Too Few Carbs = High Blood Sugar

[Bliss Pirate]

Here is a question I have for those of you more familiar with diabetes then I am.

I have a friend who is diabetic, takes a generic glucophage type drug, and has been advised that she should eat at least 45 g of carbs at each meal. Now, when she eats fewer carbs, it seems her blood sugar goes really high. This seems strange to me. Can someone help me understand how that works?

[ninnin]

Metformin and low-carb work wonders for me. It also seems to be the treatment of choice at the PCOS forums I frequent. I can't understand the results your friend is seeing Bliss but I'm IR, not yet diabetic.

I was told metformin works by sensitising your body to it's insulin. This should cause the carbs ingested to be better utilised. I don't see how eating less sugar makes more sugar in the blood. I've been wrongly advised in the past to eat a certain amount of carbs but that was to ensure my sugar didn't drop too low since I was taking meds, not that it would go too high if I didn't eat enough. :S[/b]

[ninnin]

I've had another think about it Bliss and it just seems wrong. The only thing I can think is that when she ate less carbs they were higher GI or that she ate less protein with the smaller meal. Protein would have slowed down the carb burning.

[Megs]

this is how I understand insulin levels. Most of us are insulin resistant - our bodies produce too much insulin when we eat carbs, which then turns to fat. And so we stop eating carbs and lose weight.
Once we have developed diabetes our bodies stop producing insulin altogether and so we must take insulin in a pill or intravenous form.
I would say that the carbs your friend is recommended to take are to "soak up"( if that is the right word ) the insulin he is taking. I am assuming here that he is taking insulin in some form.
The thing to do is to reduce your insulin at the same time as reducing carbs in a strictly controlled way. Getting the balance between the insulin and the carbs is important I suppose hence the blood sugar rises if the balance is off kilter.
I am not an expert here but this reaction could be explained in the above way... someone else probably knows the real answer!

[rdharper]

Only thing I can think of is that Glucophage works by suppressing glucose production in the liver.

Suppose the carb intake is reduced enough that a "stress" reaction triggers a release of the glucose that is not being processed in the liver.

Ask your friend how he/she "feels" when the lower than 45 carbs is ingested.

Richard

[firelady2]

I was diagnosed as type II diabetic (Hem A1c)=8.5 before this diet when taking metformin (glucophage). On this diet I reduced the Hem A1C to 5.9 and no longer routinely take Metformin. I do take it when I go
out and eat too many simple carbs.

Maybe Harpers explanation is correct. Glucophage does supress formation of glucose by the liver. I have to say though that when I started this diet nearly 2 years ago I took my blood sugar frequently and
did not see any spikes when I was on induction. Is your friend type I?

[Bliss Pirate]

I appreciate all you feedback.

I do not belive the is type 1...but I will have to verify that.

I think what is going on is that her nutritionist is not a low carb fan...and so what is happening is that she never depletes her glycogen reserves...so that when her blood sugar does drop, her liver goes overboard in dumping sugar into the blood, thus the sugar spike when she goes light on carbs.

But, not being her doctor or nutrionist...I'm not going to advise her to follow anything other then the plan they recomend...well, at least not unless I can point to some pretty solid documentation...

The upside is that she has been steadily (but very slowly) loosing weight-and that will only help.

[Evrrdy]

this is how I understand insulin levels. Most of us are insulin resistant - our bodies produce too much insulin when we eat carbs, which then turns to fat. And so we stop eating carbs and lose weight.
Once we have developed diabetes our bodies stop producing insulin altogether and so we must take insulin in a pill or intravenous form.
I would say that the carbs your friend is recommended to take are to "soak up"( if that is the right word ) the insulin he is taking. I am assuming here that he is taking insulin in some form.
The thing to do is to reduce your insulin at the same time as reducing carbs in a strictly controlled way. Getting the balance between the insulin and the carbs is important I suppose hence the blood sugar rises if the balance is off kilter.
I am not an expert here but this reaction could be explained in the above way... someone else probably knows the real answer!

I girlfriend of mine is on glucophage. She was down to 60 carbs per day and was doing exactly this recommendation. She lowered her dosage as she lowered her carb intake. It worked beautifully for her and she dropped tons of weight. Nearly came off the glucophage and then stopped the carb reduction, gained back all the weight and had to increase the dosage again. It was really sad.

[Determined2BThin]

I noticed that once I started Atkins I got off he glucophage altogether... and my blood sugar has been good/normal levels.. However, I have noticed that when I drink Caffeine (which isnt allowed on induction) my blood sugar skyrockets -- then drops and makes me have headaches.. its wors enow that i'm off caffeine, if i go out to eat and have a diet coke i can tell a difference immediately.

Is your friend drinking alot of caffeine by chance?

[Bliss Pirate]

Hmmm...I'll have to ask about cafene this weekend. She does not drink coffee...but perhaps her diet coke consumption is way up....

[firelady]

Just an update. My blood sugar is back low again. I was bad with the diet from Nov-Feb due to family illnesses and have been back on since then because my BP and sugar went up. My blood sugar is now good again. I take Metformin from time to time because it appears to be a good anti-aging drug. I have been on induction recently and also taking Metformin even though my blood sugar is normal. I have never seen a sugar spike or a bad drop and I monitor frequently. I know that people are different but maybe something else is going on here?

[MontanaRebel]

I was diagnosed with diabetes about 15 years ago and since being on Atkins my blood sugars are the best they have been for a very long time. I do take insulin by injection two times a day and hope to be able to get off this and the medication as well...Johnny

[Melody]

this is how I understand insulin levels. Most of us are insulin resistant - our bodies produce too much insulin when we eat carbs, which then turns to fat. And so we stop eating carbs and lose weight.
Once we have developed diabetes our bodies stop producing insulin altogether and so we must take insulin in a pill or intravenous form.

Almost.

Type I diabetes is usually juvenile onset and is caused by the body not producing insulin.

Type II diabetes which most adults get is not because they don't produce insulin, it's that their bodies are resistant to the insulin they are producing, so you have to take some type of pill, and in worse cases, insulin injections to stabilize your sugar levels because your own insulin is working to turn the carbs into fats. If your blood sugar levels are elevated, then you're diabetic.

My body still produces insulin, but I'm insulin resistant. When I stay on Atkins for a week, I can get rid of the medicine because my body isn't throwing out insulin in response to the carbs.

[Melody]

My blood sugar bounces like a yoyo if I drink caffeine...which is why I haven't had any in almost 25 years.

[Glad2beme]

"My body still produces insulin, but I'm insulin resistant. When I stay on Atkins for a week, I can get rid of the medicine because my body isn't throwing out insulin in response to the carbs."

I'm grateful for your sharing, it's a very interesting discussion. thank you