Diabetics can eat right after using insulin: study

[Northerner]

People with type 2 diabetes are sometimes told to wait after using insulin for the drug to work its way into the body before they can begin eating, but a new study from Germany says that's not necessary.

In a group of about 100 diabetics, researchers found that blood sugar levels remained steady regardless of whether or not participants left a 20 to 30-minute gap between using insulin and eating a meal. The diabetics overwhelmingly preferred being able to eat right away, too.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/01/31/us-health-diabetics-insulin-idINBRE90U1CW20130131

 

[Northerner]

As a Type 1 using novorapid I know this isn't true - I have seen the evidence on my meter, but I wonder what the experiences of our Type 2 members are? Do you leave 20-30 minutes after injecting before eating? Does it make a difference to you?

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Be interested to hear from T2 members. Sounds like a drug company promise to me (analogues have always been marketed on a 'no need to wait' basis to me, but as you say this is demonstrably not the case). 100 is a pretty tiny study too, and of course t2 is a collection of various conditions not one single thing. I be quite surprised of this were the case for a t2 whose first phase insulin response is impaired. Lots of t2s seem to find their post-meal peak is near 1 hour, which would suggest to me that injecting early should benefit - but of course I'm just guessing!

 

[HelenM]

I find it interesting that it's a German study.
Is it about looking at ways of saving health care costs?
These people were taking regular human insulin which they normally suggest should be injected 15-30 min before eating. If this isn't necessary in T2 then it removes one reason for prescribing more expensive rapid insulins.

A few years ago the German cost effectiveness body (NPH) reported that it could find no proof that long-acting insulin analogues,Lantus and Levemir, were better than human insulin in long-term outcomes in people with Type 2 diabetes.
Last year they also suggested that there was also no proof of additional benefit compared to human insulin in T1
https://www.iqwig.de/sidasjc3mm5hjj...lin-analogues-in-type-1-diabetes.1033.en.html

I don't actually know if this has resulted in a cutback in prescribing these insulins ( be interesting to read their recent guidelines but I don't read German)

 

[Abi]

I suspect that there may have been more of a difference if the participants had waited 30 to 40 minutes

 

[pippaandben]

Last night I was 5.3 before dinner. At =1hour 16.9!!!. At n+2 hours 8.0 and +4 hours 5.6 with 4.2 at bedtime and 3 rich tea biscuits!!
Decided to check carbs in the meal: soup 15.9, sweet & sour chicken 92.2 (didn't reaslise that and includes 48g sugar - no wonder high reading), dessert 27.4, Banana and apple between 1 and 2 hours 44.6.
If I had had just more insulin then would have hypoed so seems obvious to me that needed to take insulin half an hour earlier.
Don't usually take this many readings but getting into the habit for ready for the new regime on Monday