Prediabetes Is carb intolerance temporary on LCHF ?

[Begonia]

I'm trying to increase my carbs slightly after being on LCHF (35-50g) for about 5 months (don't need to lose any more weight, just want to keep blood sugar low). I'm finding that my blood sugar spikes when I introduce new foods (monitoring with Freestyle Libre at moment).

Just wondering whether this is likely to be a temporary carb intolerance that might resolve in a few days of higher carbs. (I have read that when people are going for OGTT they have to eat higher carbs for a few days). If so, what is the best plan to introduce carbs... does it have to be a lot of carbs to 'kick start' the pancreas or a gradual increase ? How long does it take ?

I saw a post by @nocarbs4me and also @Bluetit1802 may be able to advise ?

(my goal is about 70g carbs)

 

[LittleGreyCat]

As far as I know when you go low carbohydrate for a while your pancreas adjusts and produces less insulin It then needs a few days to ramp up again.

Several posters have reported a couple of days of spikes before they settled down again.

@NoCrbs4Me might comment.

I don't think you need to go really high on your carbs; I would be wary because this could mean really high short term spikes. However I don't know of any study.

Everyone is different so you may just be at the right carbohydrate level at the moment.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I'm trying to increase my carbs slightly after being on LCHF (35-50g) for about 5 months (don't need to lose any more weight, just want to keep blood sugar low). I'm finding that my blood sugar spikes when I introduce new foods (monitoring with Freestyle Libre at moment).

Just wondering whether this is likely to be a temporary carb intolerance that might resolve in a few days of higher carbs. (I have read that when people are going for OGTT they have to eat higher carbs for a few days). If so, what is the best plan to introduce carbs... does it have to be a lot of carbs to 'kick start' the pancreas or a gradual increase ? How long does it take ?

I saw a post by @nocarbs4me and also @Bluetit1802 may be able to advise ?

(my goal is about 70g carbs)

It may well be temporary due to the last meal effect. Certainly the pancreas needs some time to catch up with the unexpected rise in carbs/glucose. How much time is like the proverbial length of a piece of string. It will vary in each individual, and will also depend on your own insulin production/insulin resistance levels. I have never tried this experiment myself. If you want to do this, all you can do is experiment. Try increasing carbs gradually is my suggestion, but do keep an eye on your meter. If the spikes haven't reduced in 3 days, it isn't working for you.

 

[ringi]

Try doing some weight training as it can result in better removal of BG - find a gym with the correct equipment and someone to train you in how to use it.

To stop losing weight eat more fat and/or protein.

 

[DCUKMod]

I think @andcol might have some useful input on this one.

 

[Begonia]

Thanks for all your replies. Think I'll go with a steady introduction of a few more carbs while I've got the Freestyle Libre to monitor closely. Will also start some more structured exercise !

Still confused about the 'physiological insulin resistance' vs the 'last meal effect'. Can anyone point me at a simple explanation of the two please ? (I've seen a few posts but still don't really understand... probably me being thick )

 

[Bluetit1802]

Still confused about the 'physiological insulin resistance' vs the 'last meal effect'. Can anyone point me at a simple explanation of the two please ? (I've seen a few posts but still don't really understand... probably me being thick )

This is how I see it. I could be wrong.

Physiological Insulin Resistance (PIR)

This is when someone is very low carb. They have very little glucose in their blood. The body tries to preserve this glucose for the brain by forcing the other cells to reject it, so these other cells resist the insulin that is attempting to push the glucose into the cells. Hence, insulin resistance. When this happens, the person may see an increase in fasting and pre-meal blood sugar levels. The way to resolve it is to eat a few more carbs for a few days and it goes away. They can then resume the very low carb diet.

Last meal effect

This is when someone is low carb, not necessarily very low carb. The pancreas produces just enough insulin to cover the glucose from the carbs, and gets used to this minimal production. If the person then has a carb fest, the pancreas is taken by surprise and only produces the amount of insulin it has been used to producing. Hence, insufficient insulin for these extra carbs, hence a big post meal spike. If the person continues to eat these extra carbs the pancreas catches up and starts to produce more insulin, hence the spikes are lower.

 

[Begonia]

This is how I see it. I could be wrong.

Physiological Insulin Resistance (PIR)

This is when someone is very low carb. They have very little glucose in their blood. The body tries to preserve this glucose for the brain by forcing the other cells to reject it, so these other cells resist the insulin that is attempting to push the glucose into the cells. Hence, insulin resistance. When this happens, the person may see an increase in fasting and pre-meal blood sugar levels. The way to resolve it is to eat a few more carbs for a few days and it goes away. They can then resume the very low carb diet.

Last meal effect

This is when someone is low carb, not necessarily very low carb. The pancreas produces just enough insulin to cover the glucose from the carbs, and gets used to this minimal production. If the person then has a carb fest, the pancreas is taken by surprise and only produces the amount of insulin it has been used to producing. Hence, insufficient insulin for these extra carbs, hence a big post meal spike. If the person continues to eat these extra carbs the pancreas catches up and starts to produce more insulin, hence the spikes are lower.

Thanks for clarifying this. I guess in my case at 35-50g carbs it must be Last meal effect. I'm still experimenting at the moment, taking it slowly and watching the Freestyle Libre very closely !