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Prediabetes and Depression

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AndyHC

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Hi,

I was diagnosed last autumn with prediabetes and have a pretty strong "Dawn Phenomenon" where my blood glucose goes up to 8mg/mol at about 7am. I have also been suffering from depression for several years, which is at its worst between 9 and 10 in the morning, when my BG is around 4.5.

However, since I started the South Beach diet (smilar to Atkins in the early stages) my BG has dropped to 5.5 at 7am and my depression is almost non existant. Could the depression have been caused by the rapid drop in BG between 7 and 9? Or is the improvement in my mood due to the healthier diet I've been following?

Thanks for any help,

Andy.
 
Welcome to the Forum, Andy.

In a lot of Diabetics there is a definite relationship between feeling hypo and your mood going down.
Carbohydrates as well as giving us energy are also very addictive and the drop in blood glucose levels reflects this.

However you do have to make a distinction between being low in mood and clinical depression. That is something for you to discuss with your doctor.
 
Hi,

Perhaps I should make it clear I was diagnosed with clinical depression about a year before the prediabetes diagnosis and have been taking antidepressants since the depression diagnosis. However, my recent change in mood has me thinking I should visit mt GP and chat about reducing my dose.

Andy.
 
That is something to think about, some antidepressents also have an affect on your blood sugar levels so that is another question to ask the Doctor !
 
I am not sure how it works but I remember reading insulin and dopamin balance of the body were related. Dopamin is usually highly involved in brain chemistry together with serotonin and if dopamin is affected serotonin is affected as well. From what I have been reading it seems that dopamin and serotonin is working antagonistically, i.e. in a way like insulin and glucagon. So, if you are having less carbs and hence, in a way controlling your insulin usage in your body, it could be that this dopamin-serotonin balance is getting affected, albeit in a good way, as well. As far as I am aware researchers have already identified a link between depression and insulin levels or glucose intolerance I should say. They have gone further than that as well. They have looked at the mechanism involved in insulin production of the body and the necessary vitamins and minerals and their defficiencies, which I think was indirectly related to dopamin production of the body as well. If I manage to find again the medical journal that I was reading these from I will put a link here for you, if you are interested.
 
From my experience, YES dropping to 4.5 will often make me feel down (in mood). I've not been diagnosed with depression although I've had my moments when I think I probably should have been... but I'd say that low blood sugar can cause major mood changes anyway regardless of my overall depressive/non-depressive state.
 
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