Best Resources for Understanding Blood Sugar?

Twibbly

I've realized that there is a definite gap in my library, and that gap has to do with understanding blood sugar. From when to test to what it means to how to react to specific readings, I got nuffin' (outside of the basic LCHF recommendations, which all basically say, eat LCHF and your glucose levels will drop/stabilize).

Any recommendations to fill in this knowledge gap?

KarlynKeto

Are you looking for a scientific explanation on how the body regulates blood sugar, and how it responds to certain foods or other conditions? There is Gary Taubes book (and many YouTube videos) on Why We Get Fat.

There are a lot of great presentations by top medical experts on YouTube that were taking from different conferences to discuss metabolism, insulin...etc. If that is what you are looking for I can recommend a few.

If you are looking a short, quick explanation I have shown this video to a few friends. I think it's a great quick explanation on blood sugar, insulin spikes, fat burning, and fat making -- *BUT* this video ends with a pitch to buy a high-fiber supplement. Please ignore that part, just eat real food and you can achieve the same exact results.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=BgXQTuPWNqQ&index=7&list=WL

Twibbly

I've read Gary Taubes' books. I have a general understanding of the mechanism, just not what can be DONE with that understanding (other than quit eating high carb crap).

KarlynKeto

Twibbly wrote: »

I've read Gary Taubes' books. I have a general understanding of the mechanism, just not what can be DONE with that understanding (other than quit eating high carb crap).

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes, pre-diabetes or just asking for general health reasons? I never had an official diagnosis, but there is no doubt that managing my insulin and blood sugar has made a world of difference for me. Different people respond differently to foods too, so what may spike one person's blood sugar may not spike yours.

Twibbly

KarlynKeto wrote: »

Have you been diagnosed with diabetes, pre-diabetes or just asking for general health reasons? I never had an official diagnosis, but there is no doubt that managing my insulin and blood sugar has made a world of difference for me. Different people respond differently to foods too, so what may spike one person's blood sugar may not spike yours.

The doctor wanted to wait and see what it does. They didn't test my A1C, but my fasting blood glucose in their office was 130 something, I think. It was pretty close to what my meter was reading. I've been randomly measuring, and it's generally 115-140.

anthophora

I would love more information on this as well.

I am new to the low carb thing. I had an interesting experience today. For the past few weeks, I have been very low carb (20 or less, except one day). Yesterday, I fasted and had 550 total calories and 2 grams of carbs. This morning, I woke early and went for a really intense (for me at least) 3.5 mile run. I didn't eat prior to working out nor after. A few hours later, I went to a health screening and my blood glucose was high (102 so not crazy but it isn't typically high for me). I was really surprised by the high glucose levels. I had eaten a total of 2 carbs in a 36 hour period.

I think this is because maybe my insulin levels are low and my liver was producing a lot of glucose? My understanding is that if the insulin was low due to low carb, the glucose would stay in my blood for quite a bit longer as there isn't enough insulin.

Anyway, a good source would be great.

Sunny_Bunny_

So, I came here to say that stress is a MAJOR factor in glycogen release. HUGE!
Even watching a scary movie can cause my daughters blood sugar to suddenly spike!
Her most recent DKA hospitalization was directly caused by being stressed at work one day. She hadn't even been able to eat except for random bites of snacks, so the glucose that caused a blood sugar of over 400 that refused to come down with insulin, came from her own body. Because of stress. That was the officially recorded cause on her records too.

Then I saw this comment that supports that

anthophora wrote: »

I would love more information on this as well.

I am new to the low carb thing. I had an interesting experience today. For the past few weeks, I have been very low carb (20 or less, except one day). Yesterday, I fasted and had 550 total calories and 2 grams of carbs. This morning, I woke early and went for a really intense (for me at least) 3.5 mile run. I didn't eat prior to working out nor after. A few hours later, I went to a health screening and my blood glucose was high (102 so not crazy but it isn't typically high for me). I was really surprised by the high glucose levels. I had eaten a total of 2 carbs in a 36 hour period.

Exercise is a stressor. It's not uncommon to get a high blood sugar in response to hard exercise.

anthophora wrote: »

I think this is because maybe my insulin levels are low and my liver was producing a lot of glucose? My understanding is that if the insulin was low due to low carb, the glucose would stay in my blood for quite a bit longer as there isn't enough insulin.

Anyway, a good source would be great.

insulin level was certainly low prior to exercise, but as soon as glucose is present, insulin will respond. I doubt it was taking any extra long time sitting in your blood. Probably was just still in the midst of high cortisol and glycogen secretion.
Glucose would only stay in the blood longer than normal if insulin resistance is a factor. With that, insulin levels are not low, they are high.

I think your situation was all about stress, cortisol and bad timing catching the peak of the glucose in the blood.

KeithF6250

I've always liked this as a place to start.
phlaunt.com/diabetes/

Twibbly

KeithF6250 wrote: »

I've always liked this as a place to start.
phlaunt.com/diabetes/

Thanks! I have it open to read later.

RalfLott

Twibbly wrote: »

The doctor wanted to wait and see what it does. They didn't test my A1C, but my fasting blood glucose in their office was 130 something, I think. It was pretty close to what my meter was reading. I've been randomly measuring, and it's generally 115-140.

Now that's a mystery to me - I wonder what possible information your doctor is going to get from another fasting BG test, especially in light of what you've recorded so far, that would justify not testing your A1c ?

I might just be tempted to get a home A1c test kit (2-test kit from Amazon is around $40).

nvmomketo

I'm still working to figure this out myself. I was prediabetic so I lost 40 lbs (about 20% of my body weight) and eat very LCHF. My post meal BG readings are pretty good now. I rarely go above 5.5 (100). My mystery is FBG which is my highest reading of the day. Yesterday it was 6 (close to 110) and I'd already been on the all animal april challenge for a few days. I think my carbs were about 5g that previous day. Go figure.

I think all we can do is what we think is best and then keep an eye on problem times or meals with our glucometres.

I found Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solutions to be helpful but I still don't kmow enough

Twibbly

RalfLott wrote: »

Twibbly wrote: »

The doctor wanted to wait and see what it does. They didn't test my A1C, but my fasting blood glucose in their office was 130 something, I think. It was pretty close to what my meter was reading. I've been randomly measuring, and it's generally 115-140.

Now that's a mystery to me - I wonder what possible information your doctor is going to get from another fasting BG test, especially in light of what you've recorded so far, that would justify not testing your A1c ?

I might just be tempted to get a home A1c test kit (2-test kit from Amazon is around $40).

Yeah, I'm pretty certain I won't be going back to him. It isn't like it would have required another extra blood draw - they didn't check my iron levels then, so I ended up having to have another blood draw anyways.

I've considered buying one, but $40 is a big chunk right now.

Twibbly

I started reading Jenny Ruhl's Diet 101. It isn't even her book on blood sugar (because she has one of those too), but I'm pretty certain I'll end up buying it as well because the Diet 101 book is teaching me things I've been looking for and hadn't found elsewhere. Things like, what does NORMAL blood sugar look like? For some reason, books tend to think that knowing that just isn't that important.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

anthophora wrote: »

I would love more information on this as well.

I am new to the low carb thing. I had an interesting experience today. For the past few weeks, I have been very low carb (20 or less, except one day). Yesterday, I fasted and had 550 total calories and 2 grams of carbs. This morning, I woke early and went for a really intense (for me at least) 3.5 mile run. I didn't eat prior to working out nor after. A few hours later, I went to a health screening and my blood glucose was high (102 so not crazy but it isn't typically high for me). I was really surprised by the high glucose levels. I had eaten a total of 2 carbs in a 36 hour period.

I think this is because maybe my insulin levels are low and my liver was producing a lot of glucose? My understanding is that if the insulin was low due to low carb, the glucose would stay in my blood for quite a bit longer as there isn't enough insulin.

Anyway, a good source would be great.

There is some research that shows cardio exercise at greater than 80% of max HR causes an increase in BG, similar to a stress response / adrenaline-induced glycogen release.

As to your final point regarding insulin levels being low due to low carb, that explanation doesn't fit for a non-diabetic. Every once in awhile, some idiot will write about how taste buds trigger insulin production. Usually, those people are advocating for you to cut out artificial sweeteners with the argument that your pancreas releases insulin from the sweet taste and your BG goes low and you die (or that you get hungry because of low BG and eat, but then your pancreas magically does not know you ate that time because your taste buds have become disconnected from the process suddenly). Or something like that... Here is the truth: your pancreas releases insulin based on BG, not based on diet (ok, perhaps indirectly based on diet, as diet is a major factor of BG). Glucose wouldn't just stick around because it came from non-carb sources.

ETA: 102 is not high. The baseline used by labs for fasting BG is based on the timing of a carb-heavy diet. To get a good fasting BG within the same baseline on a LCHF diet, you need to fast for at least 14 hours before testing.

anthophora

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Here is the truth: your pancreas releases insulin based on BG, not based on diet (ok, perhaps indirectly based on diet, as diet is a major factor of BG). Glucose wouldn't just stick around because it came from non-carb sources.

Thanks for the response. This makes sense. I have read that cortisol is released during exercise and that it can counteract insulin (as well as stimulate gluconeogenisis and glycologenesis). Sunny_Bunny's point about cortisol above was really interesting.

midwesterner85 wrote: »

ETA: 102 is not high. The baseline used by labs for fasting BG is based on the timing of a carb-heavy diet. To get a good fasting BG within the same baseline on a LCHF diet, you need to fast for at least 14 hours before testing.

Thanks again...I am too worried but in my ignorance, I had predicted it would be low (the nurse told me it was high). Mainly, I find physiology fascinating and is motivating me to look into this more.

Dragonwolf

There is some research that shows cardio exercise at greater than 80% of max HR causes an increase in BG, similar to a stress response / adrenaline-induced glycogen release.

It's "dose-response" and because you're in anaerobic territory. At very high levels of intensity, the body can only use glucose for fuel. It's kind of a sliding scale -- you start with burning almost entirely fat, as you increase intensity, the percentage of fat used goes down and the percentage of glucose used goes up (fat-adapted people can delay the transition from primarily fat to primarily sugar, over time). Since you inevitably have to burn glucose at the very high levels, the body releases it from the glycogen stores, causing a spike in blood sugar.

Things like, what does NORMAL blood sugar look like?

For a non-diabetic person, normal fasting blood sugar should be in the range of about 60-99mg/dL, with ideal between between 70 and 85, though he does mention that LC kind of complicates matters and can make the fasting blood sugar a little higher (90-100mg/dL) range. However, in my experience, that doesn't always happen. My blood sugar dropped to 87mg/dL after I went zero carb.

I have a general understanding of the mechanism, just not what can be DONE with that understanding (other than quit eating high carb crap).

What are you expecting to do? Blood sugar is primarily affected by carbohydrate intake, and secondarily affected by stress (physical or psychological). That's...about it.

Twibbly

Dragonwolf wrote: »

Things like, what does NORMAL blood sugar look like?

For a non-diabetic person, normal fasting blood sugar should be in the range of about 60-99mg/dL, with ideal between between 70 and 85, though he does mention that LC kind of complicates matters and can make the fasting blood sugar a little higher (90-100mg/dL) range. However, in my experience, that doesn't always happen. My blood sugar dropped to 87mg/dL after I went zero carb.

Yeah....mine is DEFINITELY not in that category.

I have a general understanding of the mechanism, just not what can be DONE with that understanding (other than quit eating high carb crap).

What are you expecting to do? Blood sugar is primarily affected by carbohydrate intake, and secondarily affected by stress (physical or psychological). That's...about it.

Do different foods with the same GI react differently in different people? Does when you eat related to exercise make a difference? Does eating at different times of the day change things? There's all sorts of theories bouncing around in my head.

Twibbly

KeithF6250 wrote: »

I've always liked this as a place to start.
phlaunt.com/diabetes/

Bwahaha! I just figured out that it's Jenny Ruhl's site. Blood Sugar 101 is arriving Friday.

GaleHawkins

Blood sugar levels must have many factors determining its level that CICO does not grasp.

KarlynKeto

GaleHawkins wrote: »

Blood sugar levels must have many factors determining its level that CICO does not grasp.

Twibbly

Starting today, I'm checking my blood sugar first thing in the morning and 1 and 2 hours after each meal. I'm basically following this for now: http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14045524.php

As I learn more and acquire more data, I may alter how I'm testing.

Twibbly

Things I've learned recently:

• I can eat up to 33g carbs in a meal (from potatoes), take a walk, and still have my blood sugar an hour after eating be 103.
• Prednisone can raise your blood sugar, even after you stop taking it.*
• Carpal tunnel in prediabetics is a decent indicator that they'll develop full-blown diabetes.*

*from Blood Sugar 101