The Pepsi challenge?

Good score DMW.  Getting it down from there to 7.3.  Only .4 to 'normality'!  I think the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks can have a detrimental effect if you drink a lot.  I remember a study that said that they had absolutely no effect, but as with mobile phones, I'd say that caution is the watchword.  If I can be any more vague, I'll let you know!

 who on earth thinks an HbA1C of 6.9% is 'normality'? I hope that was a joke I just didn't get. 6.9% is equivalent to an average blood sugar of 180 mg/dl or 10 mmol/l which before long will get you a one-way ticket to all sorts of diabetic complications. A normal healthy adults HbA1C is in the range of 4.3 - 4.6%; that's what I'd call normality. You don't have to accept what so many physicians might call an 'acceptible' HbA1C. Normal blood sugars ARE achievable. And I've had Type 1 for 26 years by the way. 

Errm,

From Wikipedia:

The International Diabetes Federation and American College of Endocrinology recommends Hb_A1c values below 6.5%, while the range recommended by the American Diabetes Association extends to 7%.

OK, that might not be 'normal' levels, but that quote goes with what I've read elsewhere and been told by my doctor, regarding levels for us lot.  My most recent test (last week) was 6.1%.  Anything over 6 and they calculate the mean b/s, which according to the lab was 6.5.  My records would put it at bit below that. It was a disappointing result as my a1cs had been consistently in the mid to high 5s, but I'd had a pretty indifferent few months.  However, I know what you mean about having 'normal' b/s and a1c levels and hats off to you for doing achieving your numbers.

I just read this past weekend that anything over a 6% AIC nets a HUGH increase in possible complications. As a diet/exercise person I HAVE to be below 6%. If I'm not next time I'm going to ask about meds. I can't run the risk ...

fergusc,

I think that most type 2's have a good bit of insulin resistance which makes it very hard for us to get the consistent low BG levels that are needed to achieve an A1c in the 4.3-4.6 range. From what I've seen, even if a type 2 is using insulin- it's used more like a pill (take your shot every night before bed). A proper low-carb diet and lots of exercise help, of course, but there is really no way for us to make those small corrections that Bernstein talks about in his book. In my own case, now that I don't take the pancreas stimulator any more, it is difficult for me to get below a bg level of the mid-80's. I tend to run in the low 90's unless I am doing a lot of slow, endurance type exercise like walking around the mall, shopping, vacuuming, or mowing the lawn - and even then I drop only to maybe 82-85. My A1c has been at 5.2 for 6 months now (down from 15 just one year ago come July), and I think I may not be able to go any lower until I am able to lose more weight and or build more muscle. My long range goal is to get it to 4.9 or under.

I fully agree with you that the so-called standards given by the medical associations are way too high. They really show the minimum probability for delaying complications based on those large studies that come out every so often. When I was first diagnosed, my doctor gave me such a chart and told me that if I could get my A1c to 7.0, it would most likely take X number of years before I might need my leg amputated- I asked her what A1c I needed to have to not get my leg amputated at all- and she told me 5 or under, but that was almost an impossibility for a diabetic.

Well, I just love a challenge - and I'm getting close.

sandy

Holy mackeral, Sandy.  Are you saying the doctor told you that A1c tests in the 6's would most likely lead to amputations sometime in the future? 

Lanie     

 

Lanie and Ruth,

Yes- she did tell me that I needed to get to 5 or below if I wanted reasonable assurance that I would bypass all of the nasty complications. Of course there are no guarantees and she was looking at a woman with 2 in-office stabs in the 460s who kept telling her that she had a UTI not diabetes   

We have had several conversations about A1c goals since then, and she really believes that all of her patients should try to get to 5.0 or less. She is a type 2, her daughter is a type 1, and they both push for the higher end of normal. (She takes metformin and uses an insulin pump; her daughter is a pumper).

She was resistant to my low carb approach at first. She wanted me to eat at least 120-130 carbs a day- which I did for 14 days and then showed up with my horrible numbers. I also had my 75-80 carb numbers and my record of what I ate for those 4 weeks (with nutrient breakdown). The main difference was the amount of B vitamins I was eating (grains have a lot of B vitas) and the amount of sugar (surprise-not!). I now take a mixed B supplement, but have added beans back to my diet since then, so it may be unnecessary.  She didn't think much of the Insulin-Resistance approach either- but she cannot argue with my results. She actually asked me if I would talk to one of her new patients about how I eat -lol.

As for my drugs - I take 100mg of Januvia 1x/day; 500 mg Metformin with breakfast and dinner and 1000 mg metformin at night.  Once I hit the magic number (5 or less) we will cut back on the meds. I was hoping that Jeannie's banana remedy would work for me since I take the evening met to help combat my dawn phenomenon.

I just heard about a study that showed that ALzheimers might be a form (Type 3) of diabetes- i.e. diabetes of the brain. The research team found that the brain produces insulin just like the pancreas and that it can get insulin resistance too. This was shown in rats, not humans. The brains were shrunken and showed the same amyloid tangles that are seen in humans- and that it repsonded to diabetes meds just like the rest of the body - how scary is that?

sandy

 

In answer to the original post about diet Pepsi.....I have only this week given up diet Dr. Pepper and my husband has stopped drinking diet Coke. They both contain aspertame. I was having pressure headaches, migraines, and lights in the eyes like an aura before a migraine. My husband began having them also. After many tests, the doctor called them migraines and said that there had to be an environmental trigger. We began doing some detective work. I have had seasonal allergies, sinus infections, headaches, etc. for the past three months. During that time because of the infections and antibiotics prescribed, my 5.2 A1C went up to 5.7. After stopping the diet colas, neither my husband or myself have had headaches, migraines, or lights in the eyes. My morning sugars have also dropped. I believe that diet colas of any type that contain ASPERTAME are toxic and dangerous to everyone.....and more so to diabetics. I kept looking in everything I was consuming and found aspertame in sugar-free gum and candy and even in regular Juicy Fruit that also contains three other real sugars. How much sweeter can you get it than three types of sugar? Why add an artificial sweetner? If you want to see the reactions that aspertame can cause, do a search online. You will find hundreds of reputable websites and a good number of strange ones...all warning of the health hazards of aspertame. It reminds me of the MSG problem of years ago...or the hydrogenated fat that everyone is only now admitting was a problem. All I know is my blood sugar is down, my headache is gone, and no more lights in my eyes. Check those labels and do your own research. I could have saved myself a few months worth of pain and a lot of money for tests.

fergusc said...

The ADA and the IDF should know better. In giving those sorts of numbers the stamp of official credibility they are effectively consigning countless diabetes sufferers to long term ill health and disease. Shame on them. Back in the old days when by HbA1C was often in the 7's, my doctors would write 'good control' on my records which, frankly, was rubbish.
There are many studies which correlate increased HbA1C with increased obesity, mortality and every darned complication imaginable. It must be the single most important little number there is.
I believe 6.1% equates to a mean blood sugar a wee bit higher than 6.5 mmol/l to be honest. Dr Bernstein has a formula, based on thousands of clinical trials, which goes something like this: HbA1C of 5% equals a blood sugar of 5.5 mmol/l. Every 1% over that equates to and additional 2.2 mmol/l. So 6.1% equals about 7.5 mmol/l.
I'm Type 1, so it's proving hard for me to get down to the low 4% range (best so far is 4.6%) without the risk of hypoglycemia getting too great. But as a Type 2 there are fewer risks for you I think, so you could potentially attain 'normal' numbers.

All the best,

fergusc

This is great information. Fergusc ... what do you think of a Type 2 in the "4's" w/o medication. Have you read anything about that? The lowest I've ever been able to get on diet/exercise was 5.5 ... I'll be giving it a more consistent effort again, but am wondering if you've read anything about that.

I want to know if they're any out there!!! My thing is trying to figure out when enough is enough, so to speak ... and when meds should be used! Of course I want to keep up the diet/exercise thang, but at what point do I tell my M.D., "NO ... 6.0 is NOT excellent control ... and I WANT IT!"