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Adding carbs and lowering BG?!?

C

CL_in_NZ

Well-Known Member
Messages
86
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I used to monitor my BG until I felt that between numbers and diet there was really no need so haven't for 6 months. I put on a libre recently as I do eat the occasional carby thing and I wanted to make sure I was not getting bad spikes from them. The results have surprised me.

When I ate two carby things (40g-70g) I got up to about 7 around an hour in and was down at the low 5s 2 hours after eating. A couple other things (less carbs ~30g) did almost nothing to me. So as I see it nothing to worry about there with those readings.

On days when I ate carbs and overnight, my BG was noticeably lower than other days. After carbs my BG tends to sit at the low 5s and the 4s when awake and low 4s into the 3s when sleeping. In contrast on the days I was very low carb I would see BG about half a point or point higher than this.

Anyone else experience this, lower BG by eating more carbs? I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Happy I don't need to stress over eating the odd carby thing but it is making me rethink my approach and I'm wondering if I should increase my carbs a bit. At the same time I am worried about falling off the wagon so to speak but don't think I will do that.
 
This is a known state the body puts itself in and is called physiological insulin resistance and is to ensure that your vital areas that need glucose get glucose and your muscles do not burn it.
 
Yes, it sounds like physiological insulin resistance (PIR), which is not the same as diabetic insulin resistance. It is a natural occurrence, also known as "glucose sparing" as the body tells the cells to reject the insulin as it is need for the brain and certain red blood cells. It only happens in the absence or near absence of carbs when glucose levels are lower than the body is happy with, mainly on keto or very low carb diets. There is plenty about it if you Google. The secret is to increase carbs a little bit, as you have discovered, and the state is usually temporary, so carbs can be reduced again if that is necessary for BS control.
 
Interesting. As I seemed to be dealing with the carbs pretty well initially (BG dropped quickly) I didn't think this was happening. But, last night I had some chinese takeaways one of which had a sugary sauce. I noticed my BG stayed a bit into the 9s and even 10 briefly before it finally dropped at about 2 hours. It was a lower carb meal then some of the other things I have eaten but maybe it was at a level that didn't provoke a strong insulin response or maybe it was the sugar as opposed to less refined carbs. It was also a low fat meal, chicken and lots of veg.

One last test coming for me before I take the libre off, an ice cream. The good thing about all of this is I seem to tolerate the odd thing OK. I'm not going to push it though to see how many carbs I could take so no plans to reverse the PIR.

I did find out that nuts don't to anything to me (thank goodness I eat a lot) and a couple beers on occasion are fine too. Pretty happy with that!
 
I love the Libre. Soooo informative,

Can i ask if you were doing parallel prick tests along side the Libre to check the accuracy of the sensor?
The reason I ask is that almost all of the sensors I have used, have read low. Anywhere from 0.1 to 1.5 mmol/l.
Each Libre is usually fairly consistent.

So what i am saying is that your readings may be better viewed as trends, rather than precise numbers.

Neverthless, even with a bit of variation, those numbers are great.
 
No prick test. I have actually found libres to read high on me in the past compared to my hba1c so I take the actual numbers with scepticism. This one seems to be about accurate though compared to my hba1c results or possibly a little low, I will see in a few weeks. I always get really weird numbers with showers too that I don't really believe anymore. I don't see how I can go from a 5, to a 10 and back to a 5 again over half an hour!

It is useful to see what something does to me though. When I see a 1-2 point rise from something that goes away after an hour I reckon it is OK. If I went with a straight prick test after 2 hours I would like the results but I would miss seeing what something is doing to me before that time. With my 'bad' reading last night I was lower at 3 hours after eating then before eating (5.4) and was OK at 3 hour but a bit higher than I liked.
 
From the accounts here, is libre reliable?

Seems like it needs to be calibred against a reliable glucometer for a day before it can be used.
 
millenium said:
From the accounts here, is libre reliable?

Seems like it needs to be calibred against a reliable glucometer for a day before it can be used.
Click to expand...

For trends it is great. It does have a margin of error it works with though as do all meters.
 
millenium said:
From the accounts here, is libre reliable?

Seems like it needs to be calibred against a reliable glucometer for a day before it can be used.
Click to expand...

Each sensor varies. Some read high and some read low, but generally speaking they are consistent. The reason for cross checking with a glucose meter is to calculate an average of how much your sensor is reading high or low so you can do mental adjustments to the readings it gives.
 

There is also a time lag?
 
millenium said:
There is also a time lag?
Click to expand...

Yes. The Libre uses interstitial fluid for its calculations. Finger pricks measure capillary blood. The interstitial fluid lags behind the capillary blood by an uncertain period. Normally 10 to 15 minutes. When I do cross checks I finger prick first, wait 10 or 15 minutes, then scan. It is all very unscientific and a lot of guess work involved. However, I find them invaluable for showing all the ups and downs that we otherwise miss.
 

I think its technology and quality control still need much improvement.
 
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