Does diabetes 'plateau'?

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Sharron1

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Sorry about clunky subject title didn't know how to phrase my query.

For a while now I have increased my carb intake but when I test I am still around the 6 mark. While I know remission is a term used or whatever people want to call it - but once a diabetic always a diabetic in my books. But does it slowly 'improve' itself if I am rather less careful with the carbs? Or is it simply one of those things?
 
The Direct Trial showed a significant increase in first phase insulin secretion, the big dose of insulin produced by the pancreas immediately after eating, up to 4 months after the weight-loss phase and a slight further increase at 24 months. Maximal insulin secretion showed significant improvement between 4 and 12 months. You could say that there is likely a plateau beginning some time between 4 and 12 months following weight loss, if remission was brought about through losing enough weight to get excess fat out of the liver and pancreas, and if that weight loss is maintained.


After that, nobody really knows. It is generally accepted amongst the medical community that Type 2 diabetes gets worse over time. That's how it it tends to go, though people also generally tend to put on weight and become less active as they age. It is known that insulin resistance and insulin clearance deteriorate in old age, independent of what's going on in the pancreas. How well a person is able to handle carbs in their meals over time, in the context of keeping active and keeping weight stable, is not something that has been studied.
 
Most likely you've restored your glucose regulation & like a "normal", your BG just isn't very sensitive to diet.

Whether or not that in fact makes you "normal" probably isn't worth spending much time thinking about.
 
It's almost a year since I got my A1c down from three figures to 39 just as you did 5 years ago. My big fear now is putting it all that weight back on again. Being 'rather less than careful with the carbs' might be a good way of proving 'once a diabetic always a diabetic'.
 
Hi I have achieved remission twice and then due to complex medical issues had to change my approach so I am having to eat higher carbs than my body likes and have gone back to needing medication, remission was explained to me as not being cured but a temporary state that has to be worked at to be maintained, it can be a difficult process and plan for each of us but generally lowering weight helps and some seem to have great success by reducing carbs, I follow a low GI plan but can’t have too high fibre due to complex gut conditions so am struggling to get back into remission now even though I am a stone over half a stone lighter than when I last achieved remission.
Guess what I am trying to say is it’s not a straightforward answer or journey and I would encourage you to discuss diet changes with your health care team.
 
I had a decades long struggle with HCPs insisting that I was a glutton, gorging and stuffing myself and all the other negatives they could think of, because when I ate carbs I put on weight so quickly, and if I managed to lose any weight on their low fat low calorie high carb regime it was painfully slow.

If your metabolism has improved, I'd advise staying away from high carb foods even if you do start to eat a few more grams of carbs each day, as these days my HbA1c just doesn't want to go down even if I eat fewer carbs. There is more and more resistance to normal responses to carbs as age creeps up, I suspect. I do urge caution.
 
Sarahp said:
Hi I have achieved remission twice and then due to complex medical issues had to change my approach so I am having to eat higher carbs than my body likes and have gone back to needing medication, remission was explained to me as not being cured but a temporary state that has to be worked at to be maintained, it can be a difficult process and plan for each of us but generally lowering weight helps and some seem to have great success by reducing carbs, I follow a low GI plan but can’t have too high fibre due to complex gut conditions so am struggling to get back into remission now even though I am a stone over half a stone lighter than when I last achieved remission.
Guess what I am trying to say is it’s not a straightforward answer or journey and I would encourage you to discuss diet changes with your health care team.
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Health care team? Ha ha... Where I live it is a lottery who you see. As for questions forget it. But lovely idea.
 
Sharron1 said:
Health care team? Ha ha... Where I live it is a lottery who you see. As for questions forget it. But lovely idea.
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Sorry you have a similar experience to most of us then what about the DUk helpline?
 
Drummer said:
I had a decades long struggle with HCPs insisting that I was a glutton, gorging and stuffing myself and all the other negatives they could think of, because when I ate carbs I put on weight so quickly, and if I managed to lose any weight on their low fat low calorie high carb regime it was painfully slow.

If your metabolism has improved, I'd advise staying away from high carb foods even if you do start to eat a few more grams of carbs each day, as these days my HbA1c just doesn't want to go down even if I eat fewer carbs. There is more and more resistance to normal responses to carbs as age creeps up, I suspect. I do urge caution.
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Do agree, I wouldn’t undo any changes made if they are working especially as you say @Drummer the body seems slower to respond to carbs as we age and that’s even for those without our difficulties!
 
Drummer said:
I had a decades long struggle with HCPs insisting that I was a glutton, gorging and stuffing myself and all the other negatives they could think of, because when I ate carbs I put on weight so quickly, and if I managed to lose any weight on their low fat low calorie high carb regime it was painfully slow.

If your metabolism has improved, I'd advise staying away from high carb foods even if you do start to eat a few more grams of carbs each day, as these days my HbA1c just doesn't want to go down even if I eat fewer carbs. There is more and more resistance to normal responses to carbs as age creeps up, I suspect. I do urge
Click to expand...

Drummer said:
I had a decades long struggle with HCPs insisting that I was a glutton, gorging and stuffing myself and all the other negatives they could think of, because when I ate carbs I put on weight so quickly, and if I managed to lose any weight on their low fat low calorie high carb regime it was painfully slow.

If your metabolism has improved, I'd advise staying away from high carb foods even if you do start to eat a few more grams of carbs each day, as these days my HbA1c just doesn't want to go down even if I eat fewer carbs. There is more and more resistance to normal responses to carbs as age creeps up, I suspect. I do urge caution.
Click to expand...
Tbh I stick to 100-130carbs max daily probably the 100 mark.
 
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