Archive for August 2016
Blood Sugar Levels After Eating
Blood Sugar Levels After Eating in 4 Different Circumstances | New …
Blood sugar level simply means the concentration of a simple sugar (glucose) in certain amount of blood.
In the United States, it is measured in mg/dl or milligrams per deciliter. Glucose concentration in the body fluctuates the whole day. Actually, there can be significant variations from minute to minute.
Blood sugar levels after eating normally skyrocket and exercising will normally drop the levels. Doctors are interested in fasting glucose, glucose levels after eating, which is at times tested.
trouble with blood sugar after eating – Diabetes Daily
normal blood sugar levels after eating. By shinko in forum Pre-Diabetes. Replies: 10. Last Post: 1/26/09, 06:30 AM …
Drinks for Diabetics
Living with dia
betes certainly is not an easy task. Properly managing your diet, exercise, and medicine is a delicate balance.
It takes knowledge, a tremendous amount of work, patience, and even a bit of experimentation in order to get it correct.
That being said, fluid consumption is an often times overlooked aspect that every diabetic should pay careful attention towards.
However, choosing the best drink is not always as easy as it sounds.
Some recent studies have added even more confusion to the already cloudy issue.
For example, is coffee helpful or harmful? Will diet soda lead to weight gain?
In order to clarify these types of questions we have conducted a plethora of research, and interviewed several certified diabetes dieticians and diabetes educators.
The following information will help you to make better decisions regarding the drinks that you put in your body each and every day.
Daily Water Consumption 
Water is truly the best thirst quencher known to humankind.
The good news for diabetics is that consuming more water may actually contribute to better overall glucose or blood sugar control.
In a recent study published in the Diabetes Care Journal researchers found that patients who drank less than the eight recommended glasses of water per day were upwards of thirty-percent more likely to suffer from high blood sugar levels.
Daily Milk Consumption
Milk is healthy for the human body. It provides essential vitamins and minerals that your needs such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin D.
Research also shows that milk may actually lead to weight loss. In fact as little as twelve-ounces per day may assist people in losing those unwanted pounds.
However, milk does contain carbohydrates, which are broken down as sugar in the body.
Diabetics should consume anywhere from two to three servings of low fat, or no fat milk per day.
Tea Consumption
Tea certainly contains a lot of bang for your caloric buck. It contains zero calories, is flavorful, and is full of valuable antioxidants that help your body.
In fact a recent study conducted in China proved that black tea contains a natural chemical called polysaccharides that actually slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream.
Tea has also been proven to reduce the risk of both heart disease and stroke, which unfortunately are side effects of diabetes.
However, it is important to avoid adding sugar to your cup of tea, or purchasing sugar sweetened ice tea.
Coffee Consumption
Coffee is an interesting drink regarding diabetes. Some research shows that it actually slows down the metabolism of sugar in the blood stream, while other researchers believe that it raises blood sugar.
This conflicting advice can certainly be confusing to diabetics or people who are susceptible to the disease.
Your safest bet is to keep coffee consumption down to a maximum of one to two cups per day.
If you find that it is negatively affecting your blood sugar levels than obviously try to minimize consumption or cut it out of your diet altogether.
Diet Soda Consumption
For many diabetics diet soda is a caloric free way to drink something that is fizzy, sweet and tasty.
A recent study suggests that sugar free soda keeps a person’s taste buds primed for sweet treats. In essence by drinking diet soda you may actually end up eating more cakes, candy, cookies, and ice cream to name a few.
However, if you are able to control your diet, it certainly is better for diabetics to drink the sugar free version rather than the sugar version of soda.
Much like anything else, keeping diet soda consumption at reasonable levels is a smart idea.
Sugar Soda, and Sugary Fruit Flavored Drink Consumption
Did you know that there are approximately ten teaspoons of sugar in every twelve-ounce bottle or can of sugar soda and sugary fruit flavored drinks?
Only one serving per day adds forty to fifty grams of carbohydrates to your diet, not to mention upwards of 150 calories.
In essence drinks that contain processes sugar can contribute to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and weight gain to name a few.
In fact, healthy people that drink sugar sodas and sugary fruit flavored drinks on a regular basis gain up to fifteen pounds per year on average.
Not to mention that all that sugar is absolutely damaging to diabetics.
It is recommended that diabetics only drink these type of drinks in extremely rare occasions, or when suffering from low blood sugar.
Fruit Juice Consumption
Fruit is certainly a healthy alternative to sugary snacks, desserts, and drinks that are full of blood glucose raising carbohydrates.
However, consuming fruit juice can absolutely lead to higher blood sugar levels, and an increased risk for people that are prone to type 2 diabetes.
It is highly advised to keep fruit juice consumption to a minimum, and drink only smaller four-ounce servings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is of the utmost importance that people with diabetes or that are susceptible to the disease are fully aware of each and every item that they put into their bodies.
The drinks that you drink everyday are just as important as the food that you eat. It is highly advised to drink a minimum of the daily-recommended amount of eight cups of water per day.
If you need a caffeine based drink tea is better for you than coffee.
Drink fruit juice less often and in smaller amounts.
Keep your intake of sugar free soda to a minimum, and try your best to stay away from sugar based soda and sugary fruit flavored drinks.
If you follow this advice chances are your diabetes will be in far better control.
How to Prevent Diabetes
How to Prevent Diabetes
If type 2 diabetes were an infectious disease there would be an epidemic in this country.
Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult onset diabetes and is affecting more adults than ever. This disease is now showing up in 
children and teenagers at alarming rates.
Diabetes affects more than 24 million Americans. Six million people do not know that they have diabetes. In 2007 the United States spent $116 billion in diabetes related medical care.
Another $58 billion was spent in lost productivity at work due to diabetes. If the diagnosis keeps up at this rate there will be a huge increase in the number of people with diabetes will go from 16 million in 2005 to a whopping 48 million by 2050.
Worldwide the number of people with diabetes is expected to increase from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million by 2030.
Type 2 diabetes is easy to prevent. Nine out of 10 cases can be avoided if a person maintains a healthy weight, eats a well balanced diet, and does not smoke cigarettes.
A person’s heredity may play a role in the onset of type 2 diabetes. There are some lifestyle choices that will also play a role in the onset of this disease.
According to the Nurses’ Health Study 90 percent of women develop type 2 diabetes due to lifestyle choices including not exercising, eating a poor diet, smoking, and staying away from alcohol.
Making some daily changes in lifestyle can help protect a person from developing 2 type diabetes. These same healthy changes can also lower the chance a person has for developing cancer and heart disease.
Healthy Weight
Being overweight is the number one cause of type 2 diabetes. Being overweight will make a person seven times more likely for developing diabetes.
A person that is obese is 20 to 40 times more likely to develop diabetes than someone that controls their weight.
Losing seven to 10 percent of your current weight can reduce the chance for developing type 2 diabetes by as much as 50 percent.
Exercise
People that are inactive are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. When a person works out they will use insulin and glucose.
According to the Nurse’s Healthy Study and the Health Professionals Follow Up Study walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes will cut the risk of developing diabetes by 30 percent.
A similar study suggested that a person should walk for 5 hours a week. Exercise will also improve cardiovascular health.
Turn the TV Off
Watching tv increase inactivity. Every 2 hours a person spends in front of the tv will increase the risk for developing diabetes by 20 percent.
Eat Better
There are some easy changes a person can make to their diet.
Eat whole grains over processed carbohydrates. People that ate two servings of whole grains a day were 30 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Whole grains and fiber will help the body break down glucose. This will help stabilize blood sugar levels and give the person the vitamins they need.
Food such as white bread, rice, and donuts cause a spike in blood sugar and will put a person at an increased risk for diabetes.
Pass on Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks put a person at an increased risk for diabetes. People that drink one or more sugary beverages a day are at an 83 percent higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
For every 12 ounces of sugary drink a person consumes their risk for diabetes rose by 25 percent. Drinks such as Kool Aid and even juices contain a lot of sugar and can increase the risk for type 2 diabetes by 31 percent.
Sugar drinks lead to an increase in eight and raise bad cholesterol levels. Water is one of the best things that a person can drink. Coffee and tea are also smarter choices.
Studies have shown that people that drink diet beverages does not increase a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Good Fats Over Bad Fats
Polyunsaturated fats are good fats and are found in vegetable oil, nuts, and seeds. They can prevent diabetes. Trans fats increase a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes. They are found in baked goods and fried foods. Even omega 3 fatty acids found in fish cannot protect the body for type 2 diabetes.
Limit Red Meat, Avoid Processed Meats
Red meat including beef, pork, and lamb as well as processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, and deli meat can put a person at a higher risk for diabetes.
Three ounces of red meat a day will put a person at an increased risk of diabetes by 20 percent. Two servings of processed meats such as two slices of bacon can increase a person’s risk of diabetes by 51 percent.
Instead of eating red meats a person should eat more low fat dairy, fish, or poultry.
Red meat is high in iron and will reduce the cell’s ability to produce insulin. The high levels of sodium in the meat are also unhealthy.
Quit Smoking
Smokers are 50 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people that do not smoke.
Alcohol and Diabetes
People that drink alcohol may be at a lower risk for heart disease and diabetes. One drink a day for women and two a day for a man can decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes.
A person must keep their alcohol consumption moderate. People can get the same effect from changing their diet and from getting more exercise.
Blood Sugar High in Morning
Blood Sugar High in Morning
Diabetes? Don’t Let ‘Dawn Phenomenon’ Raise Your Blood Sugar – Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)
Health Essentials from Cleveland Clinic (blog)Diabetes?
As morning approaches, your sleeping body begins preparing to rise. Your body releases a surge of hormones, and they can work against insulin to cause blood sugar to rise slightly. When this happens, it is known as dawn phenomenon.
In most people, dawn phenomenon is typically harmless; the body creates a small amount of insulin to correct the problem. However, for those with diabetes, it can become a bigger challenge, says endocrinologist Sana Hasan, DO.
If you have diabetes, here’s what you need to know about regulating your blood sugar at night so you don’t have to worry about managing it first thing in the morning.
How does dawn phenomenon work?
For people with diabetes, dawn phenomenon is problematic because your body isn’t able to naturally correct for insulin changes during the night. This often creates consistently high blood glucose levels in the morning. Estimates show that dawn phenomenon occurs in about 50 percent of people who have type 2 diabetes.
How you can help pinpoint the problem
If you find that your blood sugar is consistently high when you wake up, you can help diagnose the issue by checking your blood sugar levels during the night.
Dr. Hasan suggests that you set your alarm for 2 or 3 a.m. for a few nights in a row to see what the levels are like during that time. If they’re high then, that’s probably a sign of dawn phenomenon, she says.
Low blood sugar at night — a different problem
But if you find low blood sugar levels during the night, that is another issue altogether. If this is the case, you likely have what is known as the Somogyi effect, or rebound hyperglycemia.
Read More…
Managing Morning Blood Sugar Highs – Everyday Health (blog)
Everyday Health (blog)Managing Morning Blood Sugar HighsEveryday Health (blog)
A high blood sugar reading first thing in the morning can throw off your whole day — and signal a chronic problem. Despite their best efforts to control their blood sugar levels, some people simply wake up with elevated blood sugar. Starting your day this way is not just alarming — if it becomes a pattern, high A.M. readings can make it difficult to achieve your long-term diabetes management goals.
Whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2, a morning blood sugar high can usually be traced to one of three causes. With a little detective work and the help of your diabetes care team, you can isolate the cause and take steps to correct it.
The Dawn Phenomenon
“The dawn phenomenon occurs during the night while you are asleep and the body releases stress hormones,” explained certified diabetes educator Hector Verastigui, RN, clinical research coordinator at the Texas Diabetes Institute in San Antonio. This phenomenon usually occurs between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. and involves growth hormone, cortisol, and adrenaline, which trigger the production and release of glucose from your liver. The end result of this chemical cascade is an increase in blood sugar.
“These hormones are designed to get us up and moving in the morning,” said endocrinologist Renee Amori, MD, an assistant professor in the division of endocrinology at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. While everybody experiences these natural changes in hormone levels, in people with diabetes the body may not adjust appropriately. This can lead to higher-than-normal blood sugar at the start of the day.
The Somogyi Effect
High morning readings can also be caused by the Somogyi effect, a rebound response that occurs when the body overcompensates for a low blood sugar reaction in the middle of the night. “If you take blood-sugar-lowering medication [such as insulin] in the evening that may cause you to have a hypoglycemic reaction while you are asleep, your body will release these stress hormones that will cause you to have a high blood sugar in the morning,” explained Verastigui. If this is contributing to your high morning blood sugar, he said, you may experience symptoms related to hypoglycemia, including headache, excessive sweating while asleep and difficulty waking. “If your physician is increasing your evening diabetes medication to lower your morning blood sugar and your blood sugar keeps going up, you may be experiencing Somogyi,” Verastigui said.
