[monty]

Hi All
I have just been told by my doctor that I'm pre-diabetic. I had my annual physical last week and just got my blood results back, my FBG was 110. A few months ago I had a unrelated blood test without fasting and my BG was 95. My doc said it was a little high but she wasn't too worried (because I hadn't fasted). She is now concerned and wants to retest me in 3 months.

I'm an active 37 year old male. I run around 8 miles a week plus have 3 weight sessions with a personal trainer and do yoga twice weekly. At my last check I was 16% body fat, I'm 6 foot and weigh 173 lbs. I eat no junk food, almost all organic, am on a low fat diet, eat no red meat, no dairy and eat massive amounts of raw vegetables and fresh fruit. I EAT NO PROCESSED SUGARS (I use honey in my decaf herbal tea and morning oatmeal). I have also stopped all caffine over the last month.

After the initial shock I started reading stuff online and bought a pre-diabetes book. Everything I read tells me to loose weight, exercise and eat right! I don't believe I can do much more to improve my lifestyle, except probably give up a few beers at Friday happy hour. I have no genetic history in my family of diabetes. I have no diabetic symptoms and according to my doctor am in great shape. So what happened to my blood sugar, how did it get like this?

I would appreciate any advice on where to look for help for someone with my particular profile.

Thanks for any help!!!!!

[MJB]

Hi monty.

Massive amounts of vegetables and fruits can have massive amounts of carbs, especially fruit juice because it is so concentrated.

Your weight and exercise regimen seem to be very good. Try logging how many carbs you're eating daily. I assume you have some sort of protein source as part of your diet.

You may wish to see a dietician, one that is a certified diabetes educator.

[Cyborg]

You don't always get diabetes for the stereotypical reasons, such as being overweight, lack of exercise and not eating healthy. If you really are diabetic or pre-diabetic, it could be type 1 or type 2. Each seem to come about for different reasons. There are more tests that need to be done to confirm not only that you may have diabetes, but also what type.

Good luck and welcome aboard...

[Ronin]

Hi Monty!

I would tend to disagree with your MD's (knee-jerk) diagnosis based on a single FBG test. Yeah, the ADA and others have cited any FBG greter than 100 to be the diagnosis of Pre-Diabetic but that is not 100% true.

To be sure, an FBG over 100 is a cause for concern but it only indicates a need for additional testing. For starters you should get an HbA1c test to determine your " weighted average" BG levels for the past three months (actually weighted towards the past four-weeks). This is a much more accurate test of how your body is managing glucose.

A high FBG can, and often is, the result of what is called the Dawn Phenomenon/Effect where your liver dumps glucose into your bloodsteam to provide the energy needed to keep going until you provide outside fuel. I one time cycled to my clinic had a blood test and was told that my BG was high (in the 130 range) on an empty stomach. Fortunately, I knew that it was probably due to a liver-dump -- my bad for screwing up the test but it was my only opportunity to bicycle that day and seeing as I'm addicted to cycling,...

I have personally found that people who are active have a stronger DP than couch potatoes because their muscles require more energy than a non-fit person. This is also why many people have higher BG levels following exercise than they have before exercise.

The crux of this is that the Pre-D diagnosis is very new and is intended to capture people who might become Type-2 diabetic before the body developes the condition. (Note: this is based on the environmental theory of the onset of Type-2 diabetes -- there is a compelling genetic theory as well.)

Bottom line: get the HbA1c (which does not require fasting, and does not require another 30 day waiting period and can be done using a home test kit that costs less than $30) to determine what your weighted average BG levels are. If they are below 6.0% you are probably not Pre-D. If they are below 5.0% you are definately not Pre-D.

[jerryn]

Only one of the causes is a sedentary life style. And not all of us sit around all the time. In fact, many of us are active. I do a lot of stuff... I think if I was inactive my glucose would be higher than it is now. It takes several fasting tests to determine if your diabetic. My first test was 20 minutes after breakfast, a free screening where I worked. I was at 327. My Dr. had me take a fasting test and I was 126. So instead of waiting my Dr. ordered an A1C. This will give you a 6 month average. I was at 11. So.. that def diabetic. Now after on the meds and eating low carb.. and yes active... I'm around
6.8 . 6.8 is livable but this disease tends to progress a bit.
I know it's going to be harder to keep my A1C around this number as time goes on.

I wish my bg reading was 110 in the morning.

No worries, ask you Dr. for an A1C, and you will know for sure.

[xMenace]

Sometimes the pacreas just can't keep up. You are almost ... 40! Does your family have a history?

[susique333]

Monty, my grandmother became diabetic when she was 40, she was a skinny 1st grade school teacher who ran her tiny little pratt off Monday thru Friday. I used to love to eat at her house cause she was a real meat and salad person (I on the other hand grew up on starches and plenty of them, they made the meal stretch when you have 6 siblings.) So who knows how this happens? My baby sister is type 2 as well. 15yrs ago I had a glucose tolerance test as my fasting was a little high, I got pregnant a few months later and was on insulin by the time I was 3 months along. I was stunned! Good luck to you, youre going to find lots of wonderful people here.

[owlyn]

You could very well have a history of it in your family and not know about it. In your grandparents day, diabetes was never listed as the cause of death- it was usually a complication, such as heart disease that was listed. I thought I didn't have a history till I was diagnosed. then someone says, oh yeah, your grandmother's sister had it. I was diagnosed at around 40, and it turned out that I had type 1, not type 2. I had about a 6 month warning. My triglycerides were very high, and the doctor said that we would watch it- come back in 6 months. It could be that your pancreas is starting to give up, or it could just be as others have said- just dawn phenomena in an otherwise normal person. You need the A1C test. If insurance is covering the tests, you may as well ask for a c-peptide test as well to find out if you are still making enough insulin. Might be too soon for that one, but it can't hurt.

[monty]

Wow, thank you all who replied with some great info. My doctor has booked an A1C for me in 3 months, I might try and get one before that. I bought a glucose meter today and am going to start monitoring my glucose daily. I'm going to switch my diet to more protein (which means eating more red meat) and lower my carbs. Again I appreciate all the input from the group.
Cheers

[monty]

I had a long chat to my mother this morning who lives in South Africa and just found out that her mother is a T2 diabetic and has been medically controlled for many years. In fact a large part of her side of the family are T2 diabetics. I'm also the same blood type as my grandmother, I'm not sure what it is but it is a rare negative (1 in 25) type. My grandmother is a very fiesty 84 years old but has been loosing her sight for the past 10 years and now is clinically blind.

Needless to say I lectured my Mother about getting tested, her weight has had massive fluctuations for years as has my grandmother's. My Mother has also had classic signs of diabetes and has not been tested. Although shocked to find all this out, it's given me new insight into the possible genetic cause for what's happened to me. Thanks again for all the great reply's above.

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by monty

I'm going to switch my diet to more protein (which means eating more red meat)

Not necessarily. To Fu anyone?

[Montana1]

Hello Monty,
Have you checked your bs with your new meter? How are they?
Montana

[monty]

I bought a meter and strips, got home and found I had the non code strips with a coded meter. Long story short, I called the help line and they are going to Fedex me an upgraded meter free of charge to match the strips. I won't be able to test my FBS until Wednesday. I'm also going to order a A1C meter to test my own A1C this week so I have a baseline before I change my diet, give up my beers on a Friday (I say as tears well up in my eyes) and generally remove any remaining non essential carbs from my life! I'm looking at going on the South Beach diet, any advice? Hardcore diets don't bother me, I eat a very regulated diet out of choice right now, it's just a case of tweaking it to match my blood sugar needs.

It's almost ironic, one of the joys I get from my training program is the opportunity to monitor my progress. Every morning I weigh myself, take my blood pressure and record my base pulse. Every time I exercise I wear a heart rate monitor and record my heart rate, training effectiveness and VO2. This I download to my computer and can plot graphs of my progress. What can I say, I'm an input kinda guy. I'm looking forward to adding my BS to my daily stats.

In fact on researching pre-diabetes I found a great site in which the author said something along the lines of pre-diabetes being paradoxical. I now because of it have a strong reason to look after myself like never before putting me in a position to enjoy all the benefits of healthy living. If one day I require medication, so be it, I will deal with it, if and when it happens. For now I'm going down kicking and screaming!

[CaptainMike]

You are fortunate to catch it this early. I too was diagnosed (At 40) while very active and at ideal weight (13% body fat) though I was already fully diabetic. I was on a (doctor recommended) low-fat, low-meat, zero cholesterol (And thus high-carb) diet trying to get cholesterol down to avoid starting statins. Some heredity at play in my case as well. You sound very motivated and organized, I'm sure you'll cope with this quite well.
Mike

[Montana1]

Great attitude Monty. For me it has become an obsession and in a morbid way, I am enjoying it.
Montana