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Protein and delayed BG spikes

S

Shuglas

Newbie
Messages
3
Location
Aberdeenshire
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi. Wondering if anyone has any tips or materials to help with a problem I’m having. When eating meals high in protein my blood sugar always spikes around 6 hours afterwards. Last night for example I had a burger and chips at 6 pm. Took more than enough insulin for the carbs (dual bolus) and was 6.3 at 9.15pm. Woke up then at 3am with a big of 13.7. This happens every time I eat meat in the evening. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
On a personal level, protein only affects BS levels I have it as a stand alone meal with no carbs. Carbs with protein would see me only have to concern myself with the carbs . My body will only go in to gluconeogenesis in the absence of carbs.
Looking at last nights meal of burger and chips my biggest consideration would be the fat content of the meal and it’s ability to slow down digestion. On occasion I eat fish and chips I have similar issues and will split bolus to pre meal bolus and a post meal bolus upto an hour after.
Not sure if this helps with the bigger picture of your issues but I strongly suspect last nights problem is fat in food related and not protein.
 
Well that actually would make a bit of sense. Other meals I’ve had that have the same kind of reaction would be high fat as well but interestingly it usually involves red meat like steak, roast beef and burgers especially. Same question stands though, any tips for dealing with it? I don’t eat them that often and for that reason I don’t want to stop eating them altogether. I’ve always been of the opinion that I’ll eat what I want to and find a way to adjust my dosing accordingly. However I’m finding it hard to manage these.
 
@Shuglas . There’s no reason why you should have to forgo a favoured meal.
The best advice I can give is to keep eating these meals but try different bolus strategies and keep a record of what happens BG wise.
If you know the meal is 80g carbs but is fatty, chips, fish in batter , pizza etc then try injecting half of your dose prior to eating 15/30 mins if possible, inject the other half of your dose after eating maybe 45 mins. It’s all trial and error to be honest, but if you keep a record of what happens you may build up a good idea of the direction you need to take. You may not completely eradicate the spikes, I never have but you can gain some control of the size and duration of the spike.
Good luck and enjoy those “ special “ treat meals
 
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