Reading of 43 mmol is this a worry

[notasugarfairy]

Back in April a blood test showed I had a blood sugar level of 43 mmol. Apparently looking back on my records it was also that reading in 2010. No one ever told me.
Now I get many texts and emails from my GP surgery telling me to lose weight and cut out sugar and carbs.
However my weight is only 7 stone. I am normally a very active person. Several strenuous walks of 2 hours or more a week.
Although for the last few months I have been nursing an ankle injury so not as active but keep active around the house and swim a lot.
What should I do. I do not want to lose any more weight. My GP is no help

 

[KennyA]

Hi and welcome. Unfortunately for many of us blood sugars being out of range is followed by weight gain. In many cases the advice to "lose weight" is given out without much consideration of the individual.

It is possible that your BG is high normal - the 43 mmol/mol is only just out of normal range and could possibly be due to test error margins - but equally it's possible it's a bit higher. Do you know what your other readings were between 2010 and now?

My experience of this is that you can pull your BG down quite a bit before losing weight - it's a question of reducing starches and sugars (ie carbohydrates) while replacing these with fats and proteins. I went from 50ish to 36 in under four months without significant weight loss - big weight loss did follow later, but you may be able to achieve what you want without it.

Best of luck. Ask as many questions as you want, this forum exists for that.

 

[MrsA2]

I believe its a matter of cutting sugar and starches enough for your bg to lower. That doesn't mean cutting protein and fats as well, but increasing them to keep you satiated and maintain your weight.
So more meat, fish (expecially oily), eggs, cheese and dairy, nuts and olives.
You might be surprised how much more you need to eat just to maintain weight but it's possible

 

[EllieM]

Hi @notasugarfairy and welcome to the DCUK forums.

It's also worth bearing in mind that it may be normal for hba1c to go up with age (your profile says you are 73?)

There is an interesting article here

What is The Normal HbA1c by Age? - CopilotIQ

Do you know what the typical HbA1c is by age? Learn more with CopilotIQ! We can help you learn how to manage your HbA1c!

copilotiq.com

It sounds like adjusting the target levels by age is controversial, so I'm not sure whether the nhs recognises it as a potential issue.

 

[notasugarfairy]

I believe its a matter of cutting sugar and starches enough for your bg to lower. That doesn't mean cutting protein and fats as well, but increasing them to keep you satiated and maintain your weight.
So more meat, fish (expecially oily), eggs, cheese and dairy, nuts and olives.
You might be surprised how much more you need to eat just to maintain weight but it's possible

Thanks for this information , it backs up what I read about today. My concern was that eggs cheese and dairy would send my cholesterol levels up but I read today in actual fact these foods don't and that full fat Greek yoghurt is better for you than low fat. It's so confusing.
I will concentrate and adding more protein too.

 

[KennyA]

Thanks for this information , it backs up what I read about today. My concern was that eggs cheese and dairy would send my cholesterol levels up but I read today in actual fact these foods don't and that full fat Greek yoghurt is better for you than low fat. It's so confusing.
I will concentrate and adding more protein too.

Yep, around 80% of your cholesterol is manufactured by your body and not derived from food. And there is plenty of recent research evidence that indicates that mortality increases with lower cholesterol - under 5 mmol/l.

 

[Lupf]

Welcome to the forum @notasugarfairy.
An HbA1c of 43 is just in prediabetes region, but as said could also be normal. Do you have any diabetic symptoms? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. If you have symptons or are worried, consider getting at blood sugar metre, and monitor how your body reacts to food.

I've noticed that your weight is rather low, and you said that you don't want to lose more weight. If your weight loss is not understood, I suggest that you have it checked out to rule out any unwanted causes. And ask yourself if you are eating enough? If not, eating more fat and protein is the way to go. Here you might want to reassess what you have been told about what a good diet is for the last 50 years. Low fat food is food, where the taste has been removed and replaced with sugar, which makes it addictive. Thus IMHO low fat is good for food companies, but bad for people's health. Let me illustrate this a bit. When diet guidelines changed in the 1970s and 80s and started to recommend not to eat butter and limit eggs and cheese, obesity and diabetes rates started to go up. While not universally accepted yet, this is not a coincidence. Slowly the trend is changing and GPs, DNs and nutrinionists are increasingly considering fatty foods good for you. These are also more satiating so don't make you crave more sugary food two hours later. Consequently I have banned all low-fat food and vegetable replacements such as margarine from my fridge. My diet has significantly increased in the amounts of cheese, eggs, full fat-yoghurt, olives, olive oil... that I eat.

If you would like to gain weight, you might want to consider training with weights. This is becoming an important recommendation as we get older.

 

[notasugarfairy]

Welcome to the forum @notasugarfairy.
An HbA1c of 43 is just in prediabetes region, but as said could also be normal. Do you have any diabetic symptoms? If not, I wouldn't worry about it. If you have symptons or are worried, consider getting at blood sugar metre, and monitor how your body reacts to food.

I've noticed that your weight is rather low, and you said that you don't want to lose more weight. If your weight loss is not understood, I suggest that you have it checked out to rule out any unwanted causes. And ask yourself if you are eating enough? If not, eating more fat and protein is the way to go. Here you might want to reassess what you have been told about what a good diet is for the last 50 years. Low fat food is food, where the taste has been removed and replaced with sugar, which makes it addictive. Thus IMHO low fat is good for food companies, but bad for people's health. Let me illustrate this a bit. When diet guidelines changed in the 1970s and 80s and started to recommend not to eat butter and limit eggs and cheese, obesity and diabetes rates started to go up. While not universally accepted yet, this is not a coincidence. Slowly the trend is changing and GPs, DNs and nutrinionists are increasingly considering fatty foods good for you. These are also more satiating so don't make you crave more sugary food two hours later. Consequently I have banned all low-fat food and vegetable replacements such as margarine from my fridge. My diet has significantly increased in the amounts of cheese, eggs, full fat-yoghurt, olives, olive oil... that I eat.

If you would like to gain weight, you might want to consider training with weights. This is becoming an important recommendation as we get older.

No I don't have any diabetic problems but want to make sure I don't get any. Thanks for your advice