Maltodextrin - been avoiding it?

[meggsy]

@meggsy. i was just trying to make the very simple point that my limited researches suggested there are different sorts of maltodextrins and suggesting it would be sensible to bear that in mind when discussing the shakes with maltodextrin on the ingredients list. They might lead to an increase in blood glucose, they might not, it depends on exactly what maltodextrins were used.

It was more a comment about the rules and regulations surrounding labelling than it was about anything else. They are good as guidelines but you need to be a bit wary when trying to use them to evaluate blood glucose changes.

One might expect that the maltodextrins used in shakes designed to assist blood glucose control might be of the sort that are not digested to produce glucose. One would have to dig a little deeper than examining the ingredients list find out.

PS... I make my own soups and am the sort who would not contemplate consuming artificial foods like shakes of this sort. They may be right for some, but not for me.

All I know and can know is how its affected myself and my non diabetic daughter. The label does not make it clear and regardless, it raised both our blood sugars by quite a hike... I agree re making own soups but was told this was complete nutrition etc. and better when offered, so thought I would try it as my diabetic nurse suggested it and put me on the program.

 

[Anna DUK]

@meggsy doesn't sound like it was working for you if you were experiencing higher sugar levels and blurred vision. It'll be worth telling your diabetes nurse about this; you never know, they may have had other patients report similar experiences.

Playing devil's advocate here, generally, it's worth also mentioning what you went through in case there's another reason why you had higher sugar levels, for example, harbouring a cold or hay fever (basically any type of stress on your body which in turn caused your levels to spike and then cause blurred vision). I know you mentioned your daughter also saw a raise in her levels but in isolation to just testing after having the shake and with no other results to compare it to, it doesn't necessarily mean the Maltodextrin in the shake had this effect on either of you.

But, given you have a strong feeling that it is related to the Maltodextrin, I found this email address in the public domain related to the NHS programme, which you might like to email to ask why they use products on the programme which contain Maltodextrin: england.t2diabetesremission@nhs.net

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

All I know and can know is how its affected myself and my non diabetic daughter. The label does not make it clear and regardless, it raised both our blood sugars by quite a hike... I agree re making own soups but was told this was complete nutrition etc. and better when offered, so thought I would try it as my diabetic nurse suggested it and put me on the program.

It certainly sounds like that product didn’t suit you @meggsy

I agree with Anna, I thunk it would be very helpful for the NHS Remission programme to get your feedback (both your experience, and that of your daughter). It could form part of an emerging picture if others have had the same experience, and could lead to changes in the brands of meal replacements offered.

One of Diabetes UK’s clinical advisers offered this additional information:

Optifast is one shake used by NHS providers. According to the company’s literature this product has a low glycaemic index and one sachet, made up with milk, provides 216 calories and 19g carbs and 10 g of sugar.​

Diabetes UK has information about the glycaemic index here:​

https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/carbohydrates-and-diabetes/glycaemic-index-and-diabetes​

Maltodextrin provides carbs and can be in powder form so is ideal for powder formulations ie a sachet used in the soup and shake diet.​

​

People on the remission program are advised to have a review of their medication too. Again we cannot provide individual medical advice and as mentioned earlier a clinical review is necessary to fully investigate the person’s clinical condition, and a healthcare professional should also discuss with any person living with diabetes the timing of their medications to ensure it is timed appropriate to their meal times.​

​

Hope that helps

 

[mhtyler]

I've just started the NHS path to remmission. Done 3 weeks and 1 day so far with high hopes even though I have been feeling quite awful on it - no slips ups. Even more than weight loss I desperately want to be diabetes free so thought it was worth it. Lost some weight in first few days but nothing since, blood sugars all over the place. I looked on the back of the pack of a soup for the first time to see what was in it today... second ingredient listed is Maltodextrin! Looked that up - says avoid if diabetic as it can raise blood sugars, may cause weight gain and destroy gut bacteria and cause disease. Surely this is something we should be avoiding? Why would they give you soups and shakes with it in and so high up the list (so must be a lot of it in these soups and shakes)? Feeling very confused and worried now. I've been avoiding arftificials sugars for some time as they make me feel unwell and spike my blood sugar worse than real sugar and carbs do! I asked before doing this and was told some have some sucralose in (this one has given me the least issues so thought I would be fine with a bit of that for a few months...Seriously wondering if I should continue tbh. Thoughts anyone? I'm just in shock right now...

I'm in America so I had to use substitutes, and some were better than others. I too got too sick to continue on the shake plan. At 4 weeks I was too weak to walk very far. However, I had achieved outstanding weight loss. I decided to continue, but increased my calorie intake, and included real food along with shakes and soup. My weight loss has been slower...much slower, but I'm 26 lbs down now. I still have at least 10 lbs to go, but my sugar is in the 5's, and my pancreas MUST be working again because I can handle much more carb eating. Some sweeteners work, and some raise sugar. Maltodextrin is a baddy. Stevia, allulose, erythritol, and monk fruit are some of the good guys. In most people they don't raise sugar, and even in ones that do see an increase, your body figures out pretty quickly that it's not something that needs insulin. Your stomach is a different matter; some of the above good guys may be bad for your gut. The jury is still out. You need to read the labels. Sweeteners aside, when in doubt eat real food. If your sugar is all over the place after 3 weeks, I suspect you've got some gremlins in your food. My sugar went normal in a few days. Here's another thought, although it's an ugly one. In Prof. Taylor's counterbalance study more than 50% didn't respond to the diet. Why? Because their pancreas was truly burned out. They cleared the fat from their liver, but pancreatic function improved only marginally. The longer you have had diabetes, the less likely you are to respond. I found out I was a responder very quickly, and I'm very lucky in that because I had diabetes for nearly 8 years. Most responders had T2D for less than 6 years. However, a few responded after 25 years! Go to Prof. Taylor's site, and read through his counterbalance study. BTW, even if you turn out to NOT be a responder, clearing the fat from your liver and losing weight is still a great idea, and then you can add some medication along with diet and exercise to simulate remission without the former. Even though I've partially reversed I know my pancreas is a perishable article that is functioning at a fraction of full throttle. It's a spectrum.

 

[meggsy]

I have gone on Keto/Canivore. I'm having really low carbs - with added MCT oil daily after first week as wasnt getting into ketosis. Eating mostly meat, eggs and fat - just over 2 weeks in and delighted to say my blood sugars are around 5- 5.8 suddenly (only happaned in the last few days) only 2lb down in 2 weeks (chronically slow losser) but my ketones have reached .08 according to ketone meter, so who knows, weight loss may speed up? I do not react well to any artificial sugars (they have a worse effect on me than actual sugar) and the worst of all seems to be Maltodextrin! I still cannot fathom why they are adding Maltodextrin into shakes for diabetics or anyone for that matter and trying to call it a healthy alternative to food! It really isnt at all and should not be in any of our foods. Reading lots of labels again recently, as it seems they are slipping Maltodextrin in to near everything. Even things I know previously did not contain it! Then they are saying diabetes is a world wide epidemic - hmm maybe there is a connection. I've even found it in beefburgers? Unreal.