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Should I Be Concerned?

06/25/2010

Question:

I am a 30 year old female at a healthy weight and I`ve been practicing weightlifting exercises for 3 years now. My mother developed Diabetes Type 2 at age 40 and so I decided to track my blood sugar through a BG monitor. I`ve found that my FBG is always around 94 after 14 hours of fasting, whereas my BG after a meal(even if purposedly loaded with sweets to check results) is around 80 to 85 after 2 hours of that meal or even 1 hour. Why is that happening? Should I be concerned about trying to bring the FBG down? I must also mention that I only eat two times a day, in the morning and around 6 pm. Thank you very much.

Answer:

First, I would like to commend you on your proactive approach to your health! Although your risk of developing diabetes is increased due to your family history,maintaining a healthy weight and regularly exercising can lower your risk and delay onset. A normal fasting blood sugar is 70-99, so 94 is in the normal range. Even though you have not eaten after your dinner at 6 pm, your liver will secrete sugar into your bloodstream overnight in its role of preventing blood sugars from dropping too low especially when there has been no food intake. During the day your metabolism is normally higher and you are exercising which could explain the 2 hour post prandial blood sugars in the 80’s; your muscle cells are basically using more fuel.

If your meals are somewhat low in carbohydrate foods (for example starches, fruit, milk), that could be keeping your post prandials in the 80’s. Going more than 5 hours between meals also can lead to lower blood sugars (your body is out of fuel!) Regular meals are important in blood sugar regulation; you may want to think about a small mid-day meal containing some carbohydrate and protein.

With your family history I would suggest you talk with your doctor about getting an annual HgbA1C blood test. This test measures what your overall blood sugar level has been the previous 3 months and would be complementary to the daily blood sugar values you test now. By staying on top of your blood sugars you will be able to see if your values are rising. Fasting blood sugars of 100-125 are considered pre-diabetes and should be treated. We know that the sooner high blood sugar is identified and treated, the lower the risk of complications. It is also a good idea to have your lipid profile and blood pressure followed. Good luck!

For more information:

Go to the Diabetes health topic.