Carb Count

[jjem]

I have recently been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and haven't been to a nutritional class yet. Does the amount of carbs you eat each day depend on the person or is there a "standard" amount for everyone? Thanks for the help.

[Mark1e]

For a diabetic, the less carb you eat the better. I try to keep my carb consumption below 60 grams a day.

Mark

[A3wxOX0]

And that's why it's different for everyone, I have about 300 a day. It's also not just the amount but the type as well. Some will turn to sugar slower than others so your blood sugar doesn't spike as much.

[Mark1e]

Originally Posted by kdroberts

And that's why it's different for everyone, I have about 300 a day. ....

I have to differ with you on that. When it comes to carbohydrate metabolism, we all work pretty much the same way. Eating carbo stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, which enables glucose to get into the cells. With T2 diabetes the cells become insulin resistant. Excessive glucose is toxic. And insulin receptors on the cell membrane are closed down to keep unwanted glucose out. The glucose has nowhere to go so your blood glucose goes up, an effect we all know so well.

It really is a very simple mechanism. And it is the same for everyone. High carb eating causes the number of insulin receptors on the cell membrane to be down-regulated. And it goes almost without saying that the most sensible way to restore insulin sensitivity is to reduce the supply of glucose into the bloodstream (by eating less carb). This, in turn, reduces the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas. When this has happened the number of insulin receptors on the cell membranes can be expected to increase.

In other words, the most sensible way to treat insulin resistance (T2 diabetes) is to cut carbs. Eating 300 grams of carb and using drugs to make you pancreas produce even more insulin (glyburide) might reduce the blood glucose level. But it will aggravate the insulin resistance and the BG lowering effect is likely to be temporary. Beta cell exhaustion will cause the condition to worsen, moving you closer to dependence on injected insulin. The type of carbo (glycemic index) might affect post meal BG levels, but the eventual outcome will be the same. Encouraging T2 diabetics to eat carbo is like advising alcoholics to soothe their anxiety by getting drunk.

Dieticians have got the wrong end the stick when they tell diabetics to get 50% of calories from carbo. No one, INMHO, should eat that much carbo. Most doctors seem to be barking up the wrong tree too. They are far to ready to prescribe drugs when a little bit of common sense will do the trick. .... But, seriously, switching from a high-carb to a high-fat way of eating is an option you really should consider before it is too late.

Mark

[A3wxOX0]

Maybe you're right, I don't know enough about it to say. I do know that for me, a high fat diet wouldn't be too good based on other factors and family history.