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Type 2 Metformin & postprandial BG in non-obese

finsit

Well-Known Member
Messages
331
Location
UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all, from your experience, does metformin work for those who do not have insulin resistance, no fatty liver or central obesity? Does it still lower your postprandial blood glucose? did you try some meals without metformin and how much difference does it make postprandial?
 
Yes, it works. It's such an underrated drug providing people can tolerate it.
 
The main reason why metformin is prescribed is because it helps with the protection and function of your organs. It helps with the stability of blood glucose levels if the spikes are not high enough to cause hyperglycaemia. It is not a blood glucose lowering drug, but does help a tad with insulin resistance if you don't eat too many carbs..
It is not as necessary as some doctors believe it is, as depending on how your T2 has evolved, there are many reasons for this, a tailored dietary regime is a far better treatment, and if necessary, some diabetic drugs can give you better results. The last resort again dependent on how, is insulin injections.
We are all different, one size of treatment does not fit all.
This is why the doctors we see, he'd to be trained better on modern treatment and aspects of dietary restrictions.
 
I am doing good glycemic control with low-carb, but thought increasing carbs a bit and managing spikes with metformin. I am not insulin resistant (HOMA-IR is 0.6), lean and no central obesity. I understand that Metformin doesn't give you a licence to start eating normal, but just want to add some oats, tubers, starchy veggies and some beans/lentils to lower my LDL, so thought seeing if Metformin may help managing a bit of increased carbs?
 
A lot of medications function more effectively when they're paired with metformin. It's far more effective than what people give it credit for.

Metformin does not lower blood glucose levels in the way that a drug like gliclazide does (hence why we do not ask people to monitoring their readings for risk of hypos) however it definitely decreases levels.
 

I wouldn't worry too much with your cholesterol if you are avoiding carbs. Your steady blood glucose levels will also control your good cholesterol. It is lack of control with carbs and sugars that raise cholesterol.
Good news on insulin resistance but it won't help with that list especially the oats. There is no reason why you can't have small portions of the vegetables and tubers as long as it doesn't spike your blood glucose levels.
You do have to know Which foods to avlid, hence testing your meals.
 
You are putting everyone in the same category. Diabetes is such an individual condition. And everyone reaction to drugs, dietary treatment and care, should be tailored.
 
Antje77 said:
Metformin doesn't deal with food spikes, it deals with the glucose produced by your liver.
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Yes, that is what I understand and that is why it helps those who have fatty liver/insulin resistance and fasting BG due to reducing glucagon. Now in my case, not sure if it will help me in some of added carbs, that's the unknown, so thought i will see if someone experimented with this.
 
On the key point of "everyone's glucose control response is different" - I spend £50 every few months on a freestyle libre sensor, and then I can monitor in real time how I react to different foods for two weeks. It's brilliant for motivation (I'm really happy when I see a 6 and over the moon if I see 5, but "oh **** better be careful" when I see the higher numbers unless I've eaten), but also I find it really helpful to understand where I need to be more careful, and where it doesn't matter.

For what its worth, in my case I find
(a) BG goes up and down as you might expect with different foods, mostly no surprises (coffeemate bad, cream good) and it is just simply mirrors the grams of carbs, but for the same quantity of carbs better to have a mix.

(b) For immediate effect, 20 continuous gentle exercise (a walk, or gardening) has the best immediate result, stronger exercise is better for longer term control,

(c) Over a whole day the most important effect on BG I notice is not the food I have just eaten, but the amount of carbs in the past. If I have overdone the carbs over a few days previously, when the BG goes up and down, I see the base level it returns to stays higher.

If I am reasonably careful (<100g pd) for a few days, then BG goes up from and back down to a lower base, and sharper. I put this down to building up or running down a carbohydrate reserve - but that is just assumption.

(d) The longer I have been strict (trying to be <50 if poss, talking months now, not days) then the sharper the peaks - not so high, and a quicker drop. I put this down the the fact that one of the things high BG damages is the BG control system itself - insulin production, insulin sensitivity glucose generation, etc - and over time normal turnover could mean a higher proportion of the system is undamaged. Again that is my assumption and speculation with out experimentation is dangerous!
 
 
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