Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

My best friend (who has been trying to manage his obesity for years) has finally been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Are there any easy ways to start him on diets for those who are pre-diabetic? Most of the sites we’ve tried seem just to say "Don’t be obese and get more exercise". Are there any resources which give diet sheets, or recommended brands for diabetics?

Your best friend clearly has blood sugar imbalances thus the prediabetes. Dietary changes can help so much in avoidng the diabetes diagnosis.

Eating unrefined foods, lean protein, and more veggies than starches are really important for you bf right now, low carb. Eating 5-6 small meals/snacks should be his pattern. Drink plenty of water. Try to exercise even walking 3X a day for 30 min will help stabilize glucose levels. Add more protein. Protein always helps in making me feel full and I don’t feel so hungry all the time. Fish, chicken, lamb, etc. are also good sources of protein. Beans have a good source of plant protein and fibers that stick with you longer and break down into sugar (as all food eventually does) in your blood stream more slowly. This is a good thing, as you won’t get a low blood sugar nearly as quickly. Try to avoid candy, juices, etc. are all turned into blood sugar very fast; they don’t stick with you. I know this is very hard but try to do it slowly eating less and less everyday. You will see how you will feel better following these tips. Think of these simple sugars as very short term fuel. If he needs to have sweets try sugar free its really good and fill that "sugar" absence. Eating correctly will help you straighten his dietary problems. Also, this helps when he can get into "portion" control eating smaller portions that makes it seem you are not on an actual diet.

David Mendosa diabetes.com can give you alot of help in setting up diet sheets and recommended diets and brands for diabetics. He also has systems that can help your friend track his glucose and set up reminders, etc. Mr Mendosa is a pioneer in the field of diabetes and his web site has an enormous amount of information for new diabetics as well as long time diabetics.

Try the above tips you’ll be surprised how well it works and how his blood glucose levels will drop. You are a good friend in helping him out and I’m sure he is a good friend to you too.

Hope this helps.

The options that are given are:

1) offer water
2) offer sugar
3) drive person to hospital
4) encourage them take slow breathes

please answer ASAP

Although your previous respondents have correctly stated the difference between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia I’ve a strong suspicion that you’re asking what you need to do if you find someone in a diabetic state that you don’t know whether they’re having a hypoglycemic or hyperglycemic event.

What you need to do is give them sugar, preferably stirred up in some water as this makes it easier to break down during the digestive process … unless they’re unconscious. If they are unconscious you telephone for an ambulance immediately. (There’s a very real danger that if you try to give anything orally, that the sufferer MAY choke to death.) Paramedics would first check the patient’s blood glucose level then decide what to do from then on. (If the person is hypoglycemic they would either give a glucagon injection or a glucose injection. Glucagon would be given intramuscularly. This stimulates the liver to release some of it’s stores of glycogen … the way it stores glucose … back int the bloodstream. Glucose injections are given intravenously. This puts glucose directly into the bloodstream.)

Hypoglycemia (lower than ‘normal’ blood glucose levels) is more immediately dangerous than hyperglycemia. Someone suffering a hypoglycemic event could easily slip into unconsciousness, leading to coma or death in a very short space of time, whereas hyperglycemia tends to evolve of many hours or even days. (You can also fall into unconsciousness, leading to coma and death with hyperglycemia, but as I say, it MAY take several days.)

Both situations are classed as emergency situations, but treatment for hypoglycemia tends to be more rapid, and may resolve in a matter of minutes or hours. Hyperglycemia would normally require hospital admission, and require the patient to be put on a drip of both saline and insulin.

Given the options that you have been given, if the patient is conscious, give sugar … even if you’re not sure of what’s happening with them. You must always err on the side of caution. i.e. treat which more immediately threatening.

oops that should be hypoglycemia, not hyperglycemia

They would be likely to develop either one. They are dependent on getting exact doses of insulin matched to their food intake and level of exercise. If the situation is right (or wrong) they can develop hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia within minutes.

Hypoglycemia = low blood sugar levels = caused by too much insulin, too little food or physical activity
Hyperglycemia = high blood sugar levels = caused by too much food, too little insulin or stress

So obviously, hypoglycemia = too little blood glucose.

When drinking alcohol, the body converts that to glucose.

So if someone drinks a lot of alcohol, wouldn’t they have a lot of blood glucose that got converted by the liver?

How would that cause HYPOglycemia?

Alcohol LOWERS blood sugar.
That’s why people with alcohol poisoning die.

The alcohol stops the liver from producing glycogen.This keeps sugar levels at a normal level.
Without that or any high carb food, you will get lower and lower,

If you drink, do so moderately and always eat carbs when you drink and after you drink.

Hi, I have been looking to find more information on hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar); I have found some causes but I am wondering which illnesses and/or infections cause it. Thanks.
What causes it for those who are NOT diabetic

A high proportion of patients suffering an acute stress such as stroke or myocardial infarction (heart attack) may develop hyperglycemia, even in the absence of a diagnosis of diabetes. Human and animal studies suggest that this is not benign, and that stress-induced hyperglycemia is associated with a high risk of mortality after both stroke and myocardial infarction.

Plasma glucose >120 mg/dl in the absence of diabetes is a clinical sign of sepsis (blood infection).

Physical trauma, surgery and many forms of severe stress can temporarily increase glucose levels.

Hyperglycemia can be a serious problem if not treated in time. In untreated hyperglycemia, a condition called ketoacidosis could occur. Ketoacidosis develops when the body does not have enough insulin. Without insulin, the body isn’t able to utilize the glucose for fuel, so the body starts to breaks down fats for energy.

When the body breaks down fats, it produces a waste product called ketones. The body cannot tolerate large quantity of ketones and will try to remove it through the urine. Unfortunately, the body is not able to remove all the ketones and thus they build up in the blood stream, which can lead to ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis is life-threatening condition which needs immediate treatment. Symptoms include: shortness of breath, breath that smells fruity, nausea and vomiting, and very dry mouth.

Hope this helps.