So over the last few months after being keto adapted for about 6 months i noticed my blood sugars running higher during the day and especially in the morning after waking up. Doing research i found the dawn phenomenon. I have been waking up with readings in the 140s. This just recently started happening and didnt know what was going on. I have searched high and low for possible fixes or things to help with this. I have read its my liver converting fat/protein into sugar. I came across and article that talked about apple cider vinegar and its properties to combat this effect. So i did what any normal person would do. I gave it a try. I ordered apple cider vinegar pills to first try it. I took the dosage at night and the next morning my sugars where down to around 101. So i decided to try to take two in the morning and two at night. Over the course of the last week my sugars have dropped substantially. Having blood sugars in the 90 during the day and low 100s when i wake up in the morning. This is a drastic change from a week ago where i could check it one point of the day and two hours later it was up 20 points and i didn’t eat a thing. I haven’t changed anything else but i will continue to monitor but if anyone is struggling with this i would suggest giving it a try. Whats it going to hurt.
Dawn Phenomenon and Protein/Fat Conversion... What has worked for me
I’ve been struggling with this very situation for a couple months. FBG in the 130 to 140 range. Walking would drop me into the 80-90 range, but lately, might only get down to 105-110. Same with resistance training. Initially would get me into the 80’s a few hours after heavy lifting. Now, lucky to get to 105. Broke a 50 hour fast, and BG was still 108. 2 hours after eating it went down to 91, but woke to 125. A home A1C test says 5.2, which confuses me even more. Guess i will give it a try.
If your serum glucose has risen after a time on keto, but your HbA1C is still in the normal range, what you are experiencing is a normal aspect of keto, called “adaptative glucose-sparing” or “phyisiological insulin resistance,” in which your muscles, which are now completely fat-adapted, are refusing to use the glucose made by the liver, so as to spare it for those cells (primarily the red blood cells, but probably also parts of the brain) that absolutely cannot do without it. Here is a post that you may find enlightening:
I ll give it a read… i havent had my a1c done in a bit so i will see on my next check up… but it frustrating because it also keeps my ketone levels low.
I have read about this, but everyone i have queried about it reports much lower FBG, and especially lower during the day. luckyi2 is the first person reporting BG as high as mine that has been lchf/keto for a longer period of time. (mine was much lower, even some sub 100 FBG most of last summer) I messaged Dr. Westman and the answer he gave was that A1C is what counts. I guess i have a hard time understanding how, if all the glucose is in my blood, why isn’t it bonding to the red blood cells and making my A1C soar? And then, is A1C really meaningful if my BG is high enough to be doing damage.
I think it’s important to note that the thread and posting on the Bernstein Blog are not diabetic deranged metabolisms. A1C 4.4… I wish.
I know it early but the changes I gave seen all though not as good as few months ago has me encouraged vs frustrated…give the acv and stevia a try I haven’t tried the stevia portion yet but plan to do so
There are studies showing similar effects for ACV.
My question: Without long term studies showing the effects of this, how do you know you’re not doing more damage than good?
Aspirin, for instance, has a benefit to coagulation and therefore heart disease (some parts of it anyway). But people taking it have enough effects (aka side effects) like bleed-though strokes and bleeding internally, that the overall effect is a wash or worse.
This is an issue I’ve considered, as my morning blood glucose is higher, but myHbA1c is ranging about 4.9-5.1. In fact, I did Dave Feldman’s 6 day cholesterol drop protocol (see cholesterolcode.com), and my “official” fasting blood sugar after three days of eating high calorie, high fat then fasting 12 hours before the test (only water) was 112. That’s way higher than what it had been before, and my HbA1c was 5.1 (my lowest has been 4.9). (But HbA1c isn’t the most accurate measurement and also depends on how long your red blood cells live.)
The problem is that keto is “different” from main stream theories that work for people eating high carb diets. If you have a blood sugar over 100 in the morning, you might be marked as being diabetic or having syndrome X or whatever they are calling it now. But it’s just your body’s response to keeping glucose high for (I think) muscles and whatever else needs glucose.
In fact, my theory is that the better shape I get in and the lower fat I have with more muscle, and the more I work out, both my fasting morning blood sugar and my HbA1c will go up. Is that a bad thing? If you’re keto, it might not be.
I tried Douillard’s protocol of 2 T ACV & 1t Stevia in water before bed. My morning fasting glucose levels are normally 115 - 125. Morning after the protocol it was 92, so it does seem to work. The only bad part is choking down that God-awful concoction. Not sure that is doable for the long run.
When I was EFing, I put some ACV (2T is a lot!!!) in water with other things (salt etc.) for minerals, but I added some cayenne powder. Crazy idea I know but someone recommended it. I don’t know why but it actually made it easier for me.