Sounds Like a Silly Question....

[SJC]

Can anyone put me right on this thought that's been going round my head for a while. If I have already asked I apologise. It might even seem like a silly question.

Let's say Mr Smith loves his food especially his take aways, his fish and chips, his pizzas and his sweet foods. Let's say he overindulges in these over a year or so. If he went to a doctor and the doc had an H1C test done on Mr Smith, would his average figures naturally be a bit high, given that he's continuously been eating these high carbs in the last three months on a regular basis?

If this is the case, let's say that Mr Smith then goes away, completely changes his diet or reduces these foods considerably, his next test I assume would be nearer a normal mark. Does that then make him a non-prediabetic? Can prediabetes be a passing thing. ie once a diet is put right it and the figures return to normal that's it..no more of being prediabetic. Does this make him more prone still to become diabetic especially if he starts eating all those high carbs regularly again? Does this also mean there an awful lot of people who are walking around who have no idea they are prediabetic?

Might sound silly but I wonder about this. Thanks

 

[Totto]

If Mr Smith has diabetes this will show in his HbA1c. If he has normal insulin production, nothing will show as his insulin will bring his bg down to normal in no time.

And yes, there are lots of undiagnosed diabetics. F or example, it took me four years and my GP another six months of illness until I eventually got the diagnosis.

 

[SJC]

So, people who are not prediabetic can have high BG after eating a carb full meal but their level will resume to normal very quickly? How quickly? How does this test know how quickly the glucose goes down? Isn't it much like taking an average reading of anybody, prediabetic, diabetic or neither? I know it's over months. I think I know what you mean. Right up to a year ago, I had the finger prick test on about five occasions in the last five years when I had to go to hospital, and a couple of times at my GPs. Every time, all I heard was, well thats fine! Then suddenly out of the blue it isn't fine. My, it must have happened quickly to me then.

 

[andcol]

Finger prick tests are a moment in time and if you had then several hours after eating then "you are generally going to be fine". Now this isnt always the case once high levels become established but in the early days it will. The HbA1c test is a measure of the average over the last 3 months or so and therefore will pick up some measure of overly increased values that stay with you for longer than they should.

As for changing your lifestyle. Yes it can remove the pre-D and even D in some cases but it is always lurking if you go back down the wrong path.

It probably didn't happen that quickly just individual finger pricks probably won't pick it up unless you are lucky.

 

[SJC]

Understood Andrew...thanks

 

[Daibell]

Everyone's diabetes is different. Once you have had poorly controlled blood sugar even though you get it back to normal thru weight reduction e.g low-carbing you are still vulnerable to the problem returning if you don't control diet and weight

 

[SJC]

Everyone's diabetes is different. Once you have had poorly controlled blood sugar even though you get it back to normal thru weight reduction e.g low-carbing you are still vulnerable to the problem returning if you don't control diet and weight

The sad part for me is that the kind of diet that gets rid of weight is a) causing other conditions to flare up and b) me to lose weight when I am desperately trying to put on weight.

 

[Spiker]

The prediabetic Mr Smith would show a slightly elevated Hba1c due to his slightly elevated post prandial blood glucose which is the definition of prediabetes. If he stopped the chips etc his post prandial blood glucose would be totally normal, his Hba1c would be totally normal, and he would no longer be prediabetic. You might say at most he had a predisposition to prediabetes.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App