I check my Blood Glucose with a glucose meter – here’s what happened: I had been taking my Glucose readings every few hours because that was the first day that I fasted and I was just curious what would happen.
I’ve years of readings, so I had a sense of where tend to land after a meal, but during fasting I expected it to go lower – I was tracking about around the low 90’s and then I took the ACV and the next reading was 108.
So I had to have to had an insulin response if my blood reading went up … wouldn’t I? Am I getting something wrong?
An insulin response without an independent rise in blood sugar (due to some other cause, I mean) would have caused your blood glucose to go down, because insulin causes cells to take up the glucose, leaving less circulating in your blood. I’m not sure what caused your blood sugar to rise, but it wasn’t an insulin response. ACV is thought to prevent or modulate blood sugar spikes by raising insulin sensitivity, I believe. I know this doesn’t answer your question about why your blood sugar rose. Were you doing a water fast?
yes, it was a water fast, I had not eaten anything and only drinking water with salt. Nothing changed in between one reading to the next except the ACV.
My understanding is: if there is high glucose – 108 – insulin will be released to bring it back down. Which it did over time, but I wondered why my glucose went up shortly after I drank 1 Tbsp of ACV.
I don’t want my glucose to go up because there is the immediate response of insulin. Insulin is what I am trying to regulate.
I’m not sure, to be honest. I just looked up the glycemic index of ACV and it’s not zero, so I suppose it could have. I’ve never tested myself before and after ACV but maybe I’ll try it out tomorrow (just started a fast). Another possibility is the normal variation of blood glucose even in fasting people. Here’s a study that shows some charts of this normal variation.
Also, things like acute stress can cause a rise in blood glucose.
No, you’re right about this. Blood glucose goes up and then insulin responds. I read it the same way as @Shortstuff because I thought you were saying the rise of blood glucose was a result rather than the cause of insulin rising.
Actually, correction: there are some examples of insulin rising on its own, such as in anticipation of a meal. But in general, it responds to a blood glucose increase as you said.
You’re all good. Are you going to keep taking your BG readings? I seriously doubt your efforts will be thrown off by the ACV. Maybe see what happens next time you take some.
I took 1 Tbsp ACV this morning before my Bullet Coffee.
I always take that Glucose reading shortly after my Bullet Coffees – today the reading was 15pt higher that it has been on the days I did NOT drink the ACV.
So many experts suggest it – I wonder why this happens, it’s driving me nuts.
Could it have been anything else? Did you sleep OK last night? Lack of sleep impacts. Did you eat anything differently yesterday? Are you feeling stressed at all?
ACV doesn’t work well for me either, never checked bloods after taking it but it gives me horrific heartburn complete with chest pains and nausea so it’s clearly not right for everyone.
NO, nothing is different except for the ACV. Each time my glucose spiked, I could track it back to the ACV having been taken within an hour. Oh well, I’ll keep my ear to the ground and maybe I’ll come across the answer in my travels throughout the Keto world.
It’s interesting to see how the ACV is affecting you during fasting. I never thought about taking it while fasting.
The only times I’ve taken ACV is before a meal. I forget where I read that before eating is the time that it will be most effective at helping to regulate blood sugar.
To be honest, I have a hard time getting it down at all. So I tend to stick more with lemon in my water, which is so much easier for me.
Yes I find it interesting too, and makes me want to test it. I take it both when fasting and when not fasting, wondering now if that’s right for me or not.
I have, still have a very hard time getting it down.
The only combo I’ve tried so far that seemed to help a little was ACV in ginger tea. Ginger tea tends to be quite sharp to my tastes anyway, definitely not a favorite, and I guess the ACV can kinda sneak in there along side of it and go along for the ride. Still not something I particularly enjoy, but if I had to do it, that’s probably be my go-to.
Try this (below*) first using a second drop of blood as soap or other things (particulates) on fingers can alter the meter readings that is why I use two or three BG/ketone meters (different brands) periodically just to an get idea about accuracy ratios! I sometimes experiment with the same meter twice (one test after the other) and get two totally different readings? (not trying to make you into a pin cushion…lol)
Starvation General Aspects: “…Starvation metabolism is not just extended fasting metabolism. …” “… After 3 to 5 days of fasting, increasing reliance on fatty acids and ketone bodies for fuel enables the body to maintain blood glucose at 60 to 65 mg/dL (normal 70 to 100 mg/dL) and to save muscle protein[1] for prolonged periods without food. …” …More
Glucose: “…A normal fasting glucose is generally considered to be between 75 and 100 mg/dL. My mean over the past year has been about 90, but I need to mention two very important caveats:
On the four occasions I have calibrated my hand-held device with an actual laboratory test, my device seems to run high by about 11 mg/dL, so a measurement of 95 mg/dL on my device is probably closer to 84 mg/dL in reality.
I carry a genetic trait for a disease called beta-thalassemia. The clinical manifestation of this is that I have much smaller red blood cells than normal (about 65% of normal size). There is some evidence in the literature that this condition prevents some accurate testing of any assay that can interfere with hemoglobin. For example, a test measuring glycosylated hemoglobin suggests I have much more glucose in my blood than is actually measured. In fact, the Glycomark test for mean post-meal glucose level suggested I have an average post-meal glucose level of 190 mg/dL which is obviously not true. In other words, something about my beta-thalassemia seems to interfere with, at the very least, measuring glucose linked to hemoglobin, and possibly measuring glucose in general.
I mention these 2 features to say my glucose levels (unlike B-OHB and lactate which I’ve documented to be very accurate) may be artificially elevated. Here’s the important part, though: the discrepancy seems to be constant, so the increases or decreases seem to be good measurements. - Dr. Peter Attia, M.D.…More
Resources:
7 Simple Strategies to Buffer Blood Sugar Levels - Dr. Jockers “… 2. Use Apple Cider Vinegar: Vinegar is very high in acetic acid. This acid has been shown to reduce the glycemic response of a typical carbohydrate based meal by 31% (4). Another study reduced a carbohydrate meal from a typical glycemic index of 100 to 64 (5). Apple cider vinegar (ACV) also provides enzymes, probiotics and trace minerals that enhance blood sugar signaling. Use ACV on as many foods as possible. You can also take 1-2 tbsps of ACV in water about 30 minutes before your higher carbohydate meal to keep your blood sugar as stable as possible …”
Are you going to keep taking your BG readings? I seriously doubt your efforts will be thrown off by the ACV. Maybe see what happens next time you take some.