[Jssfrk4life]

(moved from Introductions forum)

Hope everyone is safe and healthy as we all go through these crazy times. Can anyone explain why as a diabetic we are considered a higher risk with coronavirus? Also came across an opinion that as a diabetic creatine is out, thoughts?

 

[itissteve]

Good question! I had heard that often, too, but really didn't dive into why until you posted your question.

I did suspect that diabetics with poorly-controlled blood glucose would be worse off -- and that is correct -- but apparently even diabetics under better control may be at increased risk. According to the International Diabetes Federation (in this USA Today article), there may be two reasons for complications:

"Firstly, the immune system is compromised, making it harder to fight the virus and likely leading to a longer recovery period."

Diabetics tend to heal more slowly than non-diabetics and sometimes get secondary infections -- a consideration for an illness that creates lesions on the lungs. The same risk exists for skin injuries, etc.

"Secondly, the virus may thrive in an environment of elevated blood glucose."

Many diabetics following the American standard of care have A1c levels in the 7s, considerably higher than that of non-diabetics (and, in fact, higher than many of us here) -- an environment of elevated blood glucose.

It's another reason to be try to keep our A1c/BG levels low and stable. Of course, I'm not a medical professional. But I feel better knowing that I and many of us have A1c levels fairly comparable to non-diabetics -- that's gotta be a plus in our favor in combating COVID-19.

Anyone else finding additional data points?

 

[Jssfrk4life]

Thanks for the great info... fairly new and still learning.

 

[itissteve]

Thanks for the great info... fairly new and still learning.

Gabriel, when it comes to COVID-19, we are all learning. Sometimes it feels that we're learning by the hour. :surprise:

 

[PhoenixFire]

I have type 2 diabetes. My fasting blood sugar is around 7.2 to 7.8 lately. My last A1C was 7.2. My city just told us that anyone with a compromised immune system should stay inside for 14 days in a row. Should I include myself in that group?

On a side note: I'm trying to cut back on calories to lose weight fast and get out of the diabetes category but I think it's too late...but every pound helps, I guess...dieting is so hard right now. I'm inclined to eat even more because of the stress. I've been doing light exercise.

EDIT: Nevermind, it appears diabetes is on the government site's list...

 

[itissteve]

Yup, diabetes (of any type) puts us at higher risk. Apparently the risk is lower if blood glucose is low and well-controlled, but there's a lot we don't yet know about COVID-19 interacts with our bodies.

This is a crazy time for many people and most folks I know are stressed one way or another by the illness, by finances, by kids home when they're trying to work... So be good to yourself, Phoenix.

Light exercise is good and it can become heavier exercise once you're used to it. If nothing else, going for a walk or doing something around the house can take your mind off what's going on outside the walls.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Yup, diabetes (of any type) puts us at higher risk. Apparently the risk is lower if blood glucose is low and well-controlled, but there's a lot we don't yet know about COVID-19 interacts with our bodies.

This is a crazy time for many people and most folks I know are stressed one way or another by the illness, by finances, by kids home when they're trying to work... So be good to yourself, Phoenix.

Light exercise is good and it can become heavier exercise once you're used to it. If nothing else, going for a walk or doing something around the house can take your mind off what's going on outside the walls.

Thanks for commenting. I have a few hobbies I can do indoors. I wonder if I can get out of the diabetes category by eating properly for the next month.

Stay safe

 

[PhoenixFire]

I disinfected the door knobs of my apartment's front door and a whole bunch of other things. :vs_box:

 

[rsfletcher]

Keep in mind there's still a lot of unknowns about this virus - everything that has been said in this thread makes perfect sense and I'm not debating it however as a database programmer who follows the rules of data science we need good hard data - for all we know it may not even be affecting people with diabetes or it could be the opposite - I've seen no information one way or another at this point so like everyone else all I can say - keep your BGs under control and stay socially isolated if you can. Love to see the numbers - reviewed the study the Chinese did on Blood Type - they noticed a data trend that people with type O seemed to be less affected but there's been no peer review etc - I'm type O so hopefully there's something to that data trend.

 

[itissteve]

I'm type O so hopefully there's something to that data trend.

Ooh, yeah! :cheer2: Go O! Go O! :cheer2:

:smile2:

 

[PhoenixFire]

That's very cool. I've got O negative blood. I hope there's some truth in that.
:vs_box:

Also, I have a few food allergies, and my allergy doctor told me years ago that there was something in my makeup that made me more immune to viruses (but not cold bugs). I wish I could remember that exact wording.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Was my question about covid and whether I should still have dark chocolate removed? I can't find it anywhere? I wanted to know whether it's better to have a treat and be less depressed and deprived, or is it better to have a body with lower blood sugar?

 

[itissteve]

Was my question about covid and whether I should still have dark chocolate removed? I can't find it anywhere?

PhoenixFire, I did the looking around that us Moderators can do and I could only find a post from you discussing eating dark chocolate from back last August -- obviously not applicable to your question.

I can assure you that us Moderators do not remove posts unless they violate the rules of the forum (spam, hate, etc.). Your question obviously does not cause a problem in those regards. Perhaps an Admin (who has more tools at their disposal) can look at past deleted posts and see if one of yours is there, but I'm guessing the answer to that is that it isn't there.

I wanted to know whether it's better to have a treat and be less depressed and deprived, or is it better to have a body with lower blood sugar?

That's a tough question to answer for anyone but you. But there's really no reason the answer can't be "both". Even if you're following a keto eating plan, your body uses 15-25 grams of carbohydrates a day.

The dark chocolate I have in the house (Aldi's 85% dark) has six net grams of carbohydrates per bar. If I eat half a bar, that's three net grams of carbs; easy to fit into a "budget" of 15-25 grams a day. I find that half bar pretty satisfying, personally. Even if it was the kind of day that made eating an entire bar important, though, I could skip some carbs at the next meal and still stay within my eating plan's guidelines. Different brands of dark chocolate have different amounts of carbs, so you want to check the nutritional information on the label. But the answer to your question could be "both".

If the dark chocolate you have contains more net grams of carbohydrates than that, then either you skimp a little more on carbs at other meals (or snacks) or it remains a real treat, not something you eat every day. All of us have had days when, despite our intentions, we ate more than we planned (or hoped to). If it's been a really bad day and more than half a bar of dark chocolate is your fix, well, you have to make this do-able. Have the chocolate and do better tomorrow.

 

[VeeJay]

One or two squares of dark chocolate (70% or 80% cocoa) is usually handled well, or adequately. If you eat the whole thing at once, or the bar is loaded with sugar, then, that's another story.

You can be somewhat sure about your chocolate if test it. Eat it apart from your meals (ie. 2 hrs or more after a meal) and test - before and 1hr later. You will learn how much of a spike in BG happens with your portion of your chocolate. And you can plan accordingly.

 

[mbuster]

Was this the question from Sugar makes the body absorb water better??

I recently read that a bit of sugar allows the body to absorb water better. This might be important if I need to drink a lot of liquids to fight the covid-19 virus. But, should I avoid sugar because of my type 2 diabetes?

Doesn't mention chocolate, but does mention covid and blood sugar.

Although about 5% of the cells of our body does require glucose, it does not require carbs to provide it. Our bodies can make and store glycogen from amino acids derived from excess protein or worst case it will do it from breaking down muscle.

 

[PhoenixFire]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I'm not on a keto diet but I've cut out a lot of carbs compared to what I used to eat in 2018. Still, I have trouble stopping at just two squares. Usually, I'll have 85% dark chocolate, but I've taken a liking to Lindt's new 78% dark chocolate which is higher in carbs. It will probably have to go... *sigh*