Brown Rice suddenly started raising my blood sugar level after it's included in my diet for a while?

Hey everyone,

Nice to meet you all

This is my first post here.

I have been having 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice everyday for about 2 months.Before I incorporated it into my current diet,I tested my blood sugar level 2 hours after eating it for 6-7 days to make sure it would not give me problems and it never raised my blood sugar to "abnormal" levels.(The highest's 6.4 mmol/L and the lowest's 5.6 mmol/L).However,when I tested my blood sugar level 3 days ago 2 hours after eating it,it was 10.4 mmol/L!!!I waited for another 2 hours to test it again and it came down to 5.4 mmol/L.I tested my blood sugar level yesterday 2 hours after eating it again hoping the last post meal reading was just an error (wishful thinking) and it was 10 mmol/L this time.Anyone know why this is happening?I was so sure that my condition was improving since my acanthosis nigricans had almost faded away completely and my fasting and random blood sugar levels're always within the normal range.The fact that my blood sugar level raised to that level after less than 25 grams of carbs is making me worried that my condition has actually worsened.

Can the common cold I have been fighting for the past few days be making me more insulin resistant temporarily?(I have read somewhere that a cold can raise your blood sugar level) However,if that's the case,why aren't my fasting and random blood suagr levels affected?

Thanks in advance!

P.S. Sorry for the long post but I am really frustrated and need advice.

Brunneria said:

Hi and welcome!

Can I ask if you are pre-diabetic? Your profile doesn't say. And are you on any medication?

Yes, viruses, infections and other illnesses can raise blood glucose, but (my experience is) that usually results in generally higher blood glucose levels throughout the day, rather than specific peaks after certain foods. Other people may have different experiences.

Insulin resistance varies quite a lot, partly depending on carb intake in the days preceding, but also affected by exercise, so you may have a few variables going on that affect your readings.

Regarding the rice... I have two foods that raise my blood glucose disproportionately high. They are wheat (in any form) and rice. Other grains spike me less, then starchy root veg less again. I think it comes back to our personal bodies, and our personal immune systems. My body seems to have developed an intolerance to wheat and rice. Of course, I can't even speculate whether that has happened to you. I seem to tolerate them better if I only have them occasionally.

But I do think that eating the same foods long term, day after day, is not a great idea in terms of nutrition and variety. Could you swap the rice for other things for a while? Quinoa, buckwheat, lentils, bulgar wheat, are all possible alternatives.

Hope that helps.

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Hi,

I didn't go to the doctor for a proper diagnosis.My father has type 2 diabetes and has a blood glucose meter at home.I borrowed it to test my blood sugar level for the first time a couple of months ago after learning that acanthosis nigricans could be caused by pre-diabetes and the fasting number I got was 5.6 mmol/L,which's in the pre-diabetic range.I have been treating myself as a prediabetic since just to be on the safe side.

My fasting/random blood sugar levels are pretty good these days thanks to a low carb diet.I can't go too low carb though or I will get the keto rash.Maybe I will get my carbs from vegetables from now on.

Thanks for your help!

Jo123 said:

I am pre diabetic as I assume you are too. To be honest I don't eat obvious carbs on a regular basis, if I got your results I would just stop eating brown rice at all. Yes it is disappointing you're not 'cured' but sadly I think this is usually the case that you will have to watch what you eat and accept you can't tolerate to many carbs.

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I think I will replace brown rice with vegetables at least for now because the results're indeed alarming.I just don't understand why it only started affecting my blood sugar level after 2 months of eating it with no problems.

Juicetin said:

I think it would be unusual for your condition to have deteriorated that suddenly to be honest, perhaps other factors such as illness eg a virus or an infection are playing a part. Keep testing and see if the trend goes up or down.
As a prediabetic I can eat small amounts of rice with minimal effect on my blood sugar. Pasta gets me though, its a lot more carby.

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Maybe I will have brown rice one more time after recovering from the cold to see what happens.If it still raises my blood sugar that much,I will stop having it altogether.

Bluetit1802 said:

I think maybe you should visit your doctor and ask for an HbA1c test. Self diagnosis isn't always the best thing. It may set your mind at rest, and at the very worst you will know where you stand and what you must do.

I was diagnosed Type 2 with an HbA1c of 53, but my fastings, pre-meals and bedtime levels have never been high. So it is possible to be diabetic (or pre-diabetic) with lower base levels such as the ones you see..

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I wasn't aware that one could have diabetes and never get high blood sugar levels (shows you how much I know )The next time I accompany my father to the doctor he has been seeing for his diabetes,I will ask for an HbA1c test to get a confirmation.
Thanks for your suggestion!