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brothersamati

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Relationship to Diabetes
At risk of diabetes
I am an active 82-year-old recently diagnosed as moderately Prediabetic. Causative factors will have included steroid treatment over 3 to 4 years. Dosage is being tapered, in the hope that it will have finally worked this time!

I'm starting to explore the great welter of diabetes information and misinformation out there. I have the impression that institutions have been slow to adjust dietary advice in the light of advancing knowledge. There are persuasive online voices crying, 'I reversed Type 2 diabetes with a keto diet.' I haven't yet met anyone making the same claim for cutting back from two to one slice of toast for breakfast, which my GP recommends.

There are more questions than answers in my head. What is meant by 'reversing?' Does it really mean reversing in the sense of getting back to a state in which things like bread in moderation become safe? Or does it just mean containment, keeping blood sugar level by maintaining a low-carb diet for life? Is ketosis necessary for 'reversal?' What happens if I adopt keto recipes but without pushing myself into ketosis? Is the fat and protein content safe, in the absence of actual ketosis? Is a low-carb, non-ketogenic diet as effective as keto? If so, what is the definition of low-carb? Where is information that I can trust? Is an HbA1C test reflective of recent carbohydrate intake, or only of insulin resistance? I have been (with good reason) self-isolating and living largely off a stockpile of non-perishables, which considerably elevated carb content. Would I still have tested Prediabetic if that hadn't been the case?

Of course I'm not expecting answers to all these questions here. I'm trying to give a picture of the bewilderment that confronts some just coming to terms with diabetes.
 
Hi @brothersamati and welcome to the forum.
Carbohydrates definitely drive Type 2 diabetes, but statins, steroids (and other medication) , infection , lack of sleep and stress also raise blood glucose.

Do you need to go 'keto'? - Probably no, I was in the lower ranges of full T2D and I'm approaching the normal range having never done all out keto. However I have gone what is called very low carb - in my case between 20gms and 40gms of carbs per day. I don't find this particularly tough since I used to enjoy real traditional foods before my GP persuaded me to go Low Fat with lots of whole grains and more than 5 a day of fruit and veg. Doing that I was having whole oat porridge and a banana for breakfast every day and eating lots of salads based predominantly on carrots. I don't eat any of those any more. My breakfast (before I stopped needing one) was 2 boiled eggs. I got a Blood Glucose meter and tested to find out which foods I could eat without spiking my BG by more than 2,0 mmol/L. No going hungry, no counting Calorie, no extra exercise.
Just eating traditional real foods like eggs, cheese, fatty fish, fatty meat, chicken with the skin on, avocado, olives, nuts and leafy green veg.
 
Hi @brothersamati and welcome to the forum.
Carbohydrates definitely drive Type 2 diabetes, but statins, steroids (and other medication) , infection , lack of sleep and stress also raise blood glucose.

Do you need to go 'keto'? - Probably no, I was in the lower ranges of full T2D and I'm approaching the normal range having never done all out keto. However I have gone what is called very low carb - in my case between 20gms and 40gms of carbs per day. I don't find this particularly tough since I used to enjoy real traditional foods before my GP persuaded me to go Low Fat with lots of whole grains and more than 5 a day of fruit and veg. Doing that I was having whole oat porridge and a banana for breakfast every day and eating lots of salads based predominantly on carrots. I don't eat any of those any more. My breakfast (before I stopped needing one) was 2 boiled eggs. I got a Blood Glucose meter and tested to find out which foods I could eat without spiking my BG by more than 2,0 mmol/L. No going hungry, no counting Calorie, no extra exercise.
Just eating traditional real foods like eggs, cheese, fatty fish, fatty meat, chicken with the skin on, avocado, olives, nuts and leafy green veg.
Thanks. Very encouraging.
john h
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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