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Metformin has a finite effect on blood sugar, largely by suppressing glucose release from the liver. It isn't typically associated with hypos, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metformin#Mechanism_of_action Running a blood sugar of 7 will have chronic effects that are best avoided.

Controlling the grams of carbohydrate you eat, which means knowing how much is in the foods you eat. Avoiding things like cereal, bread, chips, crisps, cake, potato etc helps reduce your intake.

Get hold of Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution book. He advocates that diabetics should have the same blood sugar as normal people. Metformin can only achieve a limited change to HbA1c about 1 to 1.5 old style units. If that isn't enough then DrB advocates use of insulin over the other pharma...

What is the lowest value you see during the day ? 12.5 is silly high. Anything you could do diet-wise to reduce it in the meantime....

Porridge and toast at least as bad as fruit. Have bacon and egg for breakfast.

but if we're diabetic or prediabetic that bit has clearly gone wrong.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/ne ... 8313330902 was the study that led to Metformin being approved in the US So a 1.5 reduction in HbA1c, with most of them on 2500 mg/day.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 4397002544 is a fairly straightforward metformin trial looking at dose response in Type II diabetics starting with HbA1c values around 10% and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) around 15 mmol/l. None of the dose rates up to and including 2500 mg/day...

Not "bad" but you ideally want to be seeing numbers in the 5.x region before breakfast. You said you were on a low fat diet but I think also that you didn't need to lose weight, so I'm not sure how you square that circle. Low fat foods tend to be higher carb which is what you don't want.

If it's flour it isn't a whole grain. I take things simply at face value. Granary bread has some whole grains in it, and there's a type of rye bread that is largely whole grains. Bread is just glucose waiting to happen, whatever label is affixed to it.

Terms like wholemeal are regulated by law. I don't know which particular bread you refer to but the several I checked all had wholemeal flour as the largest (first) ingredient. Pasta, bread and rice are all forms of glucose waiting to elevate blood sugar, regardless of name or colour...

3 weeks or more of sterols / stanols may improve cholesterol by 10% see http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2693.htm but note required dose level for efficacy. If you're looking to drop LDL by 1\3 to 1\2 they aren't going to deliver. What is your food intake % calories as carbs, fat...

4.9 is below the UK average. What was your HDL ? the ratio total/HDL is what drives the heart risk charts, if your HDL was say 1.7 then the ratio would be 2.9 and not even on the risk graph.

Glucose is the brain's standard fuel, but you don't have to eat it - your organs can make it. If they can't make enough the brain has a secondary fuel to fall back on - ketones made from body fat. You can rest assured your brain will sort out a fule source from somewhere, it's good at survival...

Isn't the effect of Metformin limited to about 1.0 mmol/l reduction ? If so would that be enough.

Not really, 2 hours is post meal but testing at 30 mins and 1 hour as well as 1h30 gives you the full picture while you're learning.

You could lose the bread and fruit and increase oils and fats to maintain calorie intake. If you're eating low carb the fat you eat is used to provide energy and in general the blood lipid profile improve. You say low carb and low fat, which leaves high protein and the excess protein may be...

Eating less. Let's say around 1400 calories for starters without much data to go on. As used by Prof Roy Taylor with Hairy Dieters. In getting to 1400 cals focus on reducing carbs and discuss how to reduce insulin pro rata as you do so. Try to walk or at least stand up one hour per day.

Have you considered a small snack like walnuts or almonds ? You haven't said what your total daily intake is. Sent from my Nexus 7 using DCUK Forum mobile app

Maybe the chromium helped you, it does in some studies. Sent from my Nexus 7 using DCUK Forum mobile app