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Balari

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Hi Im new here. Had my blood tested last week result came 5.6.
doctor said its not diabetes and didnt seem worried about it.
i thought it was a little high considering i had the test at 7am and last thing i ate was a chocolate at 10pm. I've been a little worried and now tried changing my diet a bit but i have no idea where to start?! It's like on day i read something then the next i read the opposite.. can anyone help? And should i worry about my reading?
 
I've read that 5.7 is prediabetes thats why i was worried.
I just dont want to ignore it and then be sorry 5 yrs from now :/
 
Isn't it technically impaired fasting glucose?

According to Dr Bernstein, a truly normal fbg is something like 4.7. Much above 5 is an indication of some degree of insulin resistance. Are you overweight? Do you accumulate weight around your middle? Do you have high blood pressure or dodgy cholesterol numbers? These are other indicators of metabolic syndrome, which tend to travel together with diabetes.

Reducing carbs would help with all of the above. Start with sugar and highly refined carbs and see how you go (that may be enough for you). Have a look at the Low Carb Program on here as a good way in.

Good luck!
 
Balari said:
I've read that 5.7 is prediabetes thats why i was worried.
I just dont want to ignore it and then be sorry 5 yrs from now :/
Click to expand...

No, that's not right!
At fasting levels, normal blood glucose levels are between 3.7 and 6.0 mmols.
Some can live happily below or above that guideline.

You are not diabetic or prediabetic!
Happy Days!
 
Just spotted this from this very site:

"The NICE guidelines regard a fasting plasma glucose result of 5.5 mmol/l as putting someone at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly when accompanied by other risk factors for type 2 diabetes."

So, I think you're right to be concerned. Take action now, and hopefully you will never join this club, which is becoming less and less exclusive by the day.
 
If you are so concerned, ask your doctor for an HbA1c test. This will measure your average levels over the previous 2 to 3 months. Failing that, buy a blood glucose meter and test before and 2 hours after eating a normal meal.

Fasting tests are notoriously unreliable, which is why they are no longer used as stand-alone diagnosis tests. So many things affect them, not least exercise and stress, sleepless nights and rushing about. Simply getting out of bed and visiting the bathroom pushes mine up 0.3mmol/l Add on to that rushing to get showered, dressed, travelling to the surgery, stress at the surgery. All these will have had an effect.
 
Just to be clear i didnt fast on purpose and the doctor didnt ask if i did. I just happened to go first thing in the morning without eating first. I dont know if it makes a difference.
I am not overweight no cholesterol and blood pressure is normal as well.
I didnt know that stress etc affected results...
 
Balari said:
Just to be clear i didnt fast on purpose and the doctor didnt ask if i did. I just happened to go first thing in the morning without eating first. I dont know if it makes a difference.
I am not overweight no cholesterol and blood pressure is normal as well.
I didnt know that stress etc affected results...
Click to expand...

Stress is a very big factor in blood sugar levels, as is illness, pain, injury and so on. Also various medications can cause raised levels. It certainly isn't all down to food.
It doesn't matter whether you fasted accidentally or not, but your doctor needs to know it was fasting, otherwise he may have recorded it as a random test - and these have a much higher "maximum" level.
 
I will try to stick with more veg and fibre in my diet, reduce the carbs, do more excercise and take a test again in a month see if i made any progress. And ask for an HbA1c test
Thanks a lot for the info youve all been very helpful!!
 
Update:
So i bought myself a meter and finally tested myself.
1st test was 2hr after eating... marked 6.1 which i thought was good.
2nd test i did it first thing in the morning before breakfast.. and it was 6.1 as well :(
5 mins later it marked 5.8
3 hrs after breakfast and a walk i made another one and it marked 5.3...
Last time at the doctors i had an excuse at least... i was rushing about and in pain. Now i dont. Except maybe all my fingers are covered in chillblains so that might have affected results?? (I know im grasping at straws here)
Any advise/thoughts would be appreciated thanks...
 
Meters are not totally accurate.
Apart from these tests, do you have any diabetic symptoms?
 
No not really. But 3 yrs ago i had an operation and the nurse told me my bg was high. Got the results from the hospital and it said 5.3 on it. I've been checking it every couple of months since then. But the last time i went at the doctor it said 5.6 which i thought was high so i bought a meter and tweaked my diet a bit...
 
I have poor circulation sometimes. My hands/feet are permanently cold in winter. And sometimes i get the odd gingivitis even if i take care of my teeth... purely out of internet research, i connected them with diabetes but im not sure if i have any reason to believe they are
 
Test yourself immediately before your next meal and again 2 hours after your first bite. Come back on here and tell us what the results were, and exactly what you ate. Maybe then we can make some suggestions.
 
The numbers you give seem ok to me, but so am not a medic.
A hbac1 test would be a good idea to clarify but no one here can diagnose you.
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Test yourself immediately before your next meal and again 2 hours after your first bite. Come back on here and tell us what the results were, and exactly what you ate. Maybe then we can make some suggestions.
Click to expand...
Ok this is weird... just before lunch was 5.1
i ate 1 bowl of veg soup and 1 cheeselet. 2 almonds, 3 hazelnuts and 5 dried currants (very tiny ones) and 2 teaspoons peanut butter.
then i had tea...
2hrs later it is still 5.1.
What do you think? Its a little less than i usually eat because theres only cake, bread and fruit at home and i decided not to have any..
 
Those are 100% normal levels. :)

Try again after a main meal where more carbs are be involved. Look on it as an experiment.
 
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