High temperature affects on blood sugar levels

george21744

Newbie
Messages
1
My wife is a type 2 diabetic. We are currently on holiday in Port-Vendres, SW France where temperatures are between 28 and 35 degrees. She tested her blood yesterday and it was 21.9, by reducing sugary intake (Cakes and biscuits) and increasing water consumption this has reduced to 16.6. Even my blood sugar level (none diagnosed as a diabetic) was 12.1 now reduced to 11.4.
My wife takes tablet medication Metformin 500 mg prolonged release 1 per day and Gliclazide 40 mg 1 per day. She did take 2 of each per day but reduced it to 1 per day by diet. Should she increase the dosage or just monitor blood sugar levels to see if the low sugar diet helps?
 

Jaylee

Oracle
Retired Moderator
Messages
18,213
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Insulin
Hi @george21744 ,

A warm welcome to the forum.. (No pun intended.)

It's not just the cakes that will raise BS. I'm afraid..
Bread, pasta, tropical fruit, pastry, potatoes, cereal. Amongst others will break down to sugar too. Some take a little longer than others....

It's great your both using a meter!

More T2s will be along to help soon.

Tagging in @daisy1
 

Bluetit1802

Legend
Messages
25,216
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi and welcome,

We can't say whether your wife needs extra medication or not. That is for her doctor to decide, but if she wants to reduce what she takes she needs to change her diet. All carbohydrate converts to sugar once in the system, not just sugar. She needs to use her meter to tell her which foods her body can tolerate. If she tests before she eats and again 2 hours after first bite, there will be a rise in levels in most cases. If that rise is above 2mmol/l there are too many carbs in that meal. Ideally any rise should be under 1.5mmol/l. The fewer carbs the lower the levels will be and the flatter the better. If she goes along this route, which is advisable, she will need to test regularly because the Gliclazide may cause her levels to drop too low. (It works by stimulating the pancreas to produce extra insulin, which won't all be needed if she reduces carbs.)

If I were you, I would strongly consider getting a blood test yourself when you arrive home!
 

SueNSW

Well-Known Member
Messages
99
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Bonjour @george21744 - ca va???

I am very envious.......to answer your heading - I haven't found high summer temps here in Australia make any difference to my readings - though maybe I'm more used to them than perhaps you and your wife are. Was in Bali at Christmas high temps and very high humidity too - again no difference.

Sadly I fear it may be all those wonderful French cakes and biscuits - and so much else.......... - especially in the boulangeries .......that are more to blame for the higher readings
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
Cruelty towards animals.
@george21744

Hello George and welcome to the Forum :) To help you to help your wife, here is the Basic Information, mentioned above, we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions if you need to and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a free 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. They're all free.
  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
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Buttons11

Well-Known Member
Messages
162
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
My wife is a type 2 diabetic. We are currently on holiday in Port-Vendres, SW France where temperatures are between 28 and 35 degrees.
I can only speak from my experience, but I have been in Turkey for 5 weeks where the temps are similar and still climbing. I'm a type 2 on diet only and the highest reading I've had since I've been here is 7.7 :) I'm doing LCHF, which is not always easy in a foreign country, but I've stuck to it and I'm feeling very pleased with myself! So as far as I can see, the hot weather has not had a detrimental effect on my readings.
 

vjaarsaj

Member
Messages
7
Type II. I'm on metformin 1000 mg twice a day. Eat salad and meat (chicken/steak/pork chops, bacon) no pasta, bread or potatoes... BS are between 10 and 18.5. What am I doing wrong? Smoke but don't drink?
 

Mike d

Expert
Messages
7,997
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Dislikes
idiots who will not learn
We all have different reactions, but a lot of water and exercise will help a lot .... and despite the fact that I did smoke, I kicked it

That will be a big bonus. 18+ indicates you need to pay attention. Far too high

EDIT - Have you been thoroughly checked?