Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Ive seen a lot of people here say that their fbg is higher on low carb.

Any theories as to why? Any evidence based studies that explore this topic?

flag	asked Sep 12 at 16:58 Janknitz 6,520●1●8

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Search "dawn phenomenon." It doesn't just affect low carbers. – MathGirl72 Sep 12 at 17:34

Jamie · Answer 1 · 2012-09-14 02:06:08Z UTC

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http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.co.nz/2007/10/physiological-insulin-resistance.html

Everything you need to know is there..

answered Sep 14 at 2:06

Jamie
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Thank you!!! That's exactly the info I was looking for. According to that article, higher fbg is a normal physiological response to low carbs because the muscles are essentially licking out the glucose. Awesome! And something to be aware if so that you don't get diagnosed with diabetes based on fbg alone. – Janknitz Sep 14 at 5:50

Absolutely, dont want some diagnosis based on a healthy adaption! Happy to help :) – Jamie Sep 21 at 11:40

baba · Answer 2 · 2012-09-13 05:36:14Z UTC

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There is also the theory that your body raises gluconeogenesis (conversion of protein to glucose by the liver) in order to be able to supply your brain with glucose. Couple that with the effects mentioned by MathGirl and my FBG is about 100.

My paleo-friendly doctor is not worried, though I am sometimes.

answered Sep 13 at 5:36

baba
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	If it comes back down after eating, there really is nothing to worry about. – MathGirl72 Sep 13 at 13:44
	I'm asking more out of curiosity than concern, but my understanding of gluconeogenesis is that the body will create glucose if you ingest excess protein. What if protein is not excess (in my case eating sufficient Protein is always a challenge). – Janknitz Sep 13 at 14:43
	@Janknitz GNG is the conversion of non-Carbohydrates to glucose. It can be fat (what we eat or what we store), protein, the breakdown of muscle tissues, whatever. If there is not enough protein or fat in our diet, our body will start to search for materials elsewhere (like muscle tissue and body fat). We will die of starvation long before our brain runs out of the necessary glucose. – CD Sep 13 at 20:36

Janknitz · Answer 3 · 2012-09-14 01:39:24Z UTC

GNG is the conversion of non-Carbohydrates to glucose. It can be fat (what we eat or what we store), protein, the breakdown of muscle tissues, whatever. If there is not enough protein or fat in our diet, our body will start to search for materials elsewhere (like muscle tissue and body fat). We will die of starvation long before our brain runs out of the necessary glucose

Got that, but back to my original question, is elevated FBG common in low carbers in general, and if so, is gluconeogenesis the reason? That presumes that low carbers have insufficient glucose from dietary sources and overmake it via GNG during the night. If that's the case, would ingesting carbs before bed LOWER FBG because there would not be a need for GNG to make more carbs?

Are there any studies that suggest this?

I'm just trying to understand. I have elevated FBG intermittently. I didn't test before going low carb, so I have no idea if I had elevated FBG on SAD--I was eating so many carbs I would expect my BG was ALWAYS elevated then, but I'm just guessing. What I'm trying to sort out is whether my currently elevated FBG's are DUE to low carbing, or is it just my deranged metabolism in general.

And, if it's due to low carbing, is there any value in increasing carbs (perhaps at night) to avoid the cause of elevated FBG, or is it just a somewhat normal adaptive physiological response that does not need "fixing"?

My FBG's aren't that high--usually 100 to 110, but with occasional spikes to 120 - 130. And I'm more often in the 80's or 90's. So I'm not super worried, more curious than anything else.

Tell me about low carb = higher FBG

3 Answers