Lowering Blood Sugar With Exercise

[onionluke]

I see now I said protect the labour , but I meant liver . Well nothing much to report , it is a nice cold tea to have about the house and work place but no noticeable bs reduction compared to my usual oolong . I still feel results with guava - bok si da after the main meal .

[tominbkk]

I see now I said protect the labour , but I meant liver . Well nothing much to report , it is a nice cold tea to have about the house and work place but no noticeable bs reduction compared to my usual oolong . I still feel results with guava - bok si da after the main meal .

I heard dragonfruit is good for blood sugar levels....

[tropo]

I see now I said protect the labour , but I meant liver . Well nothing much to report , it is a nice cold tea to have about the house and work place but no noticeable bs reduction compared to my usual oolong . I still feel results with guava - bok si da after the main meal .

I heard dragonfruit is good for blood sugar levels....

It's not a sweet fruit, so it would not elevate blood sugar by much. How it affects a person will depend on that person's level of insulin resistance.

[onionluke]

I see now I said protect the labour , but I meant liver . Well nothing much to report , it is a nice cold tea to have about the house and work place but no noticeable bs reduction compared to my usual oolong . I still feel results with guava - bok si da after the main meal .

I heard dragonfruit is good for blood sugar levels....

It's not a sweet fruit, so it would not elevate blood sugar by much. How it affects a person will depend on that person's level of insulin resistance.

The fruit itself works wonders . I have some in the evening and I find it helps to keep spikes down after the evening meal . I also find that eating raw vegetables along with whatever is on the table including , green beans , cucumber , garlic , basil and cabbage all help keep the spikes down .

I threw out the box but here is a photo of the sachet containing the tea bag

[tropo]

I see now I said protect the labour , but I meant liver . Well nothing much to report , it is a nice cold tea to have about the house and work place but no noticeable bs reduction compared to my usual oolong . I still feel results with guava - bok si da after the main meal .

I heard dragonfruit is good for blood sugar levels....

It's not a sweet fruit, so it would not elevate blood sugar by much. How it affects a person will depend on that person's level of insulin resistance.

The fruit itself works wonders . I have some in the evening and I find it helps to keep spikes down after the evening meal . I also find that eating raw vegetables along with whatever is on the table including , green beans , cucumber , garlic , basil and cabbage all help keep the spikes down .

I threw out the box but here is a photo of the sachet containing the tea bag

Image1561.jpg

The fruit doesn't have magical properties. If you eat food with low sugar/carb content you won't spike.

[onionluke]

^ Is there any evidence that eating roughage in the form of raw vegetables and certain fruits along with starchy carbohydrates , bread and rice say , helps lower the spike ?

[tropo]

^ Is there any evidence that eating roughage in the form of raw vegetables and certain fruits along with starchy carbohydrates , bread and rice say , helps lower the spike ?

For people who are diabetic it is normally a numbers game. So many grams of carbs will raise the blood sugar so high, no matter what type of carbs are being consumed.

Do you test yourself after meals? You could test yourself after various meals to see exactly how you respond.

[onionluke]

^ Is there any evidence that eating roughage in the form of raw vegetables and certain fruits along with starchy carbohydrates , bread and rice say , helps lower the spike ?

For people who are diabetic it is normally a numbers game. So many grams of carbs will raise the blood sugar so high, no matter what type of carbs are being consumed.

Do you test yourself after meals? You could test yourself after various meals to see exactly how you respond.

I test regularly and have varied the timing after and before meals . There is no doubt in my results that eating carbohydrate such as bread , rice , pasta and potatoes raise me significantly , curries and the like even more so . I have recently recorded as high as 10 experimenting with these foods . I have also found I can eat a bowl of flat noodles soup with shredded chicken and some raw veggies and herbs on the side and still read 7.5 . I might add I completely stopped all breads etc. after I was diagnosed just over a year ago . I was diagnosed with 14+ and I now run between 5.5 and 6.5 with the A1b . I take metformin 500mg twice a day.

edit -- I am now trying to find a more varied diet and a way to allow carb intake .

Edited April 1, 2013 by onionluke

[chiang mai]

It's all about trial and error, I went through a period where I ate nearly all protein for breakfast every day (sausage and eggs) and that worked out well and kept the numbers low, I then moved onto plain yogurt and a slightly underipe banana which also kept the numbers low. Occaisionally I have a piece of seven grain toast with peanut buuter for breakfast and that's OK but if I go for a second piece the numbers start to soar.

Veggie ommelttes with fried new potato's are cool as is the occaisional spoonful or two of rice with a meal, but as Rob said earlier it's all about the volume of food and especially the volume of carbs per day, push it too far too fast and it's problematic. The really good news is that now and then you surpise yourself, case in point was my lunch today which as a special treat involved half a rack of ribs and onion rings from the Dukes, it was all excellent and my one and two hour numbers never got over 135 whereas I was expecting 200 or more, my guess is that's likely to be a monthly event from now on.

[tropo]

These glucometers are not what we expect them to be and I've become rather disillusioned with home testing.

Not so long ago I tested a friend's meter against mine on the same blood samples.

1st test on my blood: My meter: 102, His meter: 119

2nd test on his blood: My meter: 119, His meter:146

These are both meters sold in Thailand - EasyGluco and Code Free.

I took both meters to Fascino. The staff considered the variance to be ok.

I could not purchase control solution for either meters, so I had both sent to Bangkok for testing.

They came back 3 weeks later with an explanation that they are both reading within the expected range.

Personally I think this is nonsense.

[robblok]

Tropo,

That is quite a big variation, and i would not consider this ok. But you have to work with the tools that you have.

[tominbkk]

I wish it were Rob, that way I'd feel morecomfortable about the whole thing. This morning was a classic example, I'm hunting around for breakfast but I don't want to eat eggs again so I settle on some plain yogurt, some cottage cheese, a piece of ham and four prunes, not exactly the Ritz gourmet breakfast but it works and gives the desired carbo's vs protein ratio.

So I start with a fasting level of 109, eat my breakfast and one hour later I'm 167, <deleted> I ask myself! But then at 2 hours I'm back down to 112 - methinks I have some way to go on the education front of all of this.

The prunes are actually pretty high in sugar, that may have been the culprit. Better to have some berries. I get frozen raspberries from foodland. A bag that lasts me a week costs about 120 baht.

[tominbkk]

I was looking for cinamonn tea , as i would like to try it as a bg friendly beverage , and I came across a guava tea in a Hong Kong supermarket . It is made in Thailand .

Manufacturer - Chin Huay Co. Ltd.

Brand name - Guava tea.

HK packaging name - Eros Guava Tea

The blurb on the packaging claims it can help reduce blood sugars and protect the labour .

I will post on results if any .

Just brew your coffee or tea with some cinnamon...works great!

[onionluke]

I was looking for cinamonn tea , as i would like to try it as a bg friendly beverage , and I came across a guava tea in a Hong Kong supermarket . It is made in Thailand .

Manufacturer - Chin Huay Co. Ltd.

Brand name - Guava tea.

HK packaging name - Eros Guava Tea

The blurb on the packaging claims it can help reduce blood sugars and protect the labour .

I will post on results if any .

Just brew your coffee or tea with some cinnamon...works great!

Does the powdered stuff do ? Just stir it in like ?

[tominbkk]

I was looking for cinamonn tea , as i would like to try it as a bg friendly beverage , and I came across a guava tea in a Hong Kong supermarket . It is made in Thailand .

Manufacturer - Chin Huay Co. Ltd.

Brand name - Guava tea.

HK packaging name - Eros Guava Tea

The blurb on the packaging claims it can help reduce blood sugars and protect the labour .

I will post on results if any .

Just brew your coffee or tea with some cinnamon...works great!

Does the powdered stuff do ? Just stir it in like ?

Yep, about half a teaspoon is enough, too much is not good for you (I think they recommend not more than a teaspoon a day). Just vigorously stir it in. If you let your coffee/tea set and it gets cold, the cinnamon forms a slimy blob at the bottom of the cup...so drink it up fairly quick

Edited April 2, 2013 by tominbkk

[onionluke]

I was looking for cinamonn tea , as i would like to try it as a bg friendly beverage , and I came across a guava tea in a Hong Kong supermarket . It is made in Thailand .

Manufacturer - Chin Huay Co. Ltd.

Brand name - Guava tea.

HK packaging name - Eros Guava Tea

The blurb on the packaging claims it can help reduce blood sugars and protect the labour .

I will post on results if any .

Just brew your coffee or tea with some cinnamon...works great!

Does the powdered stuff do ? Just stir it in like ?

Yep, about half a teaspoon is enough, too much is not good for you (I think they recommend not more than a teaspoon a day). Just vigorously stir it in. If you let your coffee/tea set and it gets cold, the cinnamon forms a slimy blob at the bottom of the cup...so drink it up fairly quick

Nice one , cheers .

[tropo]

Tropo,

That is quite a big variation, and i would not consider this ok. But you have to work with the tools that you have.

Yes, but the variance between the 2 meters could be the difference between being normal or diabetic. I lot of people rely on these results.

It's absolutely pathetic how the pharmacies making big money selling these meters don't stock control solutions to enable people to periodically check their meters. It is clearly indicated in the instruction book of my meter that control solutions should be used and that they are sold in 3 ranges, low, normal and high.

The only way I can get these control solutions is on eBay but the price with postage is very high.

[onionluke]

Tropo,

That is quite a big variation, and i would not consider this ok. But you have to work with the tools that you have.

Yes, but the variance between the 2 meters could be the difference between being normal or diabetic. I lot of people rely on these results.

It's absolutely pathetic how the pharmacies making big money selling these meters don't stock control solutions to enable people to periodically check their meters. It is clearly indicated in the instruction book of my meter that control solutions should be used and that they are sold in 3 ranges, low, normal and high.

The only way I can get these control solutions is on eBay but the price with postage is very high.

I use an AcuChek , bought in HK . It uses a chip that calibrates the machine with each set of test strips ( comes with the strips ).

[tropo]

Eliminating the empty grain and sugar carbs will do wonders for your blood sugar levels.

It won't make much difference at all. I don't know how people come up with these ideas. Certainly not people with diabetes who test themselves often.

There's a lot of "solutions" floating around that mostly come from normal people without a problem.

If you are insulin resistant, any carbs will raise the blood sugar. 1 gram of carbs is 1 gram of carbs. Maximum blood sugar is normally seen 45 minutes after consuming carbs.

Having said that, it's healthier not to eat "empty carbs", but not a solution for blood sugar spikes.

[tropo]

Tropo,

That is quite a big variation, and i would not consider this ok. But you have to work with the tools that you have.

Yes, but the variance between the 2 meters could be the difference between being normal or diabetic. I lot of people rely on these results.

It's absolutely pathetic how the pharmacies making big money selling these meters don't stock control solutions to enable people to periodically check their meters. It is clearly indicated in the instruction book of my meter that control solutions should be used and that they are sold in 3 ranges, low, normal and high.

The only way I can get these control solutions is on eBay but the price with postage is very high.

I use an AcuChek , bought in HK . It uses a chip that calibrates the machine with each set of test strips ( comes with the strips ).

I read a PubMed study which comes to the following conclusion about AccuChek GM's:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19885987

"In critically ill patients, the accuracy of AccuChek glucose measurement calibrated to give serum-like results with blood samples derived from arterial catheters is acceptable but falls short by about 1% of complying with the ISO 15197 guideline."

The ISO 15197 guideline is as follows:

http://www.clin-lab-publications.com/files/eaop/2013_07+08/120710-Hasslacher.pdf

"According to the current criteria (ISO15197:2003), 95% of the GM readings must fall within 15 mg/dL of the reference for BG values below 75 mg/dL and within 20% above that (Table 1)."

20% is about the difference between the 2 meters I tested, that's why they came back from Bangkok with a stamp of approval.

Certainly one cannot diagnose diabetes based on results from home test glucometers which at are at best 20% accurate.

AccuChek meters are also available at Fascino. They are a bit more expensive, but it was the much higher cost for the testing strips which put me off buying one. Compared to other meters they are not really much more accurate (you can see some comparisons in the link I pasted above) so I don't think they are worth the extra cost.

I think it is a good idea to get periodic fasting lab results. Take the meter down and do a test at the same time the blood sample is taken.

Edited April 2, 2013 by tropo

[chiang mai]

I think the point to make about glucose meters is not their accuracy but rather their consistency, at this stage in the game I don't care too much if my meter is 20% inaccurate because I know what my readings from it are versus my monthly A1C reading, it's that relationship that perhaps people ought to watch. So if my average self test readings show a fall or an increase over a defined period I would expect my A1C to do the same, if it doesn't, one of the two tests is probably wrong.

[tropo]

I think the point to make about glucose meters is not their accuracy but rather their consistency, at this stage in the game I don't care too much if my meter is 20% inaccurate because I know what my readings from it are versus my monthly A1C reading, it's that relationship that perhaps people ought to watch. So if my average self test readings show a fall or an increase over a defined period I would expect my A1C to do the same, if it doesn't, one of the two tests is probably wrong.

HbA1c can be inaccurate due to the variance of the lifespan of red blood corpuscles in individuals. Also, you cannot make a solid correlation due to limited number of testing done.

As I indicated on a previous post, I've had a 5 - 6% difference in HbA1c readings on 2 consecutive days and even on the same sample...so there's 2 things to worry about.

The inaccuracy rating of a glucometer should be under 20% for 95% of tests done. There's been no discussion about consistency. Why would you assume that inaccurate results are consistently inaccurate? They could easily swing both ways within the 20% zone.

I've taken 2 readings back to back and seen 10% difference.

[chiang mai]

I think the point to make about glucose meters is not their accuracy but rather their consistency, at this stage in the game I don't care too much if my meter is 20% inaccurate because I know what my readings from it are versus my monthly A1C reading, it's that relationship that perhaps people ought to watch. So if my average self test readings show a fall or an increase over a defined period I would expect my A1C to do the same, if it doesn't, one of the two tests is probably wrong.

HbA1c can be inaccurate due to the variance of the lifespan of red blood corpuscles in individuals. Also, you cannot make a solid correlation due to limited number of testing done.

As I indicated on a previous post, I've had a 5 - 6% difference in HbA1c readings on 2 consecutive days and even on the same sample...so there's 2 things to worry about.

The inaccuracy rating of a glucometer should be under 20% for 95% of tests done. There's been no discussion about consistency. Why would you assume that inaccurate results are consistently inaccurate? They could easily swing both ways within the 20% zone.

I've taken 2 readings back to back and seen 10% difference.

Tropo, there are no alternatives to the A1C and self test procedues hence pointing out the degree of their inaccuracy is less than useful. My tests over the past four months have produced some averages and also a profile of what happens when I eat X, Y or Z and I now understand the relationship of those self test numbers to my monthly A1C results, that either test is or is not 100/90/80% accurate is imaterial to me because the relationship between the two sets of figures has remained constant. And like you I have done three/four and five back to back self tests that reported widely differing results, big deal, it's what it is! But I know when I test in the morning first thing my reading will be in a range of 112 to 119 and that my next A1C will be about 5.7, whether or not they should be something different doesn't concern me, as long as they are consistent. Now, when the medical/scientific community comes up with a new and more accurate test, that will be another story.

[tropo]

Tropo, there are no alternatives to the A1C and self test procedues hence pointing out the degree of their inaccuracy is less than useful. My tests over the past four months have produced some averages and also a profile of what happens when I eat X, Y or Z and I now understand the relationship of those self test numbers to my monthly A1C results, that either test is or is not 100/90/80% accurate is imaterial to me because the relationship between the two sets of figures has remained constant. And like you I have done three/four and five back to back self tests that reported widely differing results, big deal, it's what it is! But I know when I test in the morning first thing my reading will be in a range of 112 to 119 and that my next A1C will be about 5.7, whether or not they should be something different doesn't concern me, as long as they are consistent. Now, when the medical/scientific community comes up with a new and more accurate test, that will be another story.

"less than useful"? Are you serious? I understand that you may not like to hear it, but facts are facts and we should be aware of them.

It's extremely useful to know the limitations of home testing and HbA1c.... far better than burying your head in the sand and pretending everything is hunky dory.

For example, your tests of 112 to 119 could easily be well over the 126 mg/dl threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes. Read above about my testing done on 2 meters. In that case a 119 test result on one meter was 146 mg/dl on the other. This is highly significant.

There are alternatives - finding & using control solutions for starters, and getting frequent lab tests. They're only 50 - 100 baht here in Thailand.

A lot of people come on this forum stressing about FBS's of 102 or 105 mg/dl for example... border line numbers. They are worried because these numbers peg them as pre-diabetic. Knowing the limitations of their meters and getting proper lab testing would be extremely useful for these people.

Regarding HbA1c. My HbA1c results are usually around the 5.6% - 5.7% mark when my FBS's are usually below or close to 100 mg/dl. Isn't that interesting?

My HbA1c results don't correlate well with my own testing. I can read under 110 mg/dl 45 minutes after a high carbohydrate meal (including high sugar fruit and raisins), rarely go above 120 mg/dl, yet you read higher after meals and have much higher FBS and still come in at the same HbA1c.

Every time I get an HbA1c test I expect much lower results based on my home testing.

Edited April 3, 2013 by tropo

[chiang mai]

Tropo, there are no alternatives to the A1C and self test procedues hence pointing out the degree of their inaccuracy is less than useful. My tests over the past four months have produced some averages and also a profile of what happens when I eat X, Y or Z and I now understand the relationship of those self test numbers to my monthly A1C results, that either test is or is not 100/90/80% accurate is imaterial to me because the relationship between the two sets of figures has remained constant. And like you I have done three/four and five back to back self tests that reported widely differing results, big deal, it's what it is! But I know when I test in the morning first thing my reading will be in a range of 112 to 119 and that my next A1C will be about 5.7, whether or not they should be something different doesn't concern me, as long as they are consistent. Now, when the medical/scientific community comes up with a new and more accurate test, that will be another story.

"less than useful"? Are you serious? I understand that you may not like to hear it, but facts are facts and we should be aware of them.

It's extremely useful to know the limitations of home testing and HbA1c.... far better than burying your head in the sand and pretending everything is hunky dory.

For example, your tests of 112 to 119 could easily be well over the 126 mg/dl threshold for the diagnosis of diabetes. Read above about my testing done on 2 meters. In that case a 119 test result on one meter was 146 mg/dl on the other. This is highly significant.

There are alternatives - finding & using control solutions for starters, and getting frequent lab tests. They're only 50 - 100 baht here in Thailand.

A lot of people come on this forum stressing about FBS's of 102 or 105 mg/dl for example... border line numbers. They are worried because these numbers peg them as pre-diabetic. Knowing the limitations of their meters and getting proper lab testing would be extremely useful for these people.

Regarding HbA1c. My HbA1c results are usually around the 5.6% - 5.7% mark when my FBS's are usually below or close to 100 mg/dl. Isn't that interesting?

My HbA1c results don't correlate well with my own testing. I can read under 110 mg/dl 45 minutes after a high carbohydrate meal (including high sugar fruit and raisins), rarely go above 120 mg/dl, yet you read higher after meals and have much higher FBS and still come in at the same HbA1c.

Every time I get an HbA1c test I expect much lower results based on my home testing.

Read again what I wrote! I didn't imply that we shouldn't know this or that we should bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the limitations of self test results, What I said was that we should be aware and having accepted that there is a large margin or error, move on rather than complaining about it continuously because there is no other sensible alternative (unless you want have venus blood drawn five times a day). If nothing else, understanding the relativity between self test and A1C numbers is helpful.

[tropo]

Read again what I wrote! I didn't imply that we shouldn't know this or that we should bury our heads in the sand when it comes to the limitations of self test results, What I said was that we should be aware and having accepted that there is a large margin or error, move on rather than complaining about it continuously because there is no other sensible alternative (unless you want have venus blood drawn five times a day). If nothing else, understanding the relativity between self test and A1C numbers is helpful.

"Read again what you wrote!"? I heard you the first time.

I think "complaining" about it is a very good idea. This is the first time I've brought forward these "complaints" (they're actually facts, not complaints) since I've started discussing blood sugar on this forum and the tests that I undertook were done recently. This is also the first time that anyone has brought up this problem on here as far as I'm aware. Certainly no one has posted real numbers from a comparative experiment. People should know. I'm not about to "move on" because you don't like discussing this. A lot of people are brand new to this. New people are reading these forums every day, even though they may not post.

How about you re-read my post. I was suggesting lab FBS's to determine correlation of glucometers to lab results - and I mentioned control solutions. Do you use control solutions?

My friend is stressed about his condition because his meter seems to be reading very high relative to mine. That's a big deal.

It's extremely important to know these shortfalls as people can be wrongly diagnosed on the back of self testing with wildly inaccurate glucometers.

Edited April 4, 2013 by tropo

[chiang mai]

You have an A1C reading of 5.6/5.7 with a FBS reading of 100 or below, I also have an A1C reading of 5.7 but my FBS averages 116, I suggest to you that both our meter readings are accurate for the purpose we intend although technically and scientifically they are inaccurate. You will know in the future that if your FBS changes by say 10% that you can reasoanbaly expect your A1C number to change, ditto if mine changes from 116 to say 125, I will know that I need to get an A1C pretty quickly and to expect the A1C number to have changed. In that respect the relative difference between the FBS and the A1C numbers is helpful, after all, meters, if inaccurate at the outset, tend to remain inaccurate for as long as they used and the degree of inaccuracy doesn't change. Finally on this point: if a person self tests for FBS and whilst expecting a reading of 100, they for example recorded a reading of 115, that person would likely take some action, therefore, it's the degree to which the reading has changed and its direction that are important, not the actual number itself.

[chiang mai]

Actually I have a question for anyone that can answer it:

I'm trying to understand the link between blood glucose levels and the tempreture, my glucose levels were fine but then increased when I went to the UK where the tempreture was near freezing for most of the time, during that visit my diet was pretty similar to what I would eat in Thailand although the time I spent there was quite stressful. I've been back for about three weeks and came back with a nasty throat infection that required a ten day course of anitbiotics hence I expected my blood glucose levels to be high as a result. Now, in the last three days my glucose levels have dropped to very acceptable levels and I'm trying to understand what the catalyst for this has been, my inclination is to believe the very hot weather is a partial answer, anyone?

[chiang mai]

And finally, here's an article that talks about the accuracy of self testing and all that entails, it makes for very interesting reading:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769960/