i qas wonderin i one can rate insulin sensitivity based on blood glucose level, or rather he increse an decrease after food?
ike say your fasting BG is 5.0 mmol/l whihch is normal, an it raises to 7.5 half an hour after a high varb meal and decreases brelow 7 after 2 hours. that’d be quite `normal for a non diabetic. can you be considered insulin sensitive then?```
The only real measure of insulin sensitivity or resistance is serum insulin, which requires a laboratory analysis and cannot be done at home. According to the work of Dr. Joseph Kraft, the pattern of response to an oral glucose tolerance test can also indicate the degree of insulin resistance, but this is a very expensive, labor-intensive test, which involves testing glucose levels over several hours.
There are, however, other markers that can be used to provide an indication, such as HbA1C and C-peptide. An analysis of HDL and triglyceride levels combined with markers for inflammation can also provide an indication.
You can get a 2-hour version, which I’ve had. They take insulin and blood sugar at the 0 (before glucose), 1 hour and 2 hour points. Sadly, my test did not include the 1 hour point. That was their mistake. (My doctor asked for it to be done, but they did not take it.) Even without that, my blood sugar and insulin at the 2 hour point was normal.
This is really the main test that will tell, as some people with great blood sugar have a terrible insulin response.
My question would be, “What should a ‘normal’ blood sugar be for someone in ketosis, when glucose is no longer the primary fuel of the body?”
I suspect that insulin follows glucose. Since we can’t measure insulin ourselves at home, the best we can do is guestimate insulin based on what glucose does. The increase/decrease times after meals, might be a way to guestimate insulin sensitivity. Or not. It’s worth a try.
I think you both don’t have it correct.
If you follow Dr. Ann Childers on Twitter (@AnnChildersMD), she posted about someone with a fantastic blood sugar response, and then showed a Kraft test on them. It was horrible. Abysmal. Her insulin was high for an insanely long time.
See this:
https://t.co/MfV7TaMQT2
(https://twitter.com/AnnChildersMD/status/1126840848186916865?s=03)
The glucose is great, the insulin is not:
For comparison, here are my results:
There’s not a direct comparison, because they measured that person at 2.5 hours, and my test measured at 2 hours, but at 2 hours my blood sugar is (might be?) probably higher, but my insulin is wayyyyyy under that person’s level. And I took the test without upping carbs, which is what they recommend.
So, that person has good/normal blood sugar results, but bad insulin results.
And based on what I see on this board, the blood sugar of people is all over the map. Mine is near/around 100 (US units, about 5.6) every morning, and drops into the upper 70s/low 80s during the day. I see people higher or lower than that.
What I’d like to know is what (ideally) I (that is, little old me) should be when eating low carb. I don’t know that. I know of no resource that can tell me that, either.
I do know that after 6.5 years of low carb/keto and 4+ years of testing, my morning blood sugar MIGHT be slightly lower than it used to be. I say MIGHT be, because pin prick testers are considered to be 100% accurate if they are within 15% of the true value. That means 100 plus or minus 15, which is a high error.
I have seen less than 100 the last bunch of days, though.
This is my CGM data from that Kraft test:
Multiply by 18 to get US units. Stupidly, I did not take more values during the test, as the CGM only puts a dot and value on there if you take data using the reader. If you don’t use the reader, you just get a graph and have to guess. Unfortunately, I could not keep my eyes open. This was a Saturday morning, and getting hit with tons of glucose basically made me sleep.
I calculated my blood glucose was at least 180 if not higher.
That person’s glucose is a lot better.
So, that person has better glucose control but much worse insulin control than I do.
Though I should note that a fasting insulin MIGHT have caught that person. I say MIGHT because I’ve also had high fasting insulin levels, even while keto. Up to 35. Not sure why.
