Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

If the diabetes educator sees a blood glucose log with numbers in the 120′s on average but there is no A1c of 8.8%, what should be considered what assessment questions should this person be asked, and what health problems are they at risk for?

The diabetes educator would need to know whether the diabetic patient is adhering to dietary guidelines, whether or not they are adhering to medication requirements as set down by the doctor … that would be insulin injections in the case of type 1 diabetes and insulin and/or medication(s) in the case of type 2 diabetes. The diabetes educator would also want to know whether the diabetic patient is adhering to the exercise regime as set out. Non-compliance in any of these areas could result in blood glucose levels being higher than they should be.

If the patient IS adhering to all of the ‘rules’ as set out in the treatment plan, it MAY be required for the medication to be reviewed. This is because treatment options are never a fail-safe, and should constantly be reviewed. There are also occasions when blood glucose levels may rise anyway, such as if there is an underlying infection, the patient is going through a particularly stressful time, or the patient has been prescribed certain medications that are known to cause elevation in blood glucose levels. Diabetes is also a progressive illness, meaning that even with the best will in the world the condition is likely to get worse.

What must also be borne in mind is that, particularly with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetics, they may still be going through the ‘honeymoon period’ where their pancreas is still producing small quantities of insulin. There’s no way to determine just how long this ‘honeymoon period’ could last for so, once the remaining beta cells (islets of Langerhans) have been destroyed, insulin requirements would gradually increase.

Health problems that could ensue include neuropathies … usually beginning with diabetic peripheral neuropathy … where altered sensation or numbness occurs in the feet (and sometimes the hands); circulatory problems; kidney problems; heart attack and stroke; retinopathy (eye damage); gastroparesis (delayed emptying of stomach contents); bowel and bladder dysfunction; sexual dysfunction; blood pressure control. (I do hope I’m not painting too bleak of a picture.)

why would a person with hyperglycemia be at an increased risk for heart disease and kidney disease?

YES. Having high sugar content in your blood can damage and "furr up"/narrow your blood vessels. Small vessels like the ones that goes to supply blood to your heart and kidneys are especially prone. Your nerves will also suffer and your vision for example will go funny. So if you are a diabetic it is vital to have good control of your blood sugar to prevent all these damages from occurring inside your body. (I know it’s easier said than done). Possibly seek help from a dietitian?

I have family members with diabetes on both my mum and dad’s side of the family. My grandmother died from her diabetes and recently my 20 yr old sister also passed away due to problems with her diabetes. I had a test around 2 years ago because I was showing symptoms such as drinking alot etc but the test came back showing everything was ok. How often should I look at getting this checked?

once a year is enough. but diabetes test is easy and easy to perform you can do it more often say after 6 months.
but also read this article. it will help you.

http://adilclinic.blogspot.com/2010/11/diabetes-mellitus-sugar-understand.html

What diet should diabetic cats be fed? Are there supermarket brands which are acceptable? And what insulin treatment is most recommended?

Vet.

Diabetes is such an individual disease. Only your vet wil be able to tell you the appropriate medications and food that is best for your cat.

I am showing signs of being a diabetic. Since most of my family members are diagnosed to be diabetics, I want to be vigilant and create a diabetic diet plan for myself so that it won’t get worse.

A low carb diet is in order. Mendosa’s Low Glycemic Index Diet is the best you can get . In one week you will know what to eat and what not and how much. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

This table includes the glycemic index and glycemic load of more than 2,480 individual food items. Not all of them, however, are available in the United States. They represent a true international effort of testing around the world.

The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. A GI is 70 or more is high, a GI of 56 to 69 inclusive is medium, and a GI of 55 or less is low.

The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar. That is where glycemic load comes in. The carbohydrate in watermelon, for example, has a high GI. But there isn’t a lot of it, so watermelon’s glycemic load is relatively low. A GL of 20 or more is high, a GL of 11 to 19 inclusive is medium, and a GL of 10 or less is low.

Foods that have a low GL almost always have a low GI. Foods with an intermediate or high GL range from very low to very high GI.

Both GI and GL are listed here. The GI is of foods based on the glucose index–where glucose is set to equal 100. The other is the glycemic load, which is the glycemic index divided by 100 multiplied by its available carbohydrate content (i.e. carbohydrates minus fiber) in grams. (The "Serve size (g)" column is the serving size in grams for calculating the glycemic load; for simplicity of presentation I have left out an intermediate column that shows the available carbohydrates in the stated serving sizes.) Take, watermelon as an example of calculating glycemic load. Its glycemic index is pretty high, about 72. According to the calculations by the people at the University of Sydney’s Human Nutrition Unit, in a serving of 120 grams it has 6 grams of available carbohydrate per serving, so its glycemic load is pretty low, 72/100*6=4.32, rounded to 4.

You can forget the metformin for now.
There are 4 key steps to controlling glucose levels.
Here are the 4 keys:
1) Knowledge- http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/index.ph… This is a great site for info
2) Meds. Metformin to start. Never , ever take Actos or Avandia. They may kill you. Bone fractures, heart problems and what diabetics really don’t need is that they change Bone Stem Cells to Fat Cells.
3)diet- A low carb diet is in order. I can’t count carbs so I use Mendosa’s Glycemic Index Diet. Great for the whole family. http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm
4) EXERCISE- Walking is fine but Nordic Walking is Great. Exercise also lowers Glucose levels , lowers Cholesterol and lowers Blood Pressure. Google it.
Exercise is very important.

Take care

Tin

Other ideas: Snacks: Hard boiled eggs, a handful of any nut you like, tempeh or chicken or shrimp skewers w/ peanut butter (sate) sauce (sate sauce-make your own to eliminate the sugar found in prepared versions of this sauce), a bowl of any soup you like that is under 30g of carbs per serving, preferably homemade, like lentil or minestrone or white bean, tomatoes or snow peas or steamed baby vegetables stuffed with crab, chicken, turkey or tofu salad, Cream of Carrot Soup w/ Cumin, Orange and Fennel; Triscuits with hummus and veggies (Pay attention to the serving size here, and the carbs, and FOLLOW it!), tons of raw or lightly steamed veggies and a delicious spinach/water chestnutyogurt or onion dip. As much Spicy V-8 Juice as you like; Low Carb Smoothies; An (as in one!) English muffin pizza, preferably homemade pizza sauce on a whole wheat English muffin w/ cheese and LOTS of sauteed veggies; You can have as much Salad Caprese as you like: Fresh Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Some Red Onion sliced thinly, some cucumbers, if you like, and freshly made pesto all over it!!!! Greek Salad is absolutely fabulous for you, too! Dinners: Turkey Meatloaf w/ Mushroom Gravy, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots and some kind of starch, or you could forget the starch, and have a huge salad instead…; Caesar Salad w/ Grilled Chicken; Cobb Salad, but either use Turkey Bacon, or forget the Bacon all together; Steak or Chicken Fajitas; Baked Haddock (no crumbs, but as much lemon, garlic, spices and butter as you like), Curried Yams w/ Garlic, Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (Yams and sweet potatoes are a much better food choice for a diabetic than are white potatoes.), Stir-Fried Veggies (as much as you like) or steamed carrots w/ butter (a little bit) and fresh parsley (lots!); shrimp or chicken/broccoli/red peppers over brown rice or any other whole grain you like (but in moderation!); Desserts: A baked apple, stuffed w/ cinnamon or other warming spices, raisins and walnuts, w/ a drizzle of butter on it. Fresh strawberries or other healthy fresh fruits, dipped in sugar free chocolate sauce, and sugar free whipped cream…YUM!!!

What can a person do to prevent symptons of hypoglycemia if they need to restrict protein?

You have to eat small snacks/meals throughout the day to maintain proper sugar levels and drink plenty of fluids. I keep some fruit or yogurt around and avoid food that is highly processed. There is a yogurt made for kid’s lunch boxes that thaw out by lunch time if you need to eat at your desk. I also inform my boss of my medical condition so they know I need small breaks to eat. I accomplish this by dividing my lunch time into two fifteen minute breaks. The yogurt will help make your digestive and immune system work better. Trail mix or dry fruits are also great to keep around.