since, but come down to normal in 2 hours. I don’t know if I was extra stressed that day or what, I am under tons of it, my marriage is not good, my dear dad died 2 years ago and my very best friend died 7 months ago, I live in a strange country, I am from America, but moved to New Zealand last year, and I am soooo unhappy. Anyway, what does confuse me is why the daily differences, even though I may Continue reading >>
What Exactly Is Happening With My Bewildering Blood Sugar Levels
Ever since I blogged about my recent struggle to lose 30 pounds that have refused to budge since I put them on in the first couple of months of my resistance training which began in December 2007, the comments, e-mails, and overall good wishes that so many of you have shared with me have come pouring in and I sincerely appreciate everyone’s advice and positive reinforcement for me through this frustrating time. I realize I am not alone in this and that is what drives me to want to get to the bottom of the issue to help others who have a similar predicament. While there are likely several issues going on right now that might be the culprit in my case, I kinda stumbled onto something accidentally yesterday that was quite odd to say the least. For perhaps the first time in the more than four years I’ve been livin’ la vida low-carb, I may have figured out something that has happened to my body somewhere along the way that goes against everything you’ve ever heard about the physiological mechanism of blood sugars. This totally freaked me out because I’ve never experienced anything like this before. Out of pure curiosity, I decided to go to my local Walgreen’s and purchase a blood glucose monitor on Tuesday along with all the lancets and testing strips to check my blood sugar levels. I couldn’t believe the monitor was like $15, but the test strips cost $55 for a box of 50! WOW, paying over a dollar a pop for a tiny little test strip was a bit pricey, but Christine and I have considered buying this thing for a long time just to see where we are with our blood sugars. No, we’re not diabetic or even pre-diabetic and don’t really NEED to check this, but I was just very, very interested in seeing something for myself–what happens to my blood sugar AFTER I eat? Continue reading >>
Steps To Lower Your Blood Sugar Levels And Live Longer
This article was written and published on GarmaOnHealth.com by Joe Garma, and has been reproduced here in its entirety. There’s more than a 3-in-4 chance that your blood sugar is too high, and this can lead to a number of chronic health issues, even shorten your life. Learn how to measure and fix your blood sugar. The Apple Watch, FitBit Ionic and Epic Health lead the way. THERE’S A race to perfect technologies that can continuously monitor blood sugar levels without the need to prick your finger for a blood sample to be “read” by a glucose monitor. This is great news for health freaks, people with pre-diabetes or full blown diabetes my have to do up to 3,000 times a year. Ouch! You can imagine the flood of business that a company could attract if it could create a non-invasive, less bloody way of testing for blood sugar. Many are trying. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Apple’s effort to make its Smart Watch seamless track blood sugar through an innovative sensor, and now I’m going to add Fitbit’s smartwatch and Epic Health’s phone app to the mix. I don’t have to go too far out on a limb to suggest that monitoring your blood sugar is a very good idea simply because: It’s very likely that yours is too high; and High blood sugar is very unhealthy. I can make the first assertion because, as you’ll soon see, studies show that more than three-quarters of us have blood sugar levels that are too high. I can make the second assertion because medical science has proven that sustained high blood sugar levels is bad for metabolic health, brain health and a long, healthy lifespan. So, let’s take a peek at the new Fitbit and Epic Health technologies, then get a sense of how you can assess if you have a blood sugar problem without any measuring device, and fina Continue reading >>
- How to Lower Your A1C Levels: More Steps You Can Take
- Lower Blood Sugar Naturally to Prevent High Blood Sugar from Leading to Diabetes
- World's first diabetes app will be able to check glucose levels without drawing a drop of blood and will be able to reveal what a can of coke REALLY does to sugar levels
Sugar Highs And Lows: Rapid Recognition
Diabetes is common. An estimated 8.2 percent of adults in the U.S. (range 4.4 to 17.9 percent) have diabetes1. Some 14 percent of total U.S. health care expenditures pay for treatment of people with diabetes, half of which pay for complications associated with vascular changes that lead to MIs (myocardial infarctions), strokes, kidney disease, retinal (eye) damage and foot ulcers. The progression of these complications can be slowed with aggressive management of blood sugar levels and blood pressure as well as good eye care2. Alterations in blood glucose levels, both high and low, are often encountered by EMS providers. Depending on where you work, hypo- or hyperglycemia will account for 3 to 4 percent of your total EMS responses. Hypoglycemia refers to low blood glucose levels, which often exhibits signs and symptoms. The most common cause of hypoglycemia results from diabetes medications although hypoglycemia can occur in people without diabetes from a variety of other causes. Most commonly, hypoglycemia occurs in patients taking insulin. While textbooks often outline very specific hypoglycemia signs and symptoms, they are, in reality, very non-specific. Many patients will have tremors, palpitations, sweating, and/or hunger. These actually have a behavioral effect of encouraging the patient to eat. Blood pressure and heart rate will usually increase, but not significantly. There may be observable behavioral changes, loss of awareness and, at very low glucose levels, seizures or unconsciousness3. While signs and symptoms vary tremendously between patients, they remain consistent in any single patient from episode to episode. Many times, patients are unaware of their symptoms even though they may be obvious to others around them. Because patients often have amnesia, the Continue reading >>
Gestational Diabetes: What Constitutes Low Blood Sugar?
I received a great question about the problematic diagnosis of gestational diabetes due to a failed oral glucose tolerance test. Give this a read so we can dismantle pregnancy related nutrition. Hey Robb, My wife and I have been Paleo ever since I was “certified” in Portland last year:)My wife is 8 months pregnant and has been dx with gestational diabetes (I truly believe its total bs and that the OGTT is inaccurate in so many ways that it is ridiculous, but I digress) We are using a birthing center with a midwife so it was a sad requirement that we consult with an “expert” in nutrition, which had to be the most frustrating 2 hour visit of my life (the RN who we visited with was diabetic herself and came in drinking a large diet coke…I threw an apple core in her waste basket and found multiple fast food containers…Im not judging…she then began to tell us how we were eating to “low carb” and how bad it was).ANYWAY, my wife left with a glucometer (awesome) and she was told to check her sugars 4x a day for 2 weeks 1 hour after every meal and then send the results back in (BTW my wife does CFmoms and is 5?10 170…138 with out the baby, very lean and athletic).So for 2 weeks we BOTH checked sugars, to compete, and all of our sugars were great, below 88 after 1 hour and fasting in the am high 60’s low 70’s, she faxed her sugars in and was immediately called by above referenced nutritionist and told that her sugars were “to low” and asked to eat MORE carbs (complex of course) and check for another week, so we made up sugars that were slightly higher and faxed them in and have not received a call since. We eat fairly strict, always unlimited quantity and to satiety, we have never felt better. I’m a Fire/Medic and will occasionally check my sugars at Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Levels
Sugar in the blood is harmful. It is as simple as that. Sugar attaches to protein molecules with negative effects. Over time, the damage builds up, molecule-by-molecule. Whenever blood sugar levels get elevated, damaging activities take place. The longer it stays high; the more destruction develops. Recommended Blood Sugar Levels Professor J.S. Christiansen did a study where a Continues Glucose Monitoring System (CGMS) was worn by normal people, measuring their blood sugar levels every few minutes. His findings are: Median fasting blood glucose remained in the low 80 mg/dL range 45 minutes after eating it raised to just below 125 mg/dL for a brief period 1 hour and 15 minutes after eating blood sugars dropped to under 100 mg/dL 1 hour and 45 minutes after eating blood sugars returned to 85 mg/dL The HgbA1c values are in the range of 4,3% - 5,4% Normal blood glucose levels summarized: Fasting Blood Glucose:- 85 mg/dL 1 hour after eating:- 120 mg/dL 2 Hours after eating:- 85 mg/dL HgbA1c:- 4,3% - 5,4% Compare these findings with the conventional high end cut off for "normal" blood glucose levels, recommended by diabetes authorities. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Fasting Blood Glucose:- Under 110 mg/dL 1 hour after eating:- Not even under consideration 2 Hours after eating:- Under 140 mg/dL HgbA1c:- 6,5% American Diabetes Association (ADA) Fasting Blood Glucose:- Under 130 mg/dL 1 hour after eating:- Not even under consideration 2 Hours after eating:- Under 180 mg/dL HgbA1c:- 7,0% Blood-glucose levels at the cut-off most doctors consider the high end of "normal" is significantly above the actual blood-glucose levels of real non-diabetics. These higher levels do cause the damage that progresses to diabetic complications. What then are safe Blood S Continue reading >>
Dangerously Low
Since getting an insulin pump a few months ago, I’ve been very proud of my blood sugar control. My A1c is down (I’m actually going to get my quarterly blood work done tomorrow) and I’ve had very few highs and very few lows (about one low a month compared to a few a week before pumping). The lows I’ve been having on the pump really aren’t that low, usually in the low 60’s or high 50’s. All this was true until yesterday when I had a low that totally knocked me out. Take that literally. This low came with no warning signs and I didn’t make any big mistakes that could have led to it, at least none I can recall. I ran 11 miles in the morning, took the kids to school and got ready to go to a 10:00 a.m. doctor’s appointment. I had to go see a surgeon about some serious pain I’ve been having in my lower stomach muscles since the race when I broke my 10K record. Since I didn’t have a chance to eat before leaving for my appointment I grabbed an apple and bloused for 25grams of carb (the correct amount according to Nutrition Data). I was a little nervous on the way to the clinic. I was scared the surgeon would tell me I needed surgery (they often do) of some kind that would put me out of commission for at least 4-6 weeks and make me miss my upcoming marathon (Jan. 12th). But after a short examination the surgeon told me my problem is only a pulled muscle. He ordered 10 days of rest, meaning no running. I was very relieved that all I have is a pulled muscle, but not at all happy about the idea of not running for 10 days. As I walked home (a 20 minute walk), I talked to my coach and told him the good news. He told me that I should definitely rest, but rather than not running at all for 10 days, I should run an hour every other day at a really easy pace. I was i Continue reading >>
The “normal Blood Sugar Range” May Be Misleading You
A fasting blood sugar test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood after you have not eaten for at least eight hours. Checking for an ideal fasting blood sugar is one of the most commonly performed tests to check for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. So what should your fasting blood sugar be? The normal blood sugar range is 65-99 mg/dL. If your fasting blood sugar is between 100 and 125 mg/dL, you have “impaired fasting glucose,” also referred to as “prediabetes.” If your fasting blood sugar is more than 126 mg/dL on two or more occasions, you have full-blown diabetes. What Is Prediabetes? People defined as having impaired fasting glucose/prediabetes are individuals whose blood sugar levels do not meet criteria for diabetes, yet are higher than those considered normal. These people are at relatively high risk for the future development of diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), prediabetes is not a disease itself but rather a risk factor “for diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.”[1] However, the ADA also state that prediabetes can be considered an “intermediate stage” in the diabetes disease process.[1](One might wonder how prediabetes can be a both a risk factor for diabetes and an intermediate stage of the diabetes disease process simultaneously). In addition to increasing the chance of developing diabetes, it’s well-established that people with impaired fasting glucose/prediabetes are more likely to be overweight or obese, especially with what’s known as abdominal or visceral obesity. They also are more likely to have high triglycerides and/or low HDL cholesterol, and hypertension.[1] Even Normal-Range Blood Glucose Levels Can Increase Diabetes Risk There’s a lot more at stake for thos Continue reading >>
Hypoglycemia
What is hypoglycemia? Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by low blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. Carbohydrates, such as rice, potatoes, bread, cereal, fruit and sweets, are the major source of glucose in our diet. The ideal range of fasting morning blood sugar is 70 to 99 mg/dL (milligrams of glucose per deciliter of blood). Blood sugar levels under 70 mg/dL are too low and are considered unhealthy. Hypoglycemia may be a condition by itself, or may be a complication of diabetes or another disorder. It’s most often seen as a complication of diabetes. This is sometimes referred to as insulin reaction. Hypoglycemia can happen quickly. In adults and children older than age 10, hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a potential side effect of diabetes treatment. What causes hypoglycemia? Causes of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes may include the following: Too much medicine, such as diabetes medicines A missed meal A delayed meal Too little food eaten as compared to the amount of insulin or other medicine taken Other causes of hypoglycemia are rare, but may happen in early pregnancy, after strenuous exercise, or during prolonged fasting. Hypoglycemia may also result from abusing alcohol, or other rare causes, such as a tumor that makes insulin. What are the symptoms of hypoglycemia? The following are the most common symptoms of hypoglycemia. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently. The symptoms include: Shakiness Dizziness Sweating Hunger and nausea Headache Irritability Pale skin color Sudden moodiness or behavior changes, such as crying for no apparent reason Clumsy or jerky movements Difficulty paying attention, or confusion Tingling sensations around the mouth Rapid heartbeat Blurred or impaired vision Continue reading >>
K9diabetes.com
We talk about a diabetic’s blood sugar being “regulated” when the supply of food and insulin is well balanced and results in normal or near normal blood sugar throughout the day. That’s the ideal for people and for dogs. But some realities of life for a diabetic dog limit how close you can safely come to near normal blood sugar. Your dog can’t inject himself as needed. And she can’t tug on your sleeve and say “Hey, blood sugar’s high here. Please give me some insulin.” Testing the blood glucose and monitoring signs of both high and low blood sugar are valuable, of course, but the vast majority of people caring for diabetic dogs cannot be home with them 24 hours a day 365 days a year to monitor the blood sugar level the way their bodies would. While high blood sugar is uncomfortable and hard on the body long-term, low blood sugar can kill quickly as the brain starves for lack of energy. So the most important thing is to do all you can to ensure that your dog’s blood sugar never goes too low. Persistently high blood sugar can result in ketoacidosis, which can also kill, so it’s important to get the blood sugar down into a healthier range. With those caveats in mind, your diabetic dog is “regulated” when s/he has the best blood sugar s/he can safely maintain. What that level of blood sugar is can vary tremendously and depends not only on what your dog does with food and insulin but also on your schedule and time constraints. A dog who is home alone for 8–9 hour per day while family members are at work, for example, needs a safety net of blood sugar that is certain not to go dangerously low. Responses to insulin and food also vary tremendously. Some dogs get a nice stable level of blood sugar with little variation between the highest and lowest l Continue reading >>
Reactive Hypoglycemia: Low Blood Sugar After Eating
When most people hear the term " low blood sugar ," they immediately connect it to diabetes . However, while low blood sugar (called hypoglycemia) is common among people with diabetes, it can also occur in people who do not have diabetes. More specifically, low blood sugar may occur within a few hours after eating, a phenomenon calledreactive hypoglycemia or postprandial hypoglycemia. The symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia range from mild and unsettling (for example, feeling anxious, sweaty, shaky, or hungry) to serious (for example, developing a blurry vision, and/or fainting). However, experiencing one or more of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you have low blood sugar. These symptoms may indicate an entirely different problem, like a heart or neurological problem. This is why an evaluation by a healthcare professional is essential. In order to be evaluated for reactive hypoglycemia, your doctor will obtain your blood sugar (called your blood glucose level) within four to five hours after eating a meal, when you are experiencing symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia. He will most likely obtain your blood sugar by collecting the blood from a vein (called a venipuncture). This is more accurate than obtaining your blood sugar level from a glucose monitor. If you are found to have a low blood sugar level (generally less than 60mg/dL), and your symptoms are relieved once the blood sugar is raised, your doctor will want to search for the etiology behind your postprandial hypoglycemia, and this is where the mixed meal test comes into play. During the mixed meal test, a person eats a meal and then is observed for up to five hours. Prior to eating and then every 30 minutes (until the five hours is up), a person will undergo a blood test to check the following levels: Continue reading >>
Are We All Pre-diabetic?
Even if a doctor assures you that your blood sugar is "normal," alarming evidence documents that you are at significant risk of premature death unless you achieve optimal 24-hour-a-day glucose control. Life Extension® long ago warned of the silent dangers when fasting blood sugar exceeds 85 mg/dL. New scientific studies validate this position. Even more insidious are data showing that blood sugar "spikes" that occur after each meal dramatically increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, retinal damage, and cancer. Unless steps are taken to suppress after-meal sugar surges, every large meal you eat can trigger a dangerous metabolic cascade that results in cell damage and accelerated aging. Fortunately, proven methods exist to support optimal blood sugar throughout the day. The latest is a green coffee bean extract that targets a critical enzyme involved in after-meal blood sugar spikes. When tested on humans in a placebo-controlled study, this natural extract produced an astounding 32% drop in after-meal blood sugar!1 An Epidemic of Elevated Blood Sugar The percentage of adults who suffer chronic high blood sugar is staggering! One report evaluated 46,000 middle-age individuals and found more than 80% had fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or greater.2 Another study involving 11,000 middle-age and older individuals showed more than 85% had fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or greater.3 Since incidence of disease starts to increase when fasting blood sugar rises above these levels, this means the vast majority of aging humans today endure chronic cellular damage associated with elevated blood sugar. This epidemic of elevated blood sugar will accelerate age-related disease until the medical profession realizes that their test values for defining "normal" blood sugar are horr Continue reading >>
