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Question: he doctor,
iam 50 year old male and my weight is 84 and height is 6.2 feet i am maintaining the same for last 15 years,i was diagnosed diabetic 17 years back while going through a regular medical check up . my fasting sugar was 160 at that time and the doctor on duty advised me to go for medication. fortunately i had consulted another physician and he asked me to follow good diet and regular excercies instead of medicine, after three month my fasting sugar came down to 120 and HBA1C 7. last fifteen years i am following healthy diet ( more protein less pure carbs) and also do weight training at gym . my current fasting sugar is consistent around 120 to 140 and HBA1C 6.5 to 7 . Do i need to be more vigilant if i can mange the same for some more years without any medication. please advise.
iam 50 year old male and my weight is 84 and height is 6.2 feet i am maintaining the same for last 15 years,i was diagnosed diabetic 17 years back while going through a regular medical check up . my fasting sugar was 160 at that time and the doctor on duty advised me to go for medication. fortunately i had consulted another physician and he asked me to follow good diet and regular excercies instead of medicine, after three month my fasting sugar came down to 120 and HBA1C 7. last fifteen years i am following healthy diet ( more protein less pure carbs) and also do weight training at gym . my current fasting sugar is consistent around 120 to 140 and HBA1C 6.5 to 7 . Do i need to be more vigilant if i can mange the same for some more years without any medication. please advise.
Brief answer....better to start some anti diabetic
Detailed answer....
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
It is really good that you are maintaining your blood sugar levels but frankly speaking they are above the desired range.
In fact post meal sugar levels are a much better indicator of whether a person will get classic diabetic complications or not. In fact your HBA1c should be below 6.5.
The value most of us would find much more helpful in assessing our health is not fasting blood sugar but something else: the number of hours a day our blood sugar spends elevated over the level known to cause complications, which is roughly 140 mg.
If you spend most of your day with blood sugar levels below 140 ,then one can expect many years of complication free living but if most of your day your blood sugar levels are above 140,then you are at greater risk of heart disease,nerve and retina damage,kidney damage etc
Now if your fasting is around 140 and then goes up after meals,then obviously you are spending a lot of time in danger zone ( that is above 140 ).
Besides blood sugar levels,you should also be careful about your blood pressure,lipid profile,kidneys and eyes.
A consistent blood sugar level above 140 is beta cell toxic and this results in gradual depletion of insulin as the age advances.
Moreover with advancing age,you may not be always able to cope up with regular exercises.
In my opinion you should consult an endocrinologist,get yourself thoroughly evaluated and do get some anti diabetic drug.
It would be better if your fasting hovers around 100 and PP below 140.
All long standing diabetic complications can be avoided or postponed,if your blood sugar levels are controlled tightly and immaculately.
I hope it helps,however you are most welcome to revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks
Detailed answer....
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
It is really good that you are maintaining your blood sugar levels but frankly speaking they are above the desired range.
In fact post meal sugar levels are a much better indicator of whether a person will get classic diabetic complications or not. In fact your HBA1c should be below 6.5.
The value most of us would find much more helpful in assessing our health is not fasting blood sugar but something else: the number of hours a day our blood sugar spends elevated over the level known to cause complications, which is roughly 140 mg.
If you spend most of your day with blood sugar levels below 140 ,then one can expect many years of complication free living but if most of your day your blood sugar levels are above 140,then you are at greater risk of heart disease,nerve and retina damage,kidney damage etc
Now if your fasting is around 140 and then goes up after meals,then obviously you are spending a lot of time in danger zone ( that is above 140 ).
Besides blood sugar levels,you should also be careful about your blood pressure,lipid profile,kidneys and eyes.
A consistent blood sugar level above 140 is beta cell toxic and this results in gradual depletion of insulin as the age advances.
Moreover with advancing age,you may not be always able to cope up with regular exercises.
In my opinion you should consult an endocrinologist,get yourself thoroughly evaluated and do get some anti diabetic drug.
It would be better if your fasting hovers around 100 and PP below 140.
All long standing diabetic complications can be avoided or postponed,if your blood sugar levels are controlled tightly and immaculately.
I hope it helps,however you are most welcome to revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
hello doctor ,
thank you for the detailed reply. in my case i was monitoring my blood sugar almost everyday . interestingly my blood sugar after breakfast stands below 140 almost always. random always shows 120 to 130 range. but recently i have also noticed once in a while the level goes up after food above 150 but it happens once or twise in a month. i think it is with the food i had those days.
on the other hand please advise if i start any medication will i be able to excericse as i normally lift good weight and i had never faced any kind of HIGH or LOW blood sugar level. i am also drinking WHEY PROTEIN shake after every work out. my major concern is my morning reading otherwise after proper protein+carbs meal never elevating sugar level. please advise.
thank you for the detailed reply. in my case i was monitoring my blood sugar almost everyday . interestingly my blood sugar after breakfast stands below 140 almost always. random always shows 120 to 130 range. but recently i have also noticed once in a while the level goes up after food above 150 but it happens once or twise in a month. i think it is with the food i had those days.
on the other hand please advise if i start any medication will i be able to excericse as i normally lift good weight and i had never faced any kind of HIGH or LOW blood sugar level. i am also drinking WHEY PROTEIN shake after every work out. my major concern is my morning reading otherwise after proper protein+carbs meal never elevating sugar level. please advise.
Hello,
If your post meals sugar levels are in general below 140,then it is pretty good.
You can start a very mild but a very good anti diabetic drug called as metformin.
You can take it in the dose of 500 mg twice a day. It is generally a very well tolerated drug,however some people get bloating, some loose tummy etc,but symptoms go away after using it for few weeks.
This drug is very good to control your fasting blood sugar levels.
This drug won't have any effect on your exercise schedule and moreover it doesn't result in any low blood sugar episode.
Thanks
If your post meals sugar levels are in general below 140,then it is pretty good.
You can start a very mild but a very good anti diabetic drug called as metformin.
You can take it in the dose of 500 mg twice a day. It is generally a very well tolerated drug,however some people get bloating, some loose tummy etc,but symptoms go away after using it for few weeks.
This drug is very good to control your fasting blood sugar levels.
This drug won't have any effect on your exercise schedule and moreover it doesn't result in any low blood sugar episode.
Thanks
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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