Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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I have been Paleo for over 3 months now. Was told I am 'pre-diabetic' so I have started testing my blood glucose levels recently. What I have noticed is my morning levels are usually around 90 (approx 6:30am) but 5-6 hours later (approx 17 hours fasting), after having nothing but water my levels are usually around 110. Not a huge increase but my understanding was that during IF blood glucose should remain low and relatively constant. Anyone have any comments or ideas?

I am male, mid forties, maybe 20lbs overweight, good health, workout 3x a week.

edited Nov 16 2010 at 19:30

Ed♦
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asked Nov 16 2010 at 16:02

Josh M
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Paul · Answer 1 · 2010-11-16 17:37:11Z UTC

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The answer is here with Peter. Search also his other tags on the right-hand side on the same topic.

We've addressed this and things related to this on paleohacks here and here.

answered Nov 16 2010 at 17:37

Paul
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Thanks WCC that information was exactly what I was looking for. Elevated non esterified fatty acids induce physiological insulin resistance and a higher than expected FBG level when one is eating LC Paleo. I find it amazing how our bodies change/adapt to eating Paleo. – Josh M Nov 16 2010 at 17:56

grace · Answer 2 · 2010-11-17 01:32:28Z UTC

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I think it is all the above, as nasty brutish suggested. We're hard wired to survive... peripheral insulin resistance protects organs during starvation while still feeding the brain glucose.

Extended starvation causes DIABETES and so do yo-yo diets, 'hibernation states' just as much as over high carb diabetic diets...

This explains the phenomenon: Starvation diet and very-low-calorie diets may induce insulin resistance and overt diabetes mellitus. Koffler M, Kisch ES.

Diabetes Unit, Tel-Aviv University Medical Center, Ichilov Hospital, Israel.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8777329

I don't have the PDF, but I'd love it. :)

answered Nov 17 2010 at 1:32

grace
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	Hi, Grace. I think sparing glucose for the brain is definitely part of the equation: the muscles don't take it up so that the brain can. If I've understood you correctly. PS something might have just been sent to the email address you have listed on your blogspot/blogger profile. – Paul Nov 17 2010 at 5:08
	The actual state of diabetes is typically defined as an inability of the body to regulate glucose. I would argue that starvation/fasting does not cause this at all (assuming you don't starve yourself to serious illness). It may cause symptoms of diabetes but there is no actual diabetes. The body is regulating its glucose the way it should the whole time. Once more glucose makes itself available for a few days, the body will readapt it's preferred blood glucose levels. And the pancreas islet cells are not harmed and are fully functioning the whole time. – Eva Nov 17 2010 at 5:23
	THANK YOU WCC Paul!! Where insulin resistance (IR) occurs and why is key. In healthy paleo man, when food sources got scarce (after high carbs/pufa/fructose in the summer lead to fat deposition) the body turned to fat burning extensively while conserving muscles/protein. In clinical diabetes, chronically dysregulated IR is in tissues ALL the time -- muscles (e.g. sarcopenia), brain, liver, visceral adipose, etc. In healthy paleo man, IR is a healthy adaptation and mainly occurs at the liver/adipose level, while muscles (protein) are protected. This promotes the best fat-burning and survival. – grace Nov 17 2010 at 9:46
	Paul, I think ur totally right on... at some point muscles develop (type I v. II -- I dunno) insulin resistance to spare glucose for the brain. Even though now we have AC and heaters to live in ambient temps year round and our brown fat is dead, I think are DNA is hard wired for 4 seasons and some of us more so ancestrally... – grace Nov 17 2010 at 9:50
	@Grace, you forget about the role of creatine that is orignally marketed as a sport performance increasing supplement. It has about the same role as insulin in the body - it is suggested to use creatine as a diabetes medicine. A optimal dose 3 grams /day (above no effect, below creates lower creatine saturation of the muscles). This is the same amount found in a paleo diet: 100 grams of herring contains about 2 gram of creatine, so that makes me think that we use to get far more creatine than there is in our foods now. I don't know about creatine resistance. – Harmen Jun 28 at 11:13

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ScottMGS · Answer 3 · 2010-11-16 17:21:34Z UTC

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I think fasting would reduce your insulin levels and I would guess that your blood sugar would be going up because of gluconeogenesis - creating blood sugar from fat.

answered Nov 16 2010 at 17:21

ScottMGS
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Gluconeogenesis creates blood glucose from amino acids, not from fat. – Nasty Brutish and Short Nov 16 2010 at 20:13

Oops! Thanks, NBS. – ScottMGS Nov 16 2010 at 21:29

Grok N Roll · Answer 4 · 2010-11-16 17:30:48Z UTC

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The added stress of fasting could raise cortisol. What are you eating? Perhaps lower the amount of fasted hours and see if this lowers peak numbers.

answered Nov 16 2010 at 17:30

Grok N Roll
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Nasty Brutish and Short · Answer 5 · 2010-11-16 23:15:31Z UTC

I've only recently began experimenting with intermittent fasting but I've had similar results. My blood sugar remains within a fairly narrow range for the first 18 hours or so but starts shooting upward at around the 20-hr mark.

I haven't determined the exact cause but it could be due to gluconeogenesis, cortisone, norepinephrine, etc.

Fasting blood glucose increase while intermittent fasting

5 Answers