200+ peaks, normal HbA1c (WAS: Daughter's HbA1c)

[Guest guest]

Carol

You wrote:

> Ok, so you can easily go over 200? And

> you hba1c is normal? I'd say maybe you

> better test more to see where your lows

> are coming from and when, hopefully

> not when you're sleeping.

I also can easily go over 200 mg/dl if I try and it has no effect on

my HbA1c. I regularly test during the night if I happen to wake up

and haven't seen a hypo for over 6 months now.

My theory (based on the literature I have on hand and from discussing

it with diabetes specialists face-to-face) is that high peak BG does

not result in advanced glycated end products (which are what govern

the amount of A1 hemoglobin that gets measured and that do the

damage) until the blood glucose concentration has been high for at

least 3-4 hours on average. The glucose attached to the erythrozytes

falls back off again if the blood glucose concentration drops back to

normal again within that time - i.e. the glycation is reversible

short-term.

That is why I have no need to be afraid of those big, bad spikes

(which I don't normally get with low-GI-oriented nutrition - yeah, I

know, that's a contradiction). Of course, my carbohydrate metabolism

might be different from everybody else's so I am obliged to advise

you to take readings and try it for yourself and something about

checking your varying mileage.