Actual Data On The Effects Of Various Foods And Amounts On Blood Glucose Levels?

[Norman Stanley]

Does anyone know of some actual studies that show the actual impacts on blood sugar of various foods (and possibly food combinations)? For example has there been any data collected from continuous monitors like the Libre Flash that can be amalgamated to provide real world data on the impact of various foods?

I've been keeping a close eye on my own diet and blood glucose rises and have noted that many of the 'taboo' foods like potatoes don't seem to produce much of a response, particularly when eaten with other foods high in protein. For example I might only get a 0.5 mmol/l rise after eating a chicken casserole with 200 grams of chicken, and 100 grams each of potato and carrot and this also does not affect my ketone levels. Is this unusual? Is there some hard data on food vs blood glucose rise somewhere? If not could this forum possibly organise such a data collection?

 

[Boo1979]

Its all very individual so the only way to know how any particular food will affect your individual blood sugars is to buy a meter and some strips then test, as you are doing
At the gross population level, starchy carbs will generally produce higher sugars than other foods but at the individual level some people are absolutely fine with say potatoes while others find it sends their sugars ballistic.
There is also some variation depending on the time of testing and the stage of the disease. For example I was fine with things like bread, fruit, legumes and brown rice for the first 15 years or so, now at 21 years into diabetes Im not

 

[Norman Stanley]

Thanks for the reply. Not withstanding the wide range of individual responses I think it would be very useful for people to have actual data to make a basis for their diets - using actual data based upon many hundreds of individuals would really help make sensible, logical guidelines for medical bodies for example. I know if I followed the diet recommended for me I would be eating a dozen times the carbs I am eating now.

Surely there would be some value if there was compiled a database of real-world food responses that could show for example that, and I am making these numbers up, '100 grams of sweet corn produces an average blood glucose rise of 3.7 mmol/l in the first half hour with a range between 0.8 and 12.4 mmol/l and a standard deviation of 2.6 mmol/l. After 2 hours blood sugar peaked at an average of 6.2 rise +/- 3.4 mmol/l. The minimum recorded was 1.7 mmol/l and the maximum was 16.2 mmol/l.'.

Why is this sort of hard data not available to help guide individual and medical professionals dietary choices?

 

[Bluetit1802]

You would have to find someone to fund the research. I doubt any of the food producers/manufacturers or Big Pharma would be on board. They make vast sums of money keeping us all in the dark about this.

 

[Norman Stanley]

You would have to find someone to fund the research. I doubt any of the food producers/manufacturers or Big Pharma would be on board. They make vast sums of money keeping us all in the dark about this.

While some people in corporations may want to keep people sick to make a profit I have worked with many doctors and nurses who would take great joy and pride at being able to actually help people reduce the effects of diabetes in a logical and more predictable way. What I am somewhat dismayed about is the almost complete acceptance in the medical community of the dietary guidelines which are so high in carbohydrates and so low in fat despite any real data to support such a belief. I confess that many years back when I was an RN and received my (brief) education on diabetes I did not question those guidelines either.

 

[Lamont D]

For nearly twenty years now in total, the advice I received only exacerbated my health.
It was only after diagnosis nearly five years ago, that I had a clear indication of my future dietary advice given by my endocrinologist, who was the only doctor who had a clue what was happening to me.
He actually advised me to look on this site because of the way my body reacts to mostly carbs and starchy vegetables.
He still insisted until last year to get me to eat a little amount of complex carbs with my meals.
He changed his mind because of my food diary.
It showed clearly the spike caused by even a few grams of carbs.
And the difference by not eating those carbs.

What I'm getting at is every one of us, has a different story to tell and how we got to where we are now.
The environmental, taste, availability, cultural differences around the world means to find any two examples of how to treat the condition has to be low. The extreme diversity within human life is immense.

I have found my balanced diet, by the use of a glucometer, trial and error, experience and experimenting.
And I would recommend any one to do the same.

If I can persuade by evidence to a professor of endocrinology that carbs are not necessary, that is what everyone should be able to do with all our health care providers.

My food diary is now eight years old!
My average fasting is 4.3.
My last Hba1c levels was 37.

The proof is in the eating!

 

[lucylocket61]

We are all different. Some can eat certain foods, and other cant. Some get a minor reaction to a food, others get a big spike.

The point of using our meters and testing before and after meals is to find our individual threshold. And they can very over time, and due to other influences like stress or illness.

I really wish there was a quick and easy way of looking up foods, quantities and reactions but, as we all respond differently, I can see how it would be possible.

 

[Mbaker]

This might be of some use https://nutrientoptimiser.com/ and close to what you want. This list of glycemic index and load could also be of use to you https://alsearsmd.com/glycemic-index/ e.g. corn bread would not be a great idea as it will potentially spike high and long.

Be your own n=1 study. It is quite interesting doing this. So maybe test and record if you can in a spreadsheet with a notes section, or maybe if you have a Fitbit / Google Fit account; I was able to see that in February that at my leanest and most muscle mass I was doing around 15 k steps, not eating much diary or berries of an evening - I have reverted to this (along with some other variables) and now am having a really good run of fasting blood glucose, without the notes and graphs I would not have known what I did.