[Gizmo]

I don't know where else to post this question, it came up when I was reading a post in the 'Introduce Yourself' section of the forum, but I didn't want to highjack that thread, that's why I am starting a new thread here.

Someone's post said this:

10 weeks down the line and just lifestyle/diet changes and trying the "unconventional" I got it down to 60.

He got his fasting bg down to 60, he is a type 2, not taking any meds. The thing is, I think I read some conflicting information on the forum about blood sugar being too low. I read if you are type 2, not on meds, your own insulin will kick in and keep your bg from going too low. I also read several places not to let bg go below 70, because it can do damage to your body.

Sooooo, if below 70 is unsafe, and if a type 2 not on med's body will produce insulin to keep bg from falling too low, but his bg is 60... I'm confused.

 

[fgummett]

Not so confused

Insulin is the hormone that lowers BGs -- perhaps more precisely it is an anabolic hormone responsible for putting stuff (energy -- both Glucose and Fat -- and Protein) away for the body to use.

Glucagon is the hormone which signals the Liver to covert stored Glycogen into Glucose and release it into the blood stream... thus raising the BG if it gets too low.

These two are the main players in a feedback system which is adapted to keep our BGs at all times within the normal range of 70-126mg/dl (4-7mmol/L).

Much like an house planet which needs just the right amount of light, air, water, food, soil pH etc... our bodies also work best when certain factors are balanced or in homeostasis

So yes a Fasting BG of 60mg/dl I would say is outside the normal range -- especially for a Type 2 Diabetic where many of us struggle to even get a Fasting BG under 100mg/dl

In the case of BGs lower is NOT always better.

Was this a consistent pattern measured over several days or a one off?

 

[onlymep]

hi Gizmo. I'm no doc or scientist... but I think 60 (3.3) is too low too. Personally, I'm having a hypo when I'm at that number. Here they advise that normal range is between 4-10 (yes, it's gone from 7 to 10 since I was diagnosed in 1998). My endo told me that this was based on new information that diabetes being "out of control" is anything consistently under 4 and over 10. Insulin itself would make your BGLs drop lower. For a type 2 not on meds, your glucose would be increased by either food or your liver releasing stored glucose into your bloodstream (aka: liver dump). Although 60 is low, it's possible that people may be able to tolerate this as everyone is different... although I know an endo would be concerned (as I already mentioned). It could also be that the person has hypo unawareness which in itself can be dangerous. We need to really rely on our meters and try as best we can to keep our BGLs in normal range. For me I like to ideally be between 5-7 if I can. I can feel when I'm in the 4 range and I can also feel when I have high BGLs. If you're sitting below 4 you're not giving your body much leeway at all and you're at greater risk of hypo for sure.

 

[jwags]

Diabetes is something where being lower is not better. 60 is too low. The best thing is to stay in a stable range throughout the day with no highs and no lows. I think the average bg for a normal , non diabetic is 83 or something like that. People who are dibetic have a compromised immune system so sometimes the hormones glucagon and insulin don't work the way they should. I would doubt a normal person goes as low as 60 without glucagon kicking in. For example yesterday I went shopping. I was 102 before I left. In the middle of shopping I felt a low coming on, but couldn't test right away. Then I felt a surge of heat. By the time I got to my car and test, I was 117. So once my body started to go low , my pancreas produced glucagon and signaled liver to convert stored glycogen into available glucose.

 

[rusticguy]

60 did concern me. However the lab report mentioned 60-110 (mgm/dl) as normal range so the doc wasn't concerned much and when i asked him to recommend OGTT he was visibly upset for some unknown reasons (perhaps he still thinks i am taing some meds) . This is what prompted me to get the meter and I am testing randomly.

Just after a 30 min brisk walk i tested as i write this reply and reading is 83. Had a walk after a long long time as i had been on isometric/tonic 15 min spell in morning so had on purpose missed walks. meter reads about 11% higher (thats what the sales person told me).

I will be doing the next lab report from a different lab than the one' s so far. Shall keep this post updated with the next lab report.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

I like to aim for 80 at waking up and in the mid 70s before my second meal of the day.

 

[jwags]

Meters aren't perfect, there is a 10-20% margin of error. So you need to take that into account when you do a reading. Your real bg may be higher or lower. I have heard some people, especially athletes can function in the 60's. I tend to get brain fog, light headeness and dizzy. I feel my best 85-100. Sometimes with exercise bgs may go up, sometimes they go down. So it is good to know your pattern and bring a glucose source in case you go down too much.