A Low Carb Experiment

Rad Warrier · #1 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 05:16 PM

The tons of low-carb messages that hit me everyday made me think of doing a low-carb experiment this morning.

I don't eat eggs normally. But to do a low carb experiment I decided to eat eggs. I kidded myself into believing that I am still holding on to ahimsa (non-killing, non-violence) and am doing no himsa (killing, violence) as the eggs are supposed to be non-fertilized and have no potential whatsoever to develop into a living bird.

Normally, I eat a medium carb breakfast which I tolerate not too badly. My glucose level would be around 7.9 mmol/L after one hour and 6.4 mmol/L after 2 hours. Today I took an omlette of one-and-a-half eggs, one small, thin dosa, and a chutney made of grated coconut, onion, chili and condiments all blended to paste consistency in a mixer. My lunch was not low carb - it was my typical medium carb lunch.

Glucose results are attached. What is noteworthy is that glucose levels are excellent 1, 2, and 4 hours after breakfast. But the lunch post prandials were significantly poorer than my normal readings (I couldn't test the 1 hour post lunch level as I had to attend a meeting then.)

Why did the post lunch levels detereorate? One explanation that comes to mind is this: I have read that the "first phase" insulin secretion depends on the quantity secreted for the previous meal. Since less insulin was secreted to cover the "low carb" breakfast, less insulin was secreted to cover the medium carb lunch. The insulin was not sufficient to bring the glucose levels to my normal levels. Any other explanations?

Is it worth continuing with the low carb breakfast?

Regards,
Rad

BlueSky · #2 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 05:56 PM

I don't think you should try to explain the elevated posst-lunch numbers, based on a single incident. Repeat the experiment first and see if it happens again. The reason for the higher numbers is probably completely unrelated to the low-carb breakfast.
Your thinking on a weaker phase one insulin response at lunch time being caused by a low carb breakfast doesn't make sense to me. The phase one response is essentially the mobilisation of stored insulin, which was produced since the previous meal. Eating a low-carb breakfast means that less insulin is required to keep blood glucose normal, so more of it is available for being stored. And the extra stored insulin makes dealing with the next meal easier. A low-carb meal improves the first phase insulin response for the next meal.

Dietary fat is said to slow down the metabolism of carbohydrate, causing blood glucose to rise later on. This could be an issue with you, but you need to test systematically to see if the effect is replicated.

jps · #3 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 06:18 PM

BlueSky, isn't the half-life of insulin very short anyway? I mean, what's released to counter the carbs in one meal isn't going to just be floating around waiting for the next meal four hours later, correct?

BlueSky · #4 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jps

BlueSky, isn't the half-life of insulin very short anyway? I mean, what's released to counter the carbs in one meal isn't going to just be floating around waiting for the next meal four hours later, correct?

Yeah, insulin has a half-life of about 4 minutes after it gets into the blood stream. It doesn't hang around for long. But if insulin isn't needed to keep blood glucose in the normal range, it is stored as granules in the pancreas and doesn't get into the bloodstream. And those insulin granules stay there until the next time blood glucose rises, which is normally after the next meal. Stored insulin can be released into the blood stream very quickly. This is the so-called first phase insulin response, and it is much quicker than the production of new insulin. The first phase insulin response stops blood glucose spiking after meals.

If blood glucose is higher than normal all the time, all the insulin that is produced is used to metabolise this glucose. And no insulin is available for storage. This is why the phase one insulin response of T2 diabetics deteriorates, and blood glucose spikes after meals. Eating low-carb moderates this effect and, to the extent that blood glucose returns to normal levels after meals, some degree of phase one insulin response at subsequent meals is ensured.

The bottom line of all this is that low-carb is the only sensible way for people who are in the early stages of T2 diabetes to eat. .... (gets of soap-box)

Rad Warrier · #5 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 07:22 PM

Thanks Blue Sky. I will continue the experiment for a few more days and watch out for any abnormal response post lunch.

Regards,
Rad

jps · #6 (**permalink**) 12-02-2008, 07:30 PM

I agree with you Bluesky, low carb seems to be the way to go. Not that I've tried anything else. But I tried it and it works so I'm staying with it.

That's why this forum and people like you have made a tremendous impact on my life. Instead of struggling for years and years to find the answers, I got it quickly. I understand the circumstances can change, and abruptly at that, but I feel confident I'll be able to find the help here.