[mcgruff]

Naturally, blood sugar control is the centerpiece of diabetes treatment, whether one is type 1 or type 2. However, one may have a difficult time getting and keeping one's A1C down as much as one would like. So, I'm wondering if there are certain foods/nutrients that are known to mitigate the harmful effects of chronic hyperglycemia, especially on the relevant parts of the body (blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, heart, etc.). Are there certain foods diabetics should eat not just to control blood sugar but also to make the body more resistant to the damage that hyperglycemia could eventually cause? In other words, are there nutrients that can help "forgive" higher average blood sugar levels?

For what it's worth, I'm looking at this mostly as far as what would benefit my adult-onset type 1 wife, who is still young, healthy, thin, and non-hypertensive.

 

[Adjitater]

I am assuming that since she has not been diagnosed for very long that she is using a basal/bolus system for controling her blood sugars. I would recomend that as soon as her doctor is comfortable with it that she starts pump trerapy. It has been the best way to control glucose that has ever been tried. Diet is always something that will need to be cosidered but with pumping you have so much more control over when you eat and what your choices will be it is by far in my humble opinion the best way to go.

 

[PowerPumper]

Personally I avoid fructose and lactose. Wikipedia's "glycation" entry states It appears that fructose and galactose have approximately ten times the glycation activity of glucose. Believe it if you want to. I do.

I also choose a high fat low carb diet. I also avoid grains.

No I can't pinpoint the science that irrefutably supports my convictions, but there's much more evidence pointing to these sugars as bad and very little pointing to fats as bad. My stance may change tomorrow.

 

[lia]

I've never heard or read about anything like that, but it would be nice if there are foods for the job.

I wouldn't expect that there is much though. For example, for kidney damage, both high an low bg levels will damage the kidneys. The low because not enough fluid is flowing through them. This is hard on the kidneys for the same reason dehydration is hard on them.

The high bg levels result in the kidneys getting rid of the extra glucose. They weren't made for that, and that damages them too. I didn't even know about that until someone here posted the thread about the (rock star?) or someone famous anyway, who needed a kidney transplant because he didn't take diabetes seriously and didn't bother with the details.

Both of those sound almost like mechanical damage to the kidneys and it's hard to imagine a food being able to stop that, but I guess it could be possible.

I don't think there is much beyond basic blood glucose control. It isn't that hard. I really don't think an insulin pump is an answer. We are all extremely different and they could be for some people.

Personally I think they should only be discussed in a medieval machines forum. You can get the same kind of bg control without leaving something sticking in you all day. See Dr Bernstein, 'The Diabetes Solution.' Available on Amazon.

 

[Shanny]

Personally I think they should only be discussed in a medieval machines forum. You can get the same kind of bg control without leaving something sticking in you all day. See Dr Bernstein, 'The Diabetes Solution.' Available on Amazon.

That's just it, Lia . . . you usually CAN'T get the same kind of control with MDI. The idea (of the needle 24/7) may be loathesome to you, but to people who've spent their lives trying to gain control, pumping has saved their health - it has saved their lives. I believe in Dr. Bernstein too, but he isn't the be-all and end-all for every PWD on the planet.

 

[Adjitater]

Thank you for clarifying that point Shanny. The truth about pumps and type 1 is this. When you have no bets cell function you need insulin to stay alive. Not just to cover what you eat. That background insulin need changes throughout the day. That is why some diabetics will never have good control on MDI no matter how much they try they will always have times when they go to high or to low. A pump is the only way to avoid those swings. The other thing is that you have to have a needle stuck in you the whole time. It is actually more like a subcutanious IV. It is put in with a needle but the the needle is puled out and just leaves a teflon catheter under your skin to feed in the insulin.

 

[lia]

You're both probably right. I just don't understand why a pump and there isn't a point to it for me. Maybe for people with extra problems or something? I admit I've sort of been assuming they are just a big mistake. Just testing a minimum of 4 times a day like they require would be enough to improve anyone's bg, not sure how much the pump has to do with it.

That background insulin need changes throughout the day.

That is one part I don't understand. It is only the insulin you need for your liver to recognize that there is some insulin in your blood. That stops it from pumping out sugars. I don't think it even is related to insulin resistance since it is just how sensitive the liver is to insulin, not the muscles or the rest of the body that uses the insulin.

From the doses mentioned around here it seems that people often use their basal to cover their food too. And if their bg gets high because of their food, that doesn't really have anything to do with the basal dose, does it? I am really not trying to argue here. I am always happy to learn something new. That is just to mention one part I don't understand, in case there is an explanation that I can understand.

I have never needed more than 5 units of Lantus a day for background insulin. If that wasn't enough I would know it quickly. My basal requirements can't be swinging much. Maybe they do for other people, but I've never read anything about that.

 

[Adjitater]

When your body makes no insulin because your have benn killed of by your own imune system you need exogenous insulin just to stay alive. And yes your liver will put out glucose but it doesn't do it at a consistant rate or all day long. That is why pumps are so great cause you can program them to more closely match your bodies needs. The other part is that 4 tests a day is not anywhere near enough if you use a pump. 8 times is a minimum and 10 to 12 times is the norm.

 

[PowerPumper]

You're both probably right. I just don't understand why a pump and there isn't a point to it for me. Maybe for people with extra problems or something? I admit I've sort of been assuming they are just a big mistake. Just testing a minimum of 4 times a day like they require would be enough to improve anyone's bg, not sure how much the pump has to do with it.



That is one part I don't understand. It is only the insulin you need for your liver to recognize that there is some insulin in your blood. That stops it from pumping out sugars. I don't think it even is related to insulin resistance since it is just how sensitive the liver is to insulin, not the muscles or the rest of the body that uses the insulin.

From the doses mentioned around here it seems that people often use their basal to cover their food too. And if their bg gets high because of their food, that doesn't really have anything to do with the basal dose, does it? I am really not trying to argue here. I am always happy to learn something new. That is just to mention one part I don't understand, in case there is an explanation that I can understand.

I have never needed more than 5 units of Lantus a day for background insulin. If that wasn't enough I would know it quickly. My basal requirements can't be swinging much. Maybe they do for other people, but I've never read anything about that.

There are a number of issues at work here Lia. I'll try to be brief.

- Type 1's don't make any insulin. We have to supply our own.
- Our livers make insulin coninuously through gluconeogenesis (GNG). It is a very consistent process, but it can fluctuate grealy throughout the day. Below are my hourly basal rates. THESE KEEP MY BGs FLAT!
- We do have multiple injections working at most times -- basals, boluses, corrections. We also have to account for factors that affect BGs or insulin resistance such as stress, activity, temperature, medications, etc.
- Foods have various affects on our BGs. Carbs need insulin. 58% or protein is converted to glucose via GNG. Food quantity [per Bernstein] will trigger more GNG [Chinese Restaurant Syndrome].
- hormones interfer with insulin resistance and GNG. Any adrenalin rush can cause a spike.

Test 4 times a day? So tell me when I test 8.0 mmol/l (140 mg/dl) before lunch, which of the above variables is responsible? Nobody can tell. It's all one big guess.

12am
.6
.6
.6
.6
.6
5am
1.0
1.5
1.5
1.2
0.7
0.4
0.3
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.4
0.7
1.0
1.1
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.7
0.6

 

[Jen]

On the pump issue - I've been on MDI since diagnosis in 2007. My A1C is consistently 5.6. I don't have problem hypos. I've been able to adjust both basal and bolus doses as needed. After reading Walsh's "Pumping Insulin" I modified my basal program to do three Levemir doses a day rather than two and would do a fourth if it's warranted. You have to calculate a bolus whether you're pumping or shooting and that's second nature now. It is probably a little easier to push a button rather than draw insulin and shoot, but it's really no time out of my day. For me, a pump doesn't seem any less hassle than MDI so unless something changes dramatically I'll stick with the syringe & pen model. I think you can have good control either way.

Jen

 

[Adjitater]

I don't have to calculate any bolus as my pump does all of that and with a lot more accuracy as it will calculate and administer down to the tenth of a unit. So it really all depends on the individuals insulin sensitivity and what they want their deviation numbers to look like.

 

[jwags]

I believe in choosing my carbs wisely. I do think certain foods like avacados , although they have some carbs are also high in potassium and magnesium. I find when I eat avacados with a meal my bgs will go down not up. The same thing with mushrooms, artichokes. Also when I bake with coconut oil , flaxseed or almond meal my bg either stays the same or goes down. I think incorperating these foods into my daily meals helps me keep bgs under 100.