• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Carb eating - BBC News

R

RyanJamesAvery

Member
Messages
13
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi all

Just been reading this on BBC. Quite interesting. I have been following a diet of no carbs for breakfast and lunch, and a small amount in the evening, and finding I am having regular hypos at night, thinking I was just becoming more sensitive to insulin as I lost weight - This may possibly indicate the reason.

Thanks
Ryan
T1 Diabetic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42705852
 
Yes, it also reflects my own experience - that my body does not like carbs in the mornings (especially fruit), yet I can eat the same ones and quantities for evening meal and the story is quite different.
 
Trust me, I'm a Doctor says:-

When the researchers tested the volunteers on the day after a run of high-carb breakfasts and low-carb dinners, they found their average blood glucose response was 15.9 units.

This was roughly as predicted.
Click to expand...

So the UK unit, or at least one of them is mmol/L and 15.9 of those would generally indicate diabetes. It would be better if they stated what the units were. Then the good doctor seems to perpetuate fat causing diabetes rather than potentially being a symptom of it:-

It does this by storing the excess sugar from the carbs as fat. Too much stored fat, particularly visceral fat (inside the abdomen) can lead to serious health problems such as type-2 diabetes.
Click to expand...

That aside, I'm curious whether that's a semi-evolved response, ie traditionally the main meal of the day has been the evening meal.
 
Hi
Im newish to all this but for me i eat carbs up until afternoon and then i just have protein, but i am only t2
So would have thought T1 would be reverse?
I dont know im just thinking out load sorry
 
From my own experience as a T2D if I follow a 20/4 split (eating only in a 4 hour window) I can tolerate more Carbs. A 16/8 split has no real affect on my response.
 
first14808 said:
Then the good doctor seems to perpetuate fat causing diabetes
Click to expand...

It does, fat in the liver is normally what trips BG into diabetic ranges.

Bluetit1802 said:
Yes, it also reflects my own experience - that my body does not like carbs in the mornings (especially fruit), yet I can eat the same ones and quantities for evening meal and the story is quite different.
Click to expand...

I expect that by the evening the Liver has less glycogen stored in it therefore somewhere to easily put excess BG. (This is also way a walk just before a meal can work as well as a walk after the meal.)
 
RyanJamesAvery said:
Hi all

Just been reading this on BBC. Quite interesting. I have been following a diet of no carbs for breakfast and lunch, and a small amount in the evening, and finding I am having regular hypos at night, thinking I was just becoming more sensitive to insulin as I lost weight - This may possibly indicate the reason.
Click to expand...

Hi Ryan, if you have lost weight then you need to check your basal insulin dose is correct by doing some basal fasting testing: http://www.salforddiabetescare.co.uk/index2.php?nav_id=1007

It's important to try and avoid hypos during the night :)
 
The big gaps between carbs is what makes sense to me. Doesn't seem to matter in which part of the day the big gaps occur in my case.
 
first14808 said:
Trust me, I'm a Doctor says:-



So the UK unit, or at least one of them is mmol/L and 15.9 of those would generally indicate diabetes. It would be better if they stated what the units were. Then the good doctor seems to perpetuate fat causing diabetes rather than potentially being a symptom of it:-

I too, am very curious about the measurements. I would not have thought a reading of 15.9 would have been expected at all. Unless they were all diabetic? Or have I missed something? Entirely possible. Have yet another cold and feeling yuk.
Click to expand...
 

I too am very curious about the measurements. I think a reading of 15.9 would not be expected at all, unless they were all diabetic. Unless I have missed something? Entirely possible, as I have yet another cold and am feeling yuk.
 
If the reading was done very soon after the carbs, and remember they were using blood from a vein not a pick. I would love to know what the insulin levels were.....
 
I usually eat a few carbs in the morning, then go all day and eat the rest in the evening. I need to keep my meals as far apart as possible for best control.
I found it interesting that the doctor moved from his reasoning of when it was best to eat to giving the advice not to plan times at all, rather than going with the findings. A case of ABEB - anything but evidence based.
 
ringi said:
If the reading was done very soon after the carbs, and remember they were using blood from a vein not a pick. I would love to know what the insulin levels were.....
Click to expand...

This is true. Id blood taken from a vien always much higher than a finger prick? I had a fbg done a few days ago with my hbalc, so I guess I will find out.

I too would love to know the insulin levels. I wonder why they didnt take them.
 
Blood glucose meters have a correction factor built in, but I expect a very short peak may be higher in the vein. At normal times your readings should give the same result as a lab test.
 
Kentoldlady1 said:
This is true. Id blood taken from a vien always much higher than a finger prick? I had a fbg done a few days ago with my hbalc, so I guess I will find out.

I too would love to know the insulin levels. I wonder why they didnt take them.
Click to expand...

My finger prick test done on my meter came out more or less the same as the lab test from my vein on the one and only time I had a plasma glucose test since diagnosis. It was a fasting test.
 
ringi said:
If the reading was done very soon after the carbs, and remember they were using blood from a vein not a pick. I would love to know what the insulin levels were.....
Click to expand...
However. Insulin output is normal and should never be made to feel we are better off without it. No never. Type1s or type2s.
 
Kentoldlady1 said:
This is true. Id blood taken from a vien always much higher than a finger prick? I had a fbg done a few days ago with my hbalc, so I guess I will find out.

I too would love to know the insulin levels. I wonder why they didnt take them.
Click to expand...
Because they are guaranteed to be high unless type1s.
 
I lose weight on insulin by low carb breakfast and not high carb main meal. The higher BG before bed can prevent the liver dumping, especially if fat included in main meal. Liver will only dump if it feels its fasting.
 
ickihun said:
However. Insulin output is normal and should never be made to feel we are better off without it. No never. Type1s or type2s.
Click to expand...

Yes, it is normal to produce insulin, and of course we are not better off without it. It is necessary for life either natural or injected. However, what is not desirable is over-production of insulin. High circulating insulin levels are as bad for health as high circulating glucose, possibly worse.
 
Back
Top