Question:
My glucose level have been high in 160 and my doctor suggests me to do
more exercise and watch my diet. I have been eating healthy food every day
with low carb and high fibre. Now my glucose is 135 in the morning. My
glucose is around 135-150 2 hours after dinner. After dinner I don't eat anything.
One thing I found it is very strange that my glucose is 138 in the morning
before breakfast that is almost 10 hours fasting. Can anyone here help me
why my glocuse level in the morning is higher after meal. I would
appreciate very much for your help.
Answer:
Our bodies have a reserve of fast release glucose on hand for special
situations. It is kept in the liver. In this group, when that glucose is
released, we call it a "liver dump". It was needed when food was difficult
to get and unreliable, like the time before the human race had developed
agriculture or much in the way of food stores. (Think Cave Men). We
normally had pretty low operating glucose, to conserve energy and survive.
But there were times when we needed that "little bit extra".
For example, if a person was almost starving, and a rabbit ran across their
path, they needed that extra burst of energy to catch the rabbit. So if your
bg is a bit on the low side, and you exercise, the liver will hopefully
provide the extra glucose you need to keep keep going. Some T2's report a
rise in bg after they exercise, when they were expecting it to fall. They
had a "liver dump".
Now the same situation occurs early in the mornings, just before you wake
up. Your body has been ticking over on a minimal amount of glucose, because
you are sleeping and resting, and your body is conserving your energy. But
in those ancient days, once the person woke up, they would have to go and
find something to eat for their breakfast, since there were no nice kitchens
full of food at hand! So the liver is programmed to release some of that
stored glucose to provide the energy to obtain food first thing when we
awaken.
Non-diabetics also produce some insulin as soon as this glucose is released,
but in T2 diabetes, this often does not occur, hence the rise in bg even
though we've had nothing to eat. You've had a "liver dump". There are
medical terms to describe this process, but you get the general idea!
Sometimes I find that my bg will even FALL after I eat something, because
the food intake has triggered a release of insulin, and the glucose from
both the "liver dump" and the food I just ate has been "used", and produced
energy for my body, as it is should.
You'll often hear T2's complaining about that "pesky fbg", or in other
words, that high fasting bg on waking. It can be very hard to alter, even
though there are different strategies that some people find will help.
So I recommend you don't worry about it, and just concentrate on your daily
pre-meal and post-meal readings, which ARE something you can modify with
diet and exercise, and help from meds if you need it.
