Prediabetes Low potassium, high insulin?

[greencajun]

Hello,

My doctor thinks I may have a diabetes-related condition, but she seems puzzled as to exactly what it may be. Repeated blood tests show that I have both low potassium and high insulin. The doctor says, and my internet research confirms, that low potassium generally causes low insulin, and vice versa. She has prescribed potassium chloride and metformin (both 2 tablets a day) but they do not seem to be having much effect on the test results. I also seem to have low blood oxygen. Glucose level is OK.

Any thoughts?

Thanks much,
gc

 

[ianf0ster]

Hi @greencajun and welcome to the forum.
We don't hear much about people with high insulin here because doctors usually only test for glucose. However it is thought (not proven yet) that Type 2 diabetes starts with insulin resistance, which then means that our bodies have to produce more insulin in order to force glucose out of the bloodstream.
Thus somebody heading towards T2 diabetes would have abnormally high insulin even quite long before their glucose levels even reached those considered to be a 'pre-diabetic' or 'at risk of diabetes' level.
In both the main UK diabetes forums, many control or reverse their Type 2 diabetes without needing any diabetes medication - just by reducing the amount of all carbohydrates we eat (starches like potato and grain as well as sugars like tropical fruit.

I have no idea why your potassium levels may be low, I keep my electrolytes good by diet (after initial supplements). I use a Sodium Chloride& Potassium Chloride Salt (a well known brand is called 'Lo Salt') lots of leafy green vegetables (for both potassium and magnesium), Broccoli (Potassium), Avocado (both) and nuts (Magnesium).

Metformin is usually prescribed for T2 Diabetes and works by reducing the amount of glucose that the liver will dump into the bloodstream (see 'Dawn Phenomenon' and 'Foot on the Floor'). So I suppose this could reduce the amount of insulin your body needs to make, but only by a tiny amount.

 

[greencajun]

Hi @greencajun and welcome to the forum.
We don't hear much about people with high insulin here because doctors usually only test for glucose. However it is thought (not proven yet) that Type 2 diabetes starts with insulin resistance, which then means that our bodies have to produce more insulin in order to force glucose out of the bloodstream.
Thus somebody heading towards T2 diabetes would have abnormally high insulin even quite long before their glucose levels even reached those considered to be a 'pre-diabetic' or 'at risk of diabetes' level.
In both the main UK diabetes forums, many control or reverse their Type 2 diabetes without needing any diabetes medication - just by reducing the amount of all carbohydrates we eat (starches like potato and grain as well as sugars like tropical fruit.

I have no idea why your potassium levels may be low, I keep my electrolytes good by diet (after initial supplements). I use a Sodium Chloride& Potassium Chloride Salt (a well known brand is called 'Lo Salt') lots of leafy green vegetables (for both potassium and magnesium), Broccoli (Potassium), Avocado (both) and nuts (Magnesium).

Metformin is usually prescribed for T2 Diabetes and works by reducing the amount of glucose that the liver will dump into the bloodstream (see 'Dawn Phenomenon' and 'Foot on the Floor'). So I suppose this could reduce the amount of insulin your body needs to make, but only by a tiny amount.

Thanks for the reply. The doctor did mention insulin resistance and I googled that. Surprisingly, she did not mention dietary changes. I know vegetables are healthy but I have difficulty eating them, unfortunately. When you say to avoid "grain," you don't mean whole grain, do you? Like rye or wheat bread?

The low potassium seems to be the biggest issue at the moment, since it is not going up despite two doses of 650mg each day. The doctor thinks something must be causing potassium to be removed from my body, but she does not know how it is happening. A 24-hour urine test showed normal levels of potassium in the urine. The low potassium may be connected somehow to my low blood oxygen.

 

[ajbod]

ALL grains, whole means very little to Insulin resistant people.

 

[greencajun]

ALL grains, whole means very little to Insulin resistant people.

So, we should not eat any type of bread at all? No sandwiches?

 

[ianf0ster]

You are (at worst) only pre-diabetic, but many of us Type 2 Diabetic eat no bread (except for special 'low carb' bread.

Whole grains are very slightly better for Diabetics than refined grains. They have some vitamins (but most commercial bread is 'fortified' with vitamins anyhow) more fibre (so slightly less of digestible carbohydrates) and a slightly lower Glycaemic Index (so digest slightly slower and thus take slightly longer to raise blood glucose).
Tropical Fruit (especially banana but also mango, pineapple and even some temperate climate fruit like grapes) are also a problem. So far as fruit is concerned for Type 2 Diabetics I like the phrase 'Berries are best'.