also do not be shocked that you did everything “right” and still could be pre-diabetic. your genetics help determine stuff like this. type 1 is genetic… and possibly due to exposure to certain viruses …type 2 is not 100% genetic but a predisposition is heavily influenced by your genetics. (and your genetic fate is sealed at the time of conception) do not worry to much…you could be pre-diabetic and live to 115 and never get diabetes. just watch it with the help of your doctor …and respond accordingly. if you develop diabetes it can be controlled by meds and or diet. also carbs are much more of a problem for type 2 …like someone else said a bagel for a type 2 is worse than a donut…
also from the american diabtes assoc. read myth number 2… http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/myths/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
"My sister was diagnosed with Type I diabetes (LADA) at age 45. She has always been thin and athletic. Her fasting blood sugar was a bit high one year, so she really cleaned up her (already good) diet, exercised even more, and the next year - even higher fasting blood sugar. "
I am not prediabetic (that I know of) and there is no family history of diabetes, but about 15 months ago I started a low carb diet for weight loss. I lost about 43 pounds in 9 months, but the past 6 months, I have not lost more. I am sticking with the low carb eating for the other benefits I have noticed. Before, I had indigestion and acid reflux and took Alka-Seltzer 4 or 5 times a week. I haven’t taken any antacids in the past 15 months. Also, forgive my TMI, I had a problem with feminine itching, which my doctor said was “a little yeast” but did not respond to the medication for such. It has completely gone away. And another weird benefit: I have always had sweaty, smelly feet, but that has gone away, too. It didn’t take long to get used to not eating sugar and now it is easy to ignore the cookies at work.
It is strongly recommended to test your blood sugar levels (especially in the early stages) 1, 2 and 3 hours after eating; there are some foods that will spike later than the 2 hour mark especially when eaten together with high fat foods. Once you know what does and does not affect you, you can cut down the checks. Be careful with fruits as many have sugar in them - your body doesn’t care a hoot whether it’s naturally occurring or not…it will still raise your blood sugar and cause damage… berries are better than most other fruits.
^^ I don’t think your statement is correct. If somebody drinks orange juice without the fiber, the impact is significantly different. Are there fruit that don’t have sugar?? The process of conversion into glucose is slowed by fiber in such things as oranges, bananas etc. The major issue for diabetics isn’t just your glucose reading but sharp spikes which is leveled off by eating foods with fiber.
There seems to be confusion about sugar recommendations mentioned in the OP. The WHO guidelines (and the fact that sugar from whole fruit is absorbed differently) applies to folks who are NOT diabetic. If you have diabetes, your entire diet needs to be changed.
@BunsenBurner What about someone like me, who was recently recorded with a blood glucose level of 100? Should I use the WHO guidelines? My internist just said cut down on carbs.
I am not a doctor, just a scientist interested in nutrition and metabolism, so your doctor’s advice should be your primary guide. That said, cutting down on refined carbs is usually a good idea and will do at least some good.
I’ve been reading at Jenny Ruhl’s web site, Blood Sugar 101, trying to learn more. She recommends home testing to get a handle on what your BS does in response to what you’re eating.
people with diabetes or those concerned with high readings on a blood test should
get a full eye exam…an optometrist or ophthalmologist exam can help you be preemptive in the detection and treatment (if needed) of Diabetic Retinopathy.
On a related note – I can’t tell you how many people have told, me that I “must have” brought diabetes on myself through poor health habits.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Do people in Europe have these same issues? Just curious.
I perceive it to be such an American, modern affliction but don’t they eat a lot of bread and pastries and pasta in Europe as well? Carbs, in other words.
vabluebird …diabetes is not brought on by diet or not exercising etc…
people like to think there is some reason people wind up with something like diabetes (almost like a punishment for not being disciplined or something) it is like mental illness you can not just toughen up, snap out of it etc…
if you have diabetes you must work at controlling it . but people do not get it because they eat to much bread or chocolate pudding or do not run 5 miles a day! your genetics and possibly virus exposure are the cause.
you can be “overweight” and live to 105 and never get it. or you can do all the latest “healthy” diets and workout trends and have a terrible difficult case.
when people say you must have brought it on…not only are they being rude…they are ignorant too!
Diabetes has a genetic component. However, most people who had type 2 are overweight. Yes of course there are exceptions just like with anything else. In most cases, the first thing an endocrinologist is going to say to someone who is type 2, is lose weight and exercise more. Such is not the case with type 1.
I had gestational diabetes 28 years ago so tested every year and then 10 years ago I moved into the official diabetes II stage. So I was aware all the years in between that it was a potential and was probably pre-diabetic for a while. I started medications and consulted with a nutritionist. I researched a lot and learned all about the carb counts and about the glycemic index.
Different kinds of carbs have different effects on blood glucose. http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/glycemic-index-and-diabetes.html And each person processes carbs differently. Not to mention the combination of carbs and other foods also changes the effect on blood glucose. For example, the nutritionist told me to try and eat protein with carbs when possible because that helped reduce the effect on glucose. Another piece of advice was to space even amounts of carbs throughout the day. So there’s no one best food management plan.
A few years ago when I lost all that weight thanks to Weight Loss for Dummies, I brought my numbers back down into the pre-diabetic levels. Then my numbers started going up and up; peaked at 7.9 after my move to San Diego. I started a new medication and after three months AIC is down to 6.9. This was a great surprise since my morning fasting blood sugars had stayed higher than that number indicates.
As has been noted, there are plenty of other factors that affect blood glucose levels besides food intake. Lack of sleep definitely raises levels, and exercise can help lower them. Stress and illness also affect levels. So it’s complicated! It would be lovely to be able to check blood levels before and after different meals and different activities etc. But those testing strips are so expensive!