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Yes, No, Maybe - depends how you define "cheat" and how often you cheat.
Think of Type 2 complications like a boxing match between two fighters.
They start round 1 in peak physical condition and they start punching each other in the head. For the next couple of rounds they are both still standing and whaling away on each other and doing just fine.
But all those punches are cumulative. Each one takes something out of them. But they still feel fine.
By the 6th or 7th round however, they are starting to feel it. Now a solid punch they would have shook off a couple rounds ago sends them staggering backward and a couple more rounds from now a "lovetap" will leave them on the mat.
Every time your blood sugar rises above 140 or 7.8 mmols you do "some level of damage" to your vascular system. The longer you stay over that line or the more often is just like all those "early round punches to the head".
You will feel fine today and tomorrow. You won't even notice a thing - all will seem well. But when you get to the later rounds just one more blood sugar high is going to collapse that blood vessel and just like hitting the mat the blindness or dementia or kidney disease or neuropathy will set in.
Does that mean you can "never" cross the line and cheat?
No, the best advice seems to be to stay in range somewhat north of 90% of the time and you will prevent/delay most complications. But lets be honest. Can there ever be a totally safe amount of damage to your blood vessels.
If you have a family history or have other risk factors for cardio-vascular disease (as one example), is it really worth tempting fate by cheating a bit?
Only you can decide.
We all have to set our standards for our quality of life. And maybe a Donut once a week is worth a year off your life or a couple years of dialysis near the end - only you can answer that for yourself....
@A DiabetesTeam Member yes, I read the study that was conducted that proved eating carbs "last" slowed/regulated their uptake.
Fat is the slowest of the bunch to be digested, followed by Protein (and the veggies which have fiber).
So what they found was if that makes into your system "first" everything slows down trying to absorb it and the carbs get absorbed slower but over a longer period of time.
That means a lower "spike" (a good thing) but blood sugar will be elevated longer than otherwise. Still better a "longer in range" then even short periods outside of a safe range.
They also looked to see what would happen if you mixed the carbs in with everything else and found there was no slowing of uptake - only works if you eat them last.
I did try it myself (CGM shows you everything) where I ate a specific meal all together and then same meal with carbs last and at best I can say the results were either inconsistent or not significant enough to make a great deal of difference.
But since I eat "low carb" perhaps there simply is not enough carbs in a given one of my meals (no more than 35 carbs max and more typically only consume 25 carbs/meal) to actually see a great difference.
With the Apple Cider Vinegar - which I take a caplet or two just before my "highest carb" meal of the day, that I do see the result on the monitor. It slows gastric emptying (which is the same effect as eating carbs last) so the carbs are digested more slowly.
That one does drag the digestion over a 3 to 4 hour period (instead of my more typical 2 - 2 1/2 hours) - so I see a "lower high" but it does last longer.
I tested a very common for me meal with that one multiple times and without the ACV my 2 hour post meal average was 6.7/121 (averaged over 6 identical meals) and then "with" the ACV that same meal, again, 6 meal average, dropped to 6.0/108 at the two hour mark - so ok, about 13 points (0.7 mmols) - not earth shattering, but "significant" enough to show that the supplement has a positive effect.
The value is incorporating a number of these little tricks/hacks so that collectively they make controlling our blood sugar a little easier.
@A DiabetesTeam Member everybody, even non-diabetics get the "spike" after eating.
Typically happens about 1 hour in at the peak of digestion.
It is how our system responds to that, that separates us from the Sugar Eaters.
No matter how high you go as long as you get back down to a reasonable level by the end of the next hour, then all is fine.
If we don't "get back" by hour 2 then either we medicate, cut back what we are eating or live with the consequence.
Thanx man...the numbers game continues.!!
Ok thanx for clarifying this, I routinely go up to about 145 or 150 an hour after lunch time meal, and by the 2nd hour it comes down to in the 120's ,, but I still have to work at this with exercise of some kind. But a little excercise should be the minimal price every modern man or woman should pay for a meal. I think the price the modern man pays for easy food is metabolic disease.. I guess nothing for free..lol,
Again thanx Graham for your insights into the world of glucose. It's been quite a ride.. I recently read Jessie Inchauspie 's book called the "Glucose Revolution" . She talks about two food hacks that are pretty interesting. Food order according to her, helps out a lot. Basically, eating the Carbs/Sugar last, eating the protein and fat and veggies first. Im gonna try it for a couple of days and see if it really works. The second one was about vinegar. If you have any insights into this I'm sure I wouldn't be the only person out here interested in your thoughts.. happy birthday.
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