Diabetes and Fats

[Guest guest]

Hi Doug:

 

Yes, I know it sounds confusing; but simple sugars are seldom the *main* issue

with diabetics; complex carbohydrates and dietary fat are. This is because

complex

carbs and fats stay in the system longer, and therefore tax the pancreas and its

ability to take care of these items with insulin as they are broken down. A

person

who is on a " sliding scale " and takes their blood sugar values several times a

day

will note a short, sharp increase in values after consuming a simple sugar, but

after consuming fried food will see a longer elevation.

 

Though insulin works directly on glucose in the blood stream, many things become

problematic as they break down to glucose in the system at different rates; the

longer they are in the system, the more problems they can cause. If you eat a

lot

of fat you get " overlap " from one meal to the next, and the blood sugar does not

have time to compensate, before another meal is introduced to the system.

Another

rotten tomato is alcohol, which should be avoided altogether because it acts

like

sugar in the system.

 

Here is a quote from a diabetic nutrition site:

 

> Any food that provides

> calories will raise blood sugar. When foods are digested, they are broken down

into the body’s basic fuel-- glucose, a type of sugar. The glucose is

> absorbed by the bloodstream, and is then known as blood glucose or blood

sugar. In a person without diabetes, insulin is released by the pancreas after a

> meal or snack to allow the glucose in the blood to get into the body’s cells,

where it is burned for energy. This brings the level of glucose in the blood

back

> down to the normal range. If insulin is not produced or is not working

properly, the glucose can not enter the cells to be used, and it builds up in

the

> bloodstream. This results in high blood sugar, and this condition is known as

diabetes.

>

> Although all foods that provide calories are converted into glucose by the

body, certain nutrients have a more direct effect on the blood’s glucose level.

> Fats in foods are eventually digested and converted into glucose, but this can

take up to 6 to 8 or more hours after a meal, and the release of glucose into

> the blood is v e r y s l o w ... Protein in foods (such as meats, poultry,

fish, eggs, soy and other beans, and milk) takes about 3 to 4 hours after a meal

to

> " show up " as blood glucose.

>

> Carbohydrates, on the other hand, take only about half an hour to an hour

after a meal to be turned into blood glucose. The word " carbohydrate " actually

> means " sugars and starches. " Chemically, a starchy food is just a " chain " of

glucose molecules. In fact, if a starchy food like a soda cracker is held in the

> mouth for a few minutes, it will start to taste sweet as the digestive enzymes

in the saliva begin to break the starch down into its glucose parts.

>

 

The reason that carbs/sugars can be such an issue is that the seesawing of the

already taxed pancreas to provide a rush of insulin to compensate for the

glucose

bolus may eventually wear out the beta cells, resulting in complete breakdown.

Then the person cannot take oral medication but must inject insulin to

compensate

for blood sugar. Eating fewer simple carbs is kinder to the poorly functioning

pancreas, but eating less fat is kind as well; while eating the sugars is like

flicking a light switch on and off repetitively, eating fat is like leaving the

light on all the time. What you want to strive for is a balance of food spread

out

over the day, limiting simple carbs and fats and increasing fiber. A nutritional

consult is not only useful, it is as vital as proper medication for a diabetic.

 

Hope this is helpful.

Crow

 

doug wrote:

 

> Hi Folks

> I'm fairly new to this list and have not posted. I have mainly just sat back

and

> absorbed the information. Today I have to post with a question.

>

> " note that it is not really sugar that is the problem usually for a

diabetic,it

> is dietary fat, especially fried food and junk food "

>

> Please bear with me folks as I do not understand this statement. How does

> dietary fat cause more of an issue to a diabetic than sugar? I am not a

diabetic

> so can anyone explain this to me, I was under the impression that diabetes has

> everything to do with sugar, the pancreas, and insulin.

>

> Thanks

> doug

>

 

--

Caroline " Crow " Abreu, BS, RN, CHTP/I, CRMT, CH, MTC

Certified in Healing Touch, Reiki, Hypnotherapy and Chios

AIM: CaroCrow

: NRGbalance

URL: http://www.geocities.com/nrgbalance

 

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created them. " Albert Einstein

 

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