I recently went on a low carb diet, all carbs from fruits and vegetables. I lost about 8 pounds in a month and a half, could see abs and whatnot. On heavy workout days I don’t go over 150 grams of carbs.
And non workout days are about 50-80g, i do cardio and basketball too. The problem is, I have been eating a shitload of fats and proteins, and many times when I eat a meal consisting wholly of fats and proteins, my blood sugar sky rockets, even when i take a small amount of insulin.
I was just wondering if this conversion of fats and proteins to carbohydrates was really this common? Is my body becoming somewhat resistant to protein? any input would be greatly appreciated, im a bit lost on this one.
let me rephrase that line about being resistant to protein. What i mean to say is, do you think my body is using less protein because i have been eating so much of it, and therefore all the extra protein is being converted into glucose?
I don’t know the answer but im also a type 1… I find that if i eat tons of protein that a lot of it is converted in glucose shooting up the blood sugars. I only notice this happen when i eat a whole chicken or something of similar protein in a single sitting tho
I’d hesitate to say anything about a type 1 Diabetic’s metabolism. Have you checked Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes forum? He’s considered an authority on type 1 D.
All foods will create an insulin response, especially in a diabetic. I’m Type II myself and can get a spike from just about anything. I wouldn’t be too concerned over it unless you start gaining fat. As with the spikes being different the effect of those spikes in diabetics are different too. Now a Type I’s response will be much different than a Type II’s… so even those cannot be compared. What I’m saying is there is no scientific evidence that a spike is a spike (meaning that not all spikes trigger fat storage), just like a calorie isn’t a calorie. IMO diabetic’s spikes are more related to nutrient timing than they are to the content of the meal.
hey guys im a grad student doing my internship at joslins diabetic center, so i know your situation well. you hyperglycemia can be explained by the release of glucagon. Meals high in fat release the hormone CCK to help digestion of said fats. CCK in return stimulates glucagons release telling your liver to convert stored glycogen to glucose. it is not the fat and protein being converted to carbs but stored liver glycogen being converted to glucose and being uptaken by your blood.
I would guess from this that you are relatively new diabetic that is to say less than 15yrs? usually after that point the alpha cells are desensitized to a signifcant extent. be careful on the low carb, when your liver glycogen gets low say after sleeping your “dawn effect” (raised bs during the night) will be significantly enhanced, at least for most people
if you need any extra help feel free to pm me = )
[quote]WhiteTiger711 wrote:
I don’t know the answer but im also a type 1… I find that if i eat tons of protein that a lot of it is converted in glucose shooting up the blood sugars. I only notice this happen when i eat a whole chicken or something of similar protein in a single sitting tho[/quote]
this is not the case. what is actually happening, is that your body is noticing an increase in plasma amino acid levels, and thus causes your body to release both glucagon and insulin to stabilize bs. but because your body only has functioning alpha cells (beta produce insulin) your bs rises without any control
glucagon is the devil…
i have terrible problems these days with going high overnight and in the morning after waking. of course it is all worsened by the fact that i eat most at night.
it will be interesting to see how new therapeutics targeting the glucagon receptor fare for us T1Ds. T1D therapy could potentially be revolutionized with the proper agent that shuts down glucagon signaling… I am actually working on one myself at the current time. 
lol few financial backers would be willing to spend money on shutting down another part of the islets of langerhans much more money is spent on restimulating, regrowing, replanting, the defective beta cells. plus its actually a positive sign that glucagon is still released it means that your body hasnt become desenstized to its condition, which is quite dangerous
Without getting too specific, these drugs are mostly designed to be receptor antagonists and not meant to be involved with direct action on the islet. And if you look up the literature on glucagon antagonists you will find that the “pharmaceutical giants” (Merck, Bayer, Lilly, Novo etc) all are actively pursuing this concept. Mostly through small molecule leads, but there are better ways…
In fact there was a recent paper showing that the hormone Leptin, when administered to type 1 diabetic mice models (I think via adenovirus), corrected glucose abnormalities and kept them alive for a few months in good health. Their research found the ability of leptin to restore glucose homeostasis was not through reactivating the insulin pathway/ production, but by suppressing glucagon release.
Islet transplants and de novo regrowth are still in their infancy. I don’t think it will ever develop to be a superior alternative to therapeutic molecules with novel functions anyways.
wow, I would never have figured that out without ur help. Thanks a bunch guys
[quote]Rusty Barbell wrote:
Without getting too specific, these drugs are mostly designed to be receptor antagonists and not meant to be involved with direct action on the islet. And if you look up the literature on glucagon antagonists you will find that the “pharmaceutical giants” (Merck, Bayer, Lilly, Novo etc) all are actively pursuing this concept. Mostly through small molecule leads, but there are better ways…
In fact there was a recent paper showing that the hormone Leptin, when administered to type 1 diabetic mice models (I think via adenovirus), corrected glucose abnormalities and kept them alive for a few months in good health. Their research found the ability of leptin to restore glucose homeostasis was not through reactivating the insulin pathway/ production, but by suppressing glucagon release.
Islet transplants and de novo regrowth are still in their infancy. I don’t think it will ever develop to be a superior alternative to therapeutic molecules with novel functions anyways. [/quote]
okay now i see, we were talking about different sectors of pharmacology. I meant true research clinics, as in Joslin, the ADA etc. I cant speak for the quality people over at MERK…they would give mercury vaccines if they could profit off of it lol… we still will contend that the regrowth of the beta cells is the best bet… heres some research that was just published about such…
http://harvardscience.harvard.edu/foundations/articles/harvard-stem-cell-institute-researchers-turn-one-form-adult-mouse-cell-directly
on a seperate note, if you are still experiencing the overnight highs have you tried either having a small amount of carbs with some insulin to inhibit the glucagon, and lower the high? or perhaps, if you are familiar with ALA a little supplementation before bed? my gf type 1 takes 600mg right before bed it has done wonders for her… obviously my advise does not represent any identity that i work with, just my two cents = )
p.s. rusty are you in the field? if not you could have fooled me…
Insulin is nice but you have to remember the incredible risk for hypoglycemia that frequent use brings. Dosing insulin at night just before going to sleep is especially dangerous. Insulin can also cause weight gain when used too much…
The problem is a phenomenon where your body produces glucose from the liver in the morning. It is circadian clock driven. If a T1D doesn’t take at least 1-2 units insulin shortly after waking, the glucose production will send their blood sugar up above 200 and higher within an hour. I can wake up and be 90, not eat a single calorie and in 2 hours be 350.
Glucagon appears to be the main culprit, as it is the signaling link between the actions of the still functional alpha cells (unregulated glucagon release) and hepatic glucose production.
I generally do try to make sure my blood sugar is about 100-130 before I go to bed. I do this through have a small amount of carbs, just enough for me to have to take at least 1.5 units of insulin. I have found this allows me to the usually wake with a fairly normal blood sugar.
I have the same issue if I don’t take insulin shortly after waking. It’s kind of annoying when your not hungry yet.
With all that said I am also in the process of getting an insulin pump because my lows are to common and far too low. As you know both extremes are very bad.
[quote]Rusty Barbell wrote:
Insulin is nice but you have to remember the incredible risk for hypoglycemia that frequent use brings. Dosing insulin at night just before going to sleep is especially dangerous. Insulin can also cause weight gain when used too much…
The problem is a phenomenon where your body produces glucose from the liver in the morning. It is circadian clock driven. If a T1D doesn’t take at least 1-2 units insulin shortly after waking, the glucose production will send their blood sugar up above 200 and higher within an hour. I can wake up and be 90, not eat a single calorie and in 2 hours be 350.
Glucagon appears to be the main culprit, as it is the signaling link between the actions of the still functional alpha cells (unregulated glucagon release) and hepatic glucose production.
[/quote]
yes i know all about the dawn effect, like i said earlier i work at Joslins,the number one diabetic clinic in America. I was offering advise on counteracting the dawn effect. obviously the pump is the bset bet, i personally am a fan of omnipod, but for those still doing basal/bolus insulin injections many have found that ALA, as it has been shown to mimic insulin and lower bs. (most of europe use it for such purpose). or a less effective way, small amount of carbs/fat with some insulin.
i will check into ALA… i’ve never heard about it used to prevent hyperglycemia.
Agreed. We need more people on this site who have a working knowledge of physiology.
LOL it is hard to get the “current experts” in fields such as muscle physiology, nutrient processing, hormonal responses to exercise, etc. to even do something such as browse the internet.
Why you ask? Because they are mostly too old! The 40-60 year olds who truly know the most about these subjects (as they have been/are actively studying them in the research setting since the 60/70/80s) are not “in the internet loop” so to say, and would never even think to come here. I don’t think being too busy is much of an issue; a scientist can appear busy all the time to the outside eye but if they are interested in something they will make time for it.
This trend is changing quickly however as capable young persons who are up to date on technology & internet communication are becoming more widespread in the field. The key is in having individuals with multi-disciplinary minds that are not just interested in say understanding the physiological processes of insulin, but also interested in things like bodybuilding and healthy living. An elder now deceased family member of mine for example studied in great detail the effects of CNS stimulants and their physiology. However he was also type 2 diabetic and for all he knew about physiology, was not wise enough to not neglect his condition and suffered an early death because of it. Sad but this is the mentality of many from his generation.
Anyways I benefit (unfortunately) from having diabetes since I was 1.5 years old, so I have been force-fed the physiology of diabetes since an early age. Then as I chose to pursue science as a career, what was once just me learning enough to allow myself to live hopefully a long, complication free life has turned to an obsession with understanding the biochemical pathways that control everything…