Blood Glucose Levels

[35B33]

I have benefited from other comments here but learned something new yesterday.

Got a recent fasting of 126, one above the FAA's limit. Called my AME and his main concern was the reaction of my personal physician. In discussing my varying levels, he commented on stress raising gluciose levels - not unlike blood pressure. He suggested getting there early and reading/relaxing before blood drawn.

The 126, and a 130 several years ago, were at a facility an hour's drive away with heavy traffic. Got my local Doc to do the fasting test this morning and I ran a few Bayer Contour test for grins. Getting up it was 101, in the local Dr's parking lot 116, and back home 99. Found I couldn't stop thinking about the test so the relaxing idea didn't help much.

I have been going through this for ~45 years and, in spite of all the MD's caution about getting real diabetes, I still range 100-130, with moderate diet and some exercising.

Also came across Impaired Fasting Glucose and Impaired Glucose Tolerance which may better fit some of us.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/3/753.long

 

[poadeleted20]

Cut your carb intake and increase your exercise. I bumped into that Impaired Fasting Glucose issue last fall. Since then, I've cut my carb intake maybe in half using the "controlled carb" diet limited to 300 grams per day spread over three meals and three snacks. I've lost 12 lb, seen my triglycerides drop from 400 to 130, total cholesterol below 200 and LDL below 100 for the first time in 20 years, HDL up from 48 to 60, HbA1c down to almost "normal", and glucose level is consistently below 120.

But I do miss pizza and beer...

 

[AggieMike88]

But I do miss pizza and beer...

The Port Aransas Brewing Company could fix that

 

[write-stuff]

I thought anything over 125 was "officially" diabetes as far as the FAA goes. No?

 

[poadeleted20]

I thought anything over 125 was "officially" diabetes as far as the FAA goes. No?

I believe it is. The pre-diabetes worksheet (copy attached) requires a max blood glucose level of 125 and a max HbA1C of 6.5, with no medication other than metformin (among other things) to be issued on the spot. If you don't meet the worksheet requirements, you are officially diabetic for FAA purposes and require Special Issuance.

 

[JimNtexas]

Carbs are your enemy for sure, especially as you get older. Or at least that's my experience, as my family doctor can attest.

 

[35B33]

Been down the low/min carb route, was running 12 miles four time a week (years ago) trying to build up for a marathon and it didn't help the numbers for renewal.

No medication yet, A1c has eased down from 6.5 a few years ago to 6.1 this month, so something is working even with an erratic fasting number.

While the Bayer Contour may not be laboratory accurate, a swing from 101 to 116 to 99 in an hour makes me curious. It will be interesting to see what today's lab results are.

Got the second test results, 111. I probably should have taken the meter in and done my own test when the tech finished.

 

[VWGhiaBob]

Low carb results here going on 5 years....A1C: 7.5 to 5.2, lost 25 pounds permanently, and fasting glucose 100. Also now extremely low Cholesterol and Triglycerides.

Carbs are awful for the most part. I limit to 40 grams / day. And yes, it's possible lots of great foods...and you can eat steak, cheese, cream, etc., again with no impact on numbers.

At least that's my experience. "Check with your doctor," though in my experience many don't yet understand benefits of low carb. But that's changing!

 

[EppyGA]

I will concur on cutting back on carbs. Over the past several years of having my annual physical with my primary care doctor my fasting level was higher than he wanted to see. He made me keep a log for two weeks each time.

I've always seen a correlation between my carb intake and blood sugar readings.

 

[RJM62]

Ditto on the low-carb approach.

Additionally, try to stay away from all processed foods, to the extent that you possibly can. Just doing that and nothing more helped me lose weight and lower both my A1C and my FBG.

My personal theory, based on nothing more than a hunch, is that processed foods "fool" our metabolism. Millions of years of evolution have taught our bodies to expect certain nutrients to occur in the context of certain other nutrients. I believe that processed food messes with that context -- regardless of what the nutritional numbers on the label say -- and interferes with the proper metabolism of those nutrients.

-Rich

 

[asgcpa]

I'm with you all. After a horrendous tax season, I ate too much carbs. While a1c didn't go up, I gained 10 damn pounds. So now I'm back to limiting carbs. Never want to see my old (pre surgery) weight and A1c levels again.

 

[GeorgeC]

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v508/n7496_supp/full/508S66a.html

Ditto on the low-carb approach.

My personal theory, based on nothing more than a hunch, is that processed foods "fool" our metabolism. Millions of years of evolution have taught our bodies to expect certain nutrients to occur in the context of certain other nutrients. I believe that processed food messes with that context -- regardless of what the nutritional numbers on the label say -- and interferes with the proper metabolism of those nutrients.

-Rich

 

[dtuuri]

My personal theory, based on nothing more than a hunch, is that processed foods "fool" our metabolism. Millions of years of evolution have taught our bodies to expect certain nutrients to occur in the context of certain other nutrients. I believe that processed food messes with that context -- regardless of what the nutritional numbers on the label say -- and interferes with the proper metabolism of those nutrients.

-Rich

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v508/n7496_supp/full/508S66a.html

I think Rich and the authors of that article might be on to something. According to some researchers, though, Americans are already consuming 70% more than the RDA of protein (just about 50 grams). So when the article says:

“Many people eat far too much fat and carbohydrate in their attempt to consume enough protein,”​

I think care needs to be taken not to consume even more protein. In fact, that would lead to more consumption of calorie-heavy fat, since everybody associates protein with animal products, leading to yet more obesity. It would make more sense to eat less of the typical protein (animals, fish, dairy) and eat more plants rich in protein (beans, legumes), but less dense, for a net reduction instead.

Eating a minimum amount of total protein, around 10%, seems to protect against many cancers and heart disease, according to The China Study, and eating around 10% fat reverses heart disease according to Drs Esselstyn and Ornish, so that leaves up to 80% of the rest of one's diet to come from carbs. Tarring them all with the same brush doesn't seem wise to me. The white, processed and boxed variety deserve the tar, not whole grains and colorful produce.

dtuuri

 

[Gary F]

I think Rich and the authors of that article might be on to something. According to some researchers, though, Americans are already consuming 70% more than the RDA of protein (just about 50 grams). So when the article says:

“Many people eat far too much fat and carbohydrate in their attempt to consume enough protein,”​

I think care needs to be taken not to consume even more protein. In fact, that would lead to more consumption of calorie-heavy fat, since everybody associates protein with animal products, leading to yet more obesity. It would make more sense to eat less of the typical protein (animals, fish, dairy) and eat more plants rich in protein (beans, legumes), but less dense, for a net reduction instead.

Eating a minimum amount of total protein, around 10%, seems to protect against many cancers and heart disease, according to The China Study, and eating around 10% fat reverses heart disease according to Drs Esselstyn and Ornish, so that leaves up to 80% of the rest of one's diet to come from carbs. Tarring them all with the same brush doesn't seem wise to me. The white, processed and boxed variety deserve the tar, not whole grains and colorful produce.

dtuuri

Maybe true but do you really want to end up like this?

Mrs Okawa, from Osaka in Japan, will turn 116 on Wednesday - she was born in 1898

The world’s oldest person, Misao Okawa, says the key to a long life is eating sushi and getting at least eight hours sleep a night.

​

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...ushi-sleep-according-worlds-oldest-woman.html

 

[Gary F]

The benefits of drinking green tea and eating raw fish are extolled in a new study showing that Japanese women live longer than any others.
Their ultra-healthy diet — no bread, no dairy — means that they live to an average of 86.4 years, considerably older than British women at 82.7 years and even the famously healthy Italians at 84.4. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article4072320.ece

 

[dtuuri]

Maybe true but do you really want to end up like this?

You are what you eat. I didn't know they made sushi from bass.

dtuuri