losing first phase insulin response due to aging

I have tested a few elderlys over 75 years old. All of them seems to have weak first phase insulin response and have 2 hours post meal bg readings from 8.5-10+. As long as they do not eat more than 60g of carb, their bg level return to below 7.8 at the 3 hours post meal.

 

I have accepted the findings without doubt. Prior to that i have no hypothesis. It is just that i knew many elderlys and they at times ask me to take readings for them.

 

I have a human nutrition degree from a university that trained dietitians that can work in a hospital. As for the test, it is not a formal study, just elderlys that were my relatives. Either i test them when they came to visit me or they requested me to bring my meter with me when i visit them. So i can ask many info regarding when they have last eaten and what they have eaten, their yearly health screening, whether they were considered diabetic, pre-diabetic or normal, also they activity habits and level. So far i have tested two of them which were considered normal based on their fgl duriing screening. Both did badly on the post meal reading at two hours, but by the 2.5 hours there is significant decrease and at the third hours bgl is 7.8 or below. Based on their hba1c i think as long as bgl return to normal by the third hour their hba1c result will not fail and since they are still considered non diabetic during their last screening, their fgl is still below the cut off.

Yesterday i came across a research paper that have a finding that is the same. It mentioned something regarding insulin receptors that has become not as good due to aging and that affects the sensitivity of their first response.

 

Hi Rob,
Your carb intake is very discipline. 50g a day is only half of what my diabetic father can tolerate, he takes 100g a day in three meals. Those that i have tested have no discipline like you, they takes a normsl diet, at least 200g of carbs or more a day. I have observed in one of them that his fgl was creeping towards 6.0 lately. In my country, the screening will send them for a 75g glucose load test if their flg reach 6.0.

 

I dun give them any advice as i know they wont listen and may not like it. One of them is 81. In the morning, he cycles for fifteen mins and do qigong in the morning for another fifteen mins. In the evening, he does 2-3 sets of heavy outdoors machine resistance exercises, a total of 4-5 movements. Other than that, he just sit down and play with his phone, ipads or dooze off. He eats any time and anything he likes.

Last week, he told me during his screening his fgl was 6.0 and was sent for a glucose load test. He got something like 9.5 at two hours after drinking 75g of glucose. But he explained that he drank some honey in the morning. But i knew his post two hours reading wasnt very good as i have seen 9.something (around 2 hours after he took some dimsum radish cakes i estimated to contain around 60-70g of carb) when i tested him before. This is one of the case i draw my observatons from.

 

My dad is 80. He is very concerned about his health status. So he exercise under my supervision, eats or after i take a reading, i do explain to him about the effect of the workout, the meal more or less, and the significance of the reading value. His data is the most detailed i have. His post-two hours reading is not always 8.5 or below. Depending on his meal, it can be below 7.8 to 9+ and occasionally above 10. But 95% of the time by 2.5 hours post meal, his reading will be around 8. And by the third hour, it will be around 7 or less. With these data, his hba1c is around 5. I find that for his age such a lifestyle is a good balance. And by the way, he still eats his favourite ingredients daily, just less carbs.