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Whey Proteins & Pre-Diabetes/Type 2

T

treacle58

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
What is the current thinking on the use of Whey Protein Supplements for a prediabetic ? I used to use them while I was still training last year. Found them useful as a good source of amino acids and great for recovery as I'm not getting any younger.
Back in February I went to see the Doc for some relief for a burning throat & fever. Had had a few drinks three nights previously & felt rough. They took my blood pressure as I did look bad. It was 212/116. Since then I've been on Amlodopine 5mg (one/day) & also Metformin 850mg (2/day). I've had blood & urine tests, Chest x-ray, and most recently a 24hr Urine test for which we are still awaiting the results. I believe they are trying to rule out the presence of pheochromocytomas. In the intervening 7 weeks I've reduced portion sizes, cut out sweets, chocolate, and white bread. I eat plenty of veg & fruit, fish, chicken anyway & not too much red meat. I've re-started an exercise regime after 7 months of little activity. As yet I've not actually been told I'm pre-diabetic, but I am conscious of the need & benefit of lifestyle changes. I'm 5'8" & 187lb (85kg), 52 years old & non-smoker. BP is down to 147/82. My midriff is bigger than my chest for the first time ever due to 7 months of no training & binge eating & drinking. I think that & the High Blood pressure was brought on by a very messy marriage break up, court cases and the stress all that entailed.
Any thoughts on whether they can be used, which ones are best or worst ? Still trying to find my way through the minefield of information.
Cheers
:cool:
 
Yep whey is fine , but just make sure its low carb....

The doctors might not tell you but most of us believe that carbs are the problem...

will tag @daisy1 who will give you some info on this


I use myprotein diet as its usually on offer, it has a few carbs but you can find some with none...use this code to get some discount (and me some points) MP120096
 
treacle58 said:
What is the current thinking on the use of Whey Protein Supplements for a prediabetic ? I used to use them while I was still training last year. Found them useful as a good source of amino acids and great for recovery as I'm not getting any younger.
Back in February I went to see the Doc for some relief for a burning throat & fever. Had had a few drinks three nights previously & felt rough. They took my blood pressure as I did look bad. It was 212/116. Since then I've been on Amlodopine 5mg (one/day) & also Metformin 850mg (2/day). I've had blood & urine tests, Chest x-ray, and most recently a 24hr Urine test for which we are still awaiting the results. I believe they are trying to rule out the presence of pheochromocytomas. In the intervening 7 weeks I've reduced portion sizes, cut out sweets, chocolate, and white bread. I eat plenty of veg & fruit, fish, chicken anyway & not too much red meat. I've re-started an exercise regime after 7 months of little activity. As yet I've not actually been told I'm pre-diabetic, but I am conscious of the need & benefit of lifestyle changes. I'm 5'8" & 187lb (85kg), 52 years old & non-smoker. BP is down to 147/82. My midriff is bigger than my chest for the first time ever due to 7 months of no training & binge eating & drinking. I think that & the High Blood pressure was brought on by a very messy marriage break up, court cases and the stress all that entailed.
Any thoughts on whether they can be used, which ones are best or worst ? Still trying to find my way through the minefield of information.
Cheers
:cool:
Click to expand...
Hi. Qualifications first (empathy): ex body builder - I know my protein powders! 51 next week. I had high blood pressure but now at the very low end of normal. Metformin. Diagnosed Oct 2015 - after a long lay off from exercise. the lay off was very long and the previous level of exercise was very high - so I fell a long way - and there may have been some friction at home.
Suggestions (more suggestion than advice)
Get back in the gym and look at the diabetes style diet (LCHF). You say you are pre diabetic. I know the term. I assume this means that you are starting to show signs. I started to show signs - mainly exhaustion, sugar crashes, bathroom 7 times a night etc.
All behind me now - thanks to a diabetes style diet. Do this first.
Exercise - and get back into gradually - especially bearing in mind the blood pressure and other issues. Most people on this site do moderate exercise daily - walking for 30-40 minutes or so and it works. The moderate exercise coupled with the change in diet will work wonders - give it time.
Protein powders. The whole idea behind a post work out protein drink is that protein is delivered to the muscles at the optimum time and that the delivery is improved by having carbs mixed in with the protein powder.
So, you either have a protein powder with no carbs (what's the point?) or a protein powder with carbs - not even if you put a gun to my head!.
Your muscles grow outside the gym. All you do inside the gym is stimulate that growth. I train each body part just once per week - compound multi joint exercises ( I'm sure you understand the jargon) with high intensity - i.e. warm up and then max out on one or two sets to failure. As soon as I get home from the gym - I eat eggs, and then I eat more eggs. I also eat fish, chicken, red meat and bacon - a food group on its own in the diabetes world. I don't eat fruit ( I love fruit - ever since I was 18 I've had to buy my fruit whole sale - beacuse of the amount I ate and as for veg - green veg only. with onions and garlic.Also, no pasta, rice, bread or potatoes and definitely no cakes or biscuits etc.
I am now stronger on the eve of my 51st birthday than I ever was ( i was competeing at regional level as a body builder in the 80's and trained with some of the biggest and best body builders in the world when they came to London.). My blood pressure is under control and my resting heart beat is 57 - my lowest ever. ( I do not take any supplements apart from the very occasional vit c if I start to get a sore throat
Moral: exercise and real food - the only healthy way to go
Good luck. You may save yourself from full blown diabetes and hopefully help reduce your blood pressure and get some health back
 
@treacle58

Hello treacle and welcome to the forum :) Here is the information we give to new members which should be useful to you in addition to the good advice you have already received above. A low carb / moderately high fat diet should be able to help you. See the link to the Low Carb Program in the information I have included. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will be able to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Sean01 said:
Moral: exercise and real food - the only healthy way to go
Click to expand...



Hi Sean, agree with you 100% on that, check out the BBC documentary "The truth About Sports Products" if you have not already.....

I was never a big supplement user (mainly protein) but that program caused me to stop using any at all, but must admit I have slipped a bit and do use a protein powder post exercise , simply for convenience as I workout mid afternoon and its too early for me to eat a meal, I do use it sparingly tho (half scoop) , as part of my home made smoothie, (greek yogurt , berries, small piece of banana , kefir, almond milk etc) , just to get my daily protein (126g a day)...and its got a bit of carbs in it from the banana and powder but I do work it into my daily (40g) carb allowance.....


As an aside,, you can make your own whey, I make Kefir and if you leave it long enough it turns into curds and whey :) , then make cheese from the curds and use the whey for a drink.....a very organic and natural way to do it...

https://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood/

http://blog.radiantlifecatalog.com/bid/62826/Homemade-Whey-vs-Protein-Powder-Rediscovering-nutrient-dense-foods
 
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I'm into bodybuilding myself....very little supplements for me. The only times I take whey protein powder are when I'm in a rush and don't have time to cook.
 
Hi. Yes, beware of all carbs even wholemeal ones as they all become glucose in the body and then fat if not used for energy. Keep them down and go for more protein and fats. I can't comment on whey protein but check the carb content.
 
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