Type 2 doctors reaction to lower hba1c

[Schifezza]

I have been following an intermittent fast and very low carb diet for the last three months and my current reading per my abbot libre is 5 down from 7. I was somewhat surprised by my doctor's reaction which was sort of that" this is not going to make a difference". As I had seen a reply letter in a newspaper in which a person had also reduced their blood sugar and a doctor had written in with much the same reaction I was not completely surprised. So I have a few questions - first does reducing your blood sugars actually do any good other than the possibility of reducing medications - if you have reduced blood sugar is this permanent or is simply a delay in a progressive disease - is the reduction in blood pressure sometimes reported mostly an effect of losing weight.

 

[sally and james]

Reducing blood sugars to normal levels, as you have done, can reverse existing complications, prevent future complications (as long as you continue the same way of eating) and improve all sorts of things including your complexion, sex life, sleep patterns, digestive issues, need to use the loo, vision and much, much more. This won't make any difference to your doctor, but it'll make quite a difference to you.
Sally
ps welcome to the forum. I'll tag @daisy1 for the new member information, which is well worth reading. It'll appear on this thread as soon as Daisy comes on line.

 

[Phoenix55]

Well done for reducing your bg. I strongly suspect the response of the doctor is based on the assumption that such a diet is not sustainable long term. Reducing medication or better still delaying medication is an achievement, don't knock it. But as @sally and james has posted there are all sorts of benefits which your doctor may view as relatively minor but which make a considerable impact on your quality of life. Personally I rather like my toes where they are, they may not be particularly pretty but they are mine and I am rather attached to them. We are all different so the reduction in bg is probably not permanent if you return to your old way of eating, but I find my lower carb way easy enough most of the time. I happen to find it tasty and enjoyable although the lack of understanding shown by some professional chefs is staggering.

 

[kokhongw]

So I have a few questions - first does reducing your blood sugars actually do any good other than the possibility of reducing medications - if you have reduced blood sugar is this permanent or is simply a delay in a progressive disease - is the reduction in blood pressure sometimes reported mostly an effect of losing weight.

Those are valid questions that many of us asked when we first achieved our normal glucose levels.

Pharma/food sponsored diabetes organizations would like us to believe there is no long term data to show that achieving normal glucose has any long term health or cardiac safety benefits. They only have data for those on lifelong medication. But...those data can be rather grim.

So many of us have chosen the road less traveled.

 

[daisy1]

@Schifezza
Hello and welcome to the Forum Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask questions when you need to and someone will try to help.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

• Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why
  
  
• Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
  

 

[ziggy_w]

I have been following an intermittent fast and very low carb diet for the last three months and my current reading per my abbot libre is 5 down from 7. I was somewhat surprised by my doctor's reaction which was sort of that" this is not going to make a difference". As I had seen a reply letter in a newspaper in which a person had also reduced their blood sugar and a doctor had written in with much the same reaction I was not completely surprised. So I have a few questions - first does reducing your blood sugars actually do any good other than the possibility of reducing medications - if you have reduced blood sugar is this permanent or is simply a delay in a progressive disease - is the reduction in blood pressure sometimes reported mostly an effect of losing weight.

Hi @Schifezza,

Welcome to the forum and absolutely well done on your achievement. Congrats.

I am absolutely convinced if we T2s (assuming here you are T2 based on your post) manage to get blood sugars into the normal or near normal range, we will be able to fend off all or most complications. Too bad that your doctor doesn't recognize this.

Maybe your doctor is thinking of the ACCORD trial for T2s, which seems to show that lower blood sugars don't make much of a difference. It is important though to realize that in the ACCORD trial lower blood sugars were achieved by medication, especially insulin or medication raising insulin production. There seems to be some reason to believe that maybe some of the damage might be also due to high insulin levels (usually T2s already make too much insulin, so raising it even more might not be helpful).

So, good on you for being proactive about management.

This website which looks at studies that link blood sugar levels to complications might also be helpful https://www.bloodsugar101.com/complications

 

[smw99]

I continue to be amazed by reactions to such great achievements. Your doctor should be delighted and encouraging you. Normal levels are likely to mean you avoid all complications. Feeling well is a a great motivator for me!

 

[Schifezza]

thank you to everyone for the replies