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Strange

R

Rich33

Member
Messages
10
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hello everyone, hope you are all as well as can be.
So this isn't making any sense to me, but it may to someone here.
My previous bloods came back as 44mmol & slightly high cholesterol levels. Most recent blood check come back a few weeks later with 41mmol and normal cholesterol levels.
I had changed my diet slightly but surely things can't change that quick.
 
How long is a few weeks? Our red blood cells regenerate every 12 weeks or so so depending how many weeks between tests and how you tweaked your diet there is no reason that they are incorrect
 
Blood glucose can change relatively quickly, if dietary and lifestyle changes target improving it. As a rough indication, an hba1c of 44 is approximately equivalent to an average blood glucose level of 7.3. An hba1c result of 41 is approximately equivalent to an average blood glucose reading of 6.8. That could be well within the bounds of possibility. (This is the calculator I used for the above - https://www.diabetes.co.uk/hba1c-to-blood-sugar-level-converter.html - usual caveats apply, i.e. it doesn't always directly convert like this, it's an approximate guide only).

From fingerprick readings following diagnosis, I went from an average of 15.3 to 7.8 in two weeks of low carb dieting. Everyone's different admittedly and fingerprick BG tests don't tell the full story, but it just shows that you could have achieved the results and they're accurate, even with just a few weeks of positive changes.
 
Regarding the cholesterol results, did you fast before the blood tests. Or if you ate beforehand what did you eat? The triglyceride level, part of the cholesterol panel is affected by recent food especially if it was fatty food.
 
Rachox said:
Regarding the cholesterol results, did you fast before the blood tests. Or if you ate beforehand what did you eat? The triglyceride level, part of the cholesterol panel is affected by recent food especially if it was fatty food.
Click to expand...
Interesting! Do you recommend (sorry - you aren’t allowed to do that, are you?) … find that fasting prior to blood tests may produce better results?
 
aylalake said:
Interesting! Do you recommend (sorry - you aren’t allowed to do that, are you?) … find that fasting prior to blood tests may produce better results?
Click to expand...
I know some say "don't fast"

I ignore that because I think the blood tests are important.

Why waste the test with doubts after about that what we drank or ate prior may have had a reaction ?

The only way I could make sure that anything that might interfere or raise/lower any metric is as minimised as much as possible, is to make the conditions pre test as close to identical as possible.

The only way I think I could reasonably do that IS by fasting.

I doubt any graph or tracker I used to help me replicate what I ate or drank prior to the last blood test, could ever get me as close to the minimal interference fasting gets me to.

of course others may disagree, but I'll carry on doing what I do.
Other are free to do like wise.


but I think my reasoning is sound.
and it's a small sacrifice for the knowledge the bloods are as accurate as my limited input can get them.
 
aylalake said:
Interesting! Do you recommend (sorry - you aren’t allowed to do that, are you?) … find that fasting prior to blood tests may produce better results?
Click to expand...
I don't know about "better results", I just always go fasted to any blood test so that it's consistent, and I then know that I'm measuring like with like as far as possible.
And by fasted I mean no food since the evening before, usually have dinner at 6pm. Even if its an afternoon test, I still stay fasted.
 
Late to the parade, but I was told not to fast for the first time, then castigated for the results! So ever after I have water fasted before the test, results are way better and to my mind more accurate anyway.
 
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