Hi. A friend of mine who was diagnosed with diabetes recently went on a low carb diet, with great success. His a1c is now 5.4 and is otherwise healthy (not obese, other blood tests are normal). However is C-peptide is high, over 5. To me this means his pancreas is really cranking out insulin despite having relatively little blood sugar to deal with. Would his C-peptide float down over time or is this something of serious concern?
He got the results in first before seeing his doctor. I am hoping one of you guys could shed some light so he could more informed before his doctor appointment.
Well maybe I am confused. I was hoping a low carb diet tackles insulin resistance. But does such a diet only mean that you are ingesting less glucose and does nothing for insulin resistance? Less insulin is required but one's body still over produces insulin for some mysterious reason?
I haven't really read anything concrete wrt the cause of insulin resistance. It's not obesity; obesity seems to be a consequence of insulin resistance. I now fear that once someone is insulin resistant the situation only gradually gets worse until the body cannot possibly produce enough insulin, even if it as lot (judging by C-peptide level), to move glucose out of the blood.
A bit off topic, when seniors develop type II diabetes is it generally because their insulin production gradually poops out or it because, like younger (middle aged) folks they develop insulin resistance? Or is both involved?
Insulin resistance is the hallmark of T2 diabetes. As with everything else about diabetes, how much IR one has is an individual thing.
My understanding that a low-carb way of eating doesn't resolve IR issues, it just bypasses it since the body's cells are using fats for fuel rather than carbs. This also does reduce the amount of insulin needed/produced in response to a meal.
I did a search on the C-peptide test and there were several other causes of a high reading than IR. Which mean's probably more tests for him in the future to rule in/out these things.
Just want to mention, that a person can be T2 with low insulin production but not because of the T1 antibody thing. My C-peptide is 0.8, with insulin resistance not being the main issue.
I agree that a T2 can have low insulin production. I certainly wasn't trying to say that this doesn't happen - only pointing out my own experience in relation to the idea that older diabetics have reduced insulin production just because they are older.
suznfine - that is interesting that you don't have much insulin resistance. Just curious, did you discover this from a test, or based on something else?
suznfine - that is interesting that you don't have much insulin resistance. Just curious, did you discover this from a test, or based on something else?
When I went on Medicare, I was already on an Animas insulin pump. It went out of warranty and needed to do new blood work to see if I met Medicare standards for a pump. The new requirement is not being a Type 1, but that the C-peptide must be 0.8 or less. So, blood work was done. I was diagnosed in 1995, previous blood work gave the result of 1.0.
The sad result of this new Medicare standard, is that Type 2s who, at doctor's recommendation, need and use a pump, cannot get the pump when on Medicare because of the typical high C-peptide number.
I do have some insulin resistance just not the main issue. Type 1s can also have insulin resistance.
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