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Strange drop in blood glucose after eating rice

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wendy41

Member
Messages
22
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
My husband is a type 1diabetic of 40 years .He monitors his blood glucose using the Libra freestyle monitor We have recently noticed that after eating a meal containing Rice , within 2-3hr his glucose level falls sharrply . For example tonight after eating 100grm of rice and with a pre meal glucose level of 7, his Libra devise advised an injection of 8 units of Lantus Within 2 .5 hrs his levels had dropped to 2.7.
Can anyone advise as to why this always happens with rice but not with Potatoes Thanks
 
Was it 100g of rice or was that the carb content? Also you wouldn't normally be using Lantus as a bolus insulin.
 
I always have a problem with rice as well, and having tried all sorts of different timings/dosages/split doses etc, very rarely eat it now. Hospital diabetes clinic said a lot of type 1 diabetics seem to have problems with it.
 
eventhorizon said:
Was it 100g of rice or was that the carb content? Also you wouldn't normally be using Lantus as a bolus insulin.
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Hi thanks for responding. We weighed the 100grms of uncooked rice and then calculated the amount of carbs in that to enter into Libra and apologies I should have said humalog not Lantus.
 
Hopeful34 said:
I always have a problem with rice as well, and having tried all sorts of different timings/dosages/split doses etc, very rarely eat it now. Hospital diabetes clinic said a lot of type 1 diabetics seem to have problems with it.
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That’s interesting I wonder why. Thanks for your reply
 
Maybe off base but could it be down to GI score? Brown and white rice would be different.
I have a smaller bolus with rice than, I do with pasta. Potatoes I also have to watch at dinner, more likely to have night time hypos.
 
Thanks forresponding interesting that your problem is with potatoes.What we don’t get is it drops so quickly after the meal and it’s with basmati rice not brown rice. We understand it is white rice causes highs not lows . Weird
 
wendy41 said:
Thanks forresponding interesting that your problem is with potatoes.What we don’t get is it drops so quickly after the meal and it’s with basmati rice not brown rice. We understand it is white rice causes highs not lows . Weird
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Hi there, I find all rice affects me no matter the colour. You may never find a logical explanation especially where diabetes is concerned but what you do know is that the units of insulin taken were too many for the carbs consumed. I have come across several odd variations in food and so on and have come to the conclusion that you just have to test the foods you eat with the amount of insulin needed for that precise food (which can change as time goes by or if you have exercised just before or run up the stairs or had a row...well you get my drift). It is definitely NOT a precise method counting carbs & matching insulin. I find that the type of carbs makes quite a large difference too, for example 30 carbs of veg tends to require no insulin, 30 carbs of potato does, 30 carbs of rice requires half the amount I would normally have, do you see what I mean? Although there is a rule of thumb for an insulin to carb ratio, I believe it is only that, so all any individual can do is test, test, test and act accordingly. Additionally glucose levels can fall within 30 minutes after eating or an hour or two hours etc, even if you've had the same meal before. x
 
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Where's the 'like' button when you want one.
 
Thanks for all your responses . It adds a sense of reality when the balance of Carbs and Insulin.doesn’t match the text book. Any other comments are still welcome
 
What did you have WITH the rice? I ask because when I have curry for example or something else high in fat I would need to stagger the dose, because although the rice requires insulin the curry slows the digestion of the whole thing down - it could be a timing rather than an amount issue? Just a thought.
 
My problem with rice, in special, white, is that this rice, increase my blood sugar a lot and so fast. When I cook more than my CH ration, this problem is worse. Then, the only solution I have is boil or cook separately that the other rice. I don't know if it's produced by the starch

Sorry if I make any mistakes writing, I'm from catalunya: P
 
Could be a dose error or could be that he eats the rice wiht different foods that are slowing down his resondse to the insulin? Does his bg rise later on after the low? Unfortunately this is the reality of carb counting. It isn't just about the amount of carbs but stuff likethe quanlity of them and the company that they keep..Which is why I personally avoid tthem.
 
Hi, some people are sensitive to spicy foods, especially if not eaten particularly regularly, and find a spicy curry fir example would lower blood sugar. Perhaps this is why?
Would he inject 8 units regularly for other meals too? Could it be a sudden increase in insulin? I've read that some find they are more sensitive to larger doses of insulin, but not sure about scientific proof of this.
Also worth thinking about anything else (stress/exercise/alcohol) which might be a factor. I feel lucky I've never noticed a difference in effect based on the source of the carbohydrate but it would be interesting for you to experiment and see whether that particular meal does require different ratios compared to others. Good luck!
 
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