Anonymous Question Is it OK for blood glucose levels to spike?

[Anonymous Question]

Anonymous question submitted:

Hi I have been reading the different forums and I'm totally confused by all the information I'm reading.

On the one hand I've read a normal person will never exceed 7.8 regardless of the carbs they eat and then I read that as long as a normal person returns to 7.8 at two hours then they are not diabetic regardless of how high they spike in between the start of their meal and the two hour mark. For example if a normal person spikes after every meal between 10.5 and 12.5 are they still normal as long as they return to below 7.8 at two hours?

Also I have been reading the thread about fasting BS and note people are trying to get their BS below 5 and some are disappointed with BSs of 5.5 and 5.6 but surely they are normal BS levels , so why would people be disappointed in them.

Sorry to ask stupid questions but my doctor insists that it's ok to spike at one hour as long as your levels eventually come back down at two to three hours and that 5.6 is a normal fasting blood sugar.

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[andcol]

OK be careful of the quote "normal" this is a statistical normal and the 95th percentile on that data was around 10. The level of the spike varies depending on previous meals the current meal your state the heat and many other factors.
Returning to 7.8 is or below is a good target and most normals will but not all. Again it is population statistics.

Your doctor is correct with his assertion but the less time above 7.8 the better.

 

[4ratbags]

Hi it can be a bit confusing as everyones definition of "normal" blood sugar is different. I recently read a study that suggests that BS in a non diabetic is actually lower than initialy thought.When I was diagnosed my fasting BS was 17 so my goal was to get it down under 10 at first and then I changed my goal to get it in the 5s which I have now done as well. Your doctor is right as long as your BS comes down by the 2 hr mark that is fine but a lot of people, myself included will try to eat to keep our BS quite level. It varies from person to person depending what personal goals you set for yourself. Some are happy with BS in the 7s, some in the 6s, some in the 5s abd others who aim even lower.

 

[Robbity]

AFAIK everyone spikes after eating, and there are a number threads where diabetics on the forum have tested their non-diabetic partners after various meals, and the results have been quite interesting.. Do a forum search if you're interested.

There are some guidelines issued by NICE, here on the main Diabetes UK site which might be useful, but remember they are guidelines.

I'm on a very low carb diet, and my readings are usually under the non-diabetic post-meal levels, but I'm often up towards the top of the type 2 pre-meal levels. We all have our own different battles to fight so there's no point in worrying over what someone else is doing or achieving, and it's worth remembering that many of our members are pre-diabetic which probably helps with their better/lower levels. Many people set their own targets and if they are getting good results they may feel they can do even better, so you need to set your own realistic targets (possibly together with your doctor), and aim for those. When or if you reach them, then is probably the time to think about setting lower ones.

Robbity