Food reaction spikes and blood insulin test

[Snowflower]

Quick question before bed - is it common that some food items can cause more of a spike in some people than others? I would imagine we are all different. Im suspecting blueberries are causing my BG readings to be higher than expected.

Has anyone had a blood insulin test? They aren’t done on the NHS I understand, but think my diabetic nurse would be in favour of this test being more common. Im new to all this and just at that confusing stage where Im writing down a list of questions! Thanks

 

[Lily123]

Foods will cause a higher spike in BG for some people more than it will others.(I’m type 1 so hopefully some more knowledgeable type 2s will be along to answer in more detail) What’s a blood insulin test?

 

[Leadinglights]

Everybody is different in how they process carbohydrates so the same amount of carb will increase blood glucose in one person differently than in others and the same amount of a different carb will affect the same person differently. A minefield really which is why testing is so crucial.

 

[Drummer]

My personal experience is yes - the effect of peas and beans on my blood glucose is about 180 percent of the listed carb content.
I also find that my Hba1c is higher than might be expected from the post meal tests I do.
It is why we do need to test and check, rather than accept the standard results.
The effect of Metformin are also very variable - some people can take them with nothing nasty happening and others get explosive incontinence or impressive farting.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi

Has anyone had a blood insulin test?

Not sure what you mean by a blood insulin test, unless you mean a C-peptide test which is a blood sample used to assess how much insulin your body is producing and is one of the tests used to confirm Type 1 diabetes but can also identify Type 2 diabetics whose insulin production is drying up.... Most Type 2 diabetics produce too much insulin at diagnosis because their body has become resistant to it, so their pancreas needs to produce increasing amounts to overcome the resistance..... this can eventually lead to it wearing out and insulin production diminishing. I believe there is a urine C-peptide test which may be more commonly used in Type 2 diabetics to assess how much they are still producing but I am certainly not sure of that and it may sometimes be used for Type 1 diabetics but not sure how reliable it is compared to the blood test, so perhaps that is what your nurse was referring to. The C-peptide blood test is possible on the NHS but it isn't widely available and I believe is more expensive than many other more routine tests.

 

[Snowflower]

Hi

Not sure what you mean by a blood insulin test, unless you mean a C-peptide test which is a blood sample used to assess how much insulin your body is producing and is one of the tests used to confirm Type 1 diabetes but can also identify Type 2 diabetics whose insulin production is drying up.... Most Type 2 diabetics produce too much insulin at diagnosis because their body has become resistant to it, so their pancreas needs to produce increasing amounts to overcome the resistance..... this can eventually lead to it wearing out and insulin production diminishing. I believe there is a urine C-peptide test which may be more commonly used in Type 2 diabetics to assess how much they are still producing but I am certainly not sure of that and it may sometimes be used for Type 1 diabetics but not sure how reliable it is compared to the blood test, so perhaps that is what your nurse was referring to. The C-peptide blood test is possible on the NHS but it isn't widely available and I believe is more expensive than many other more routine tests.

Hi
Did a bit of googling and yes it seems I did mean a C-peptide test. I love the information Im getting on these forums, its so reassuring to hear info from experience. Thanks ! Jane

 

[rebrascora]

As regards the possibility of blueberries spiking your levels, they do contain natural sugar and of the berries which tend to be lower carb than other fruits, blueberries are at the higher end of the berry range, so it would depend upon how many you ate. I tend to have no more than 10 berries at a time with blueberries, less if they are really large ones, but as you will discover, we are all different, so it is all about finding how many your body can tolerate at one go. It is also worth knowing that having them with whipped cream or full fat yoghurt may slow down the digestion of them so the spike will not be so high from them.