Can you be diabetic even if you eat very little sugar?

[ladycollector]

I am having some health problems (have been dealing with it for about 2 years but has recently gotten worse).

I am an active 20/yo. I am 5'2, weigh 114lbs (gained 5lbs in the last 6 months), eat a pretty good diet, workout 3-5x a week. I do eat a lot of sugar-free products to keep my calories within a reasonable range.

Occasionally (about 2-3x a year) I will pass out (very short time line. I slowly lose vision and then come back pretty quickly - I can always feel them coming on because I feel AWFUL and will sit down.) , 2-3x a week I am VERY weak, have extreme headaches, and lately have been getting nauseous after meals. (this finally subsided today but the past 3 days were awful.) I am 100% sure I am not pregnant, and this all began (the passing out every few months) about a year after I lost 30lbs which I needed to lose as I was overweight for my height.

I had blood work done in the Spring and it all came back perfect, and the Dr seemed to think that was sufficient and sent me on my way. But I am just feeling like something is not right. I feel awful and if this is what I feel like at 20, I'm scared to get much older.

I am making an appointment tomorrow but feel like an idiot going in and just describing these symptoms. I know I sound like a hypochondriac, and I'm sure my dr will say "Well your blood work came back perfect, what exactly do you want me to do?" Has anyone else dealt with something like this - I am thinking it is something to do with my blood sugar. Or am I just worrying too much.

Thanks!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

Well, I'm not diabetic but it runs in my family. Hopefully someone else will chime in soon with some real information lol. The symptoms you are describing do not sound like diabetes to me. Also, diabetes isn't about how much sugar you eat, but how your body processes sugars. I know I'm not explaining it exactly right....but trust me it's right in my head! you should definitely consult your doctor for the symptoms you have. Good luck.

 

[MariDisney]

Are you perhaps having migraines?

 

[ladycollector]

Are you perhaps having migraines?

That definitely could be part of the equation (or maybe all of it)! Thanks, I'll ask him about that, maybe if nothing else I can get some help for the headaches.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

It's possible.

A former co-worker of my DH's was not diagnosed as a Type I diabetic until he was in his late teens early 20s. Never had an issue until one day he did. He ended up in the hospital to get his blood sugars stablized and is now on an insulin pump. I am not familiar with what his symptons were to land him there nor how he lasted so many years as an undiagnosed Type I.

But I thought weight loss was a consideration though as opposed to weight gain. Your basic stature doesn't suggest that you would be type two and neither do your symptoms really.

Perhaps hyper or hypo glycemia (no idea which is which)?

 

[Silent1CB]

How's your iron level? Do you eat red meat? Take vitamins?

 

[Imzadi]

What ARE you eating in a typical meal? You may be good about not eating actual sugar, but you may be injesting a lot of carbs and not realizing it gets converted to sugar.

Also, you say you exercise 3-5 times a week. You may be incorrectly exercising and it's causing/contributing to what your problem may be. I just attended a lecture by Stu Middleman. He is a world-class, record breaking marathon runner. He actually said a lot of the way people are exercising is incorrect. They think heavy duty workouts, where you feel the burn, are heavily huffing & puffing, breathing hard, heart rate way up, is a good workout. What that actually does is put one in a sugar burning mode, rather than a fat burning mode, which is what you want to be in.

I had never heard about this stuff before. I am hypoglycemic/pre-diabetic. I few months ago, I hadn't eaten properly all day. I realised I had to literally run to the drugstore before their weekly sale ended at midnight. I was breathing hard before I got there and just felt I had depleted what little sugar I had in me. I wandered around the store and got my items. By the time I got to the cash register, I was woosy and sick.

The cashier, who knows me there as a regular, saw immediately something was wrong. She said I was as white as a ghost. She and the store guard pulled me aside and sat me down before I could pass out, and stuffed a candy bar into me.

I was nauseous for about 20 minutes, then was very tired and snoozed a bit, before I felt the sugar kick in enough to walk home.

So, I know now, from Stu, what he said was true. I exerted too much energy and burned all the sugar out of my body. I was also undiagnosed for iron-deficiancy anemia, too at the tim.

You might not be diabetic, but working out and not eating in a way, where you burn too much sugar than is good for you and get those symptoms. Here's his book:
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Burn-Faster-Exercising-Slower/dp/0062716123

On the other hand, as someone else mentioned, migranes are a possibility. I was on a plane and couldn't get to my Advil, which I always have with me. If I do't get to a headache in time, it turns into a migrane. An hour and a hour later, when my plane got in, I was sick and nauseous as a full blown migrane kicked in. I spent 2 & a half hours in the bathroom, then sitting in a chair in a quiet part of the waiting area, being nauseous, completely exhausted beyond belief and my head feeling like it was about to explode. Thank God, I was coming into town and not having to make a connecting flight.

Good luck in finding your answer.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

The main symptoms of diabetes are:

-Excessive thirst
-increased urination
-fatigue
-blurred vision
-occasionally it can lead to increased appetite.

Sugar has nothing to do with it. Diabetes is all about how your body processes carbohydrates. So you can avoid anything sweet, but if you are eating breads, pastas, any carbs, your blood sugar can still spike.

There are two major types (with several subtypes): Type 1 which is typically characterized by a very sudden onset. In Type 1, your body attacks the beta cells (insulin producing cells) in your pancreas leading to the loss of natural insulin. Type 1's normally end up in the hospital with extremely high blood sugar, and are dependent upon insulin right away. While people think of Type 1 as a kids' disease, many people develop it in their late teens or early 20's, and ti can be developed at any point in life. Mary Tyler Moore was in her 30's when she developed Type 1.

Type 2 is when you make insulin, but your body is no longer as sensitive to it. In the initial stages, people with Type 2 often make more insulin than an average person, because it takes more to lower your blood sugar. Over time, your pancreas wears out your insulin production drops. While Type 2's can treat with diet and exercise for awhile, eventually most will end up on insulin. Type 2 can also be developed at any age. While it is more commonly linked with being overweight, not every Type 2 is overweight (I think something like 20% are of a healthy weight on diagnosis) and there is some evidence to suggest that Type 2 actually contributes to weight gain.

Okay, still with me? You're more likely to develop it if you have a family history, you don't always have to. Sometimes the precursor to diabetes is hypoglycemia. Most peole know if they have it because in addition to feelnig like crap, you will have an intense craving for sugar and the crap feeling goes away after you eat sugar.

Honestly, from what you posted it does not sound like diabetes. Not to say it couldn't be, but it probably is not.

Have you looked into possibly a blood pressure problem, or done a standing table test? A friend of mine did that and found out her black outs were due to some blood pressure issues when moving from sitting to standing.

 

[Imzadi]

You're more likely to develop it if you have a family history, you don't always have to.

Unfortunately, Type 2 diabetes has become one of the leading, fastest growing epidemics in the U.S. (not around the world,) especially among children. That's why it's no longer called "adult onset" anymore because so many children, who do not genetically prone to developing it are. The fact thatit is a U.S. phenomenon proves it is a cultural thing - how we eat.

Have you looked into possibly a blood pressure problem, or done a standing table test? A friend of mine did that and found out her black outs were due to some blood pressure issues when moving from sitting to standing.

I was wondering that, too. The OP said the fainting seemed directly related to her dropping 30 pounds. On a 5'2" frame, that's a lot to lose. It may have screwed up her metabolism in other ways.

OP, now that you've lost all the weight, are you eating & exercising differently than when you were trying to lose all that weight? I hope you have adjusted both your eating & exercising for how you are now. If you are eating an excessively reduced caloric intake, one for losing weight and continuing to exercise for heavy weight loss, it may be inappropriate for your metabolism now and throwing it way off.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

You're right Imzadi. It is growing fast in the young. I was 23 when I was diagnosed with "pre." I had no family history whatsoever, and the crazy thing is, I used to be a dancer. In a little over a year I went from a healthy, thin weight, to being overweight and prediabetic. The media has the wrong focus in this, and it makes it hard when somebody who is young and previously fit is diagnosed. There are many factors that go into the development of it, and weight is only one factor.

I would think OP that if your bloodwork came out fine you don't have something to worry about on this front, but see if you can find the exact numbers and pos them here. What to many doctors is "fine" is outdated. It's very sad how little some PCPs know, given how many people have diabetes.

 

[XTinabell]

I agree with the posters who mention blood pressure. You don't seem to be describing symptoms of diabetes and if your blood work comes back normal then it's not that. But my sister has/had low blood pressure and would pass out on occasion. It was usually just a minor black out, she would slip off the couch and wake up, that sort of thing. It might be worth looking into.

 

[NMAmy]

It does sound a bit to me like hypoglycemia. I have many of the same symptoms and my blood tests tend to come back normal because it happens quite randomly for me and I can't predict when it will happen.

You don't need a prescription for a glucometer. If you're willing to spend the money to know for sure what's going on, buy a glucometer, test strips and a lancet. When your symptoms come on, test your blood sugar. It will give you some peace of mind, if nothing else.

I have found that some doctors seem to blow off hypoglycemia and act like it's no big deal but the symptoms can be very frightening and dangerous. Hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If you are passing out frequently, the first place you get checked out at is with a cardiologist. It is likely cardiac and has to deal with your blood pressure.

If your blood work comes back fine, this would be the next step. Oh and get a glucose test to make sure.

I have 2 dd's, one who is 18 with a repaired heart defect and the other is 13 and she passes out from anxiety. She had many tests and finally got the vasovagal synocpe diagnosis.

 

[agnes!]

If you're eating a lot of sugar-free products perhaps you're allergic to the sweet-tasting sugar substitutes? Those compounds could possible be triggering the headaches and other symptoms. At the very least, if I were in your shoes I'd cut out the sugar-free junk *now* and stick to natural or unsweetened food.

In addition to seeing your doctor tomorrow, I think you should ask her for a referral to a nutritionist/dietician, maybe one who specializes in consulting with athletic types. You should consider making appointment with an athletic trainer to confirm that your workouts are "smart" and not just *hard*.

agnes!

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I'm hypoglycemic and you sound like you have a lot of the same symptoms as me. I have to eat every 3 hours or so or I get light headed, weak, headaches, grouchy, dizzy. I got more help from a nutritionist than from doctors. Sometimes my blood sugar is so low I feel sick and have to force myself to eat even though I don't feel like eating.

 

[ladycollector]

I do eat a lot of carbs. Cheerios for breakfast, Bread (for sandwiches), Lean Cuisines, etc. Not enough meat - I just find it hard to make time to cook it... I have a hard time beliving I'm not eating enough considering I've gained 5lbs . Ugh! I may just need to get some pre-cooked grilled chicken from the deli meat section so I can easily access it.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I'm gonna bring them up with my doctor. The blood pressure is very interesting! When they initially check my BP at the dr it's always been fine, but I'm guessing its more involved than that?

I will look into getting a glucometer, that way I can see if when I'm having symptoms if my blood sugar is abnormal.

 

[ladycollector]

What ARE you eating in a typical meal? You may be good about not eating actual sugar, but you may be injesting a lot of carbs and not realizing it gets converted to sugar.

Also, you say you exercise 3-5 times a week. You may be incorrectly exercising and it's causing/contributing to what your problem may be. I just attended a lecture by Stu Middleman. He is a world-class, record breaking marathon runner. He actually said a lot of the way people are exercising is incorrect. They think heavy duty workouts, where you feel the burn, are heavily huffing & puffing, breathing hard, heart rate way up, is a good workout. What that actually does is put one in a sugar burning mode, rather than a fat burning mode, which is what you want to be in.

I had never heard about this stuff before. I am hypoglycemic/pre-diabetic. I few months ago, I hadn't eaten properly all day. I realised I had to literally run to the drugstore before their weekly sale ended at midnight. I was breathing hard before I got there and just felt I had depleted what little sugar I had in me. I wandered around the store and got my items. By the time I got to the cash register, I was woosy and sick.

The cashier, who knows me there as a regular, saw immediately something was wrong. She said I was as white as a ghost. She and the store guard pulled me aside and sat me down before I could pass out, and stuffed a candy bar into me.

I was nauseous for about 20 minutes, then was very tired and snoozed a bit, before I felt the sugar kick in enough to walk home.

So, I know now, from Stu, what he said was true. I exerted too much energy and burned all the sugar out of my body. I was also undiagnosed for iron-deficiancy anemia, too at the tim.

You might not be diabetic, but working out and not eating in a way, where you burn too much sugar than is good for you and get those symptoms. Here's his book:
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Burn-Faster-Exercising-Slower/dp/0062716123

On the other hand, as someone else mentioned, migranes are a possibility. I was on a plane and couldn't get to my Advil, which I always have with me. If I do't get to a headache in time, it turns into a migrane. An hour and a hour later, when my plane got in, I was sick and nauseous as a full blown migrane kicked in. I spent 2 & a half hours in the bathroom, then sitting in a chair in a quiet part of the waiting area, being nauseous, completely exhausted beyond belief and my head feeling like it was about to explode. Thank God, I was coming into town and not having to make a connecting flight.

Good luck in finding your answer.

This is interesting! I do feel like everything is correlated. As soon as I weighed myself and realized I gained in the past few months, I changed my workout routine. I am doing weights 3x a week and 1/2mile walk + 35 minutes on the elliptical, 1/2 mile walk 2x a week. Before I was doing a lot of running and that gets my heart up near the 200 range and is really difficult for me. Have to see if I can find the book.

 

[legalsea]

Diabetes does not run in my family, yet I developed Type I ten years ago after an illness. The illness damaged my pancreas, stopping the production of insulin (eventually).

 

[Judy from Boise]

If you are gaining that 5 lbs on a sensible diet and exercise program, perhaps you need that weight to feel your best?
I think at a minimum you need to eat much more protein. It certainly does not need to be meat. Try snacking on string cheese, cottage cheese, or a carton of yogurt. The higher protein will also help keep both your blood sugar and blood pressure leveled out.

 

[Imzadi]

You're right Imzadi. It is growing fast in the young. I was 23 when I was diagnosed with "pre.".

I remember your posts when you got diagnosed. You seem to have adjusted well.

I do eat a lot of carbs. Cheerios for breakfast, Bread (for sandwiches), Lean Cuisines, etc. Not enough meat - I just find it hard to make time to cook it... I have a hard time beliving I'm not eating enough considering I've gained 5lbs . Ugh! I may just need to get some pre-cooked grilled chicken from the deli meat section so I can easily access it.

It isn't about eating enough. It's about eating the right combinations. You are eating a lot of carbs in relation to proteins.

carb = sugar = blood sugar spike + super fast drop in blood sugar levels

protein = slower to digest, long burning energy

protein + (smaller amount of) carb =


Here are some healthy snacks I keep on hand. Of course, modify any/all of them for the lowfat varieties to go with your diet.


Ideally, healthy snacks are what to eat between meals. They should keep blood sugar up without unnecessarily spiking blood sugar levels, and tiding those hunger pangs until a real meal. It also keeps down the weight if you take care of the hunger pangs without filling up on the simple carbs & sugars.

These are what I eat for my healthy Snacks: quality lean protein combined with a small amount of complex carbs, (fiber & whole grains.)

Sliced turkey & lettuce rollups (no bread,) with a slight smear of mayo or mustard. Sometimes I add in a slice of cheese. These can also be wrapped around a crisp slice of apple. I love Oscar Mayer's "Deli Fresh" shaved turkey slices just for this.

Apples dipped in peanut butter, or a low-fat cream cheese spread, you make by mixing in a little, no-sugar fruit preserves.

Celery sticks filled with cream cheese & topped with chopped walnuts or filled with no-sugar peanut butter. Or filled with Laughing Cow Lite cheese. I cut one wedge up into small pats and they either go on 3 celery sticks, cucumber slices, or strips of bib lettuce.

Whole grain crackers topped or dipped in tuna or chicken salad, or egg salad. (Whole grains are always better than white breads because the fiber slows down digestion of sugar.)

Wedges or cubes of cheese, or string cheese.

A handful of nuts. Sugar free yogurts with nuts.

Deviled eggs.

Homemade, pre-baked chicken nuggets.

Turkey hot dogs (without the buns) sliced up like Vienna sausages..

Mini pizzas made on whole grain pitas, (instead of pizza dough, to keep the ratio of carbs to protein down, and the whole grain fiber,) with jarred tomato sauce and loaded with low-fat shredded cheese. These bake up quick in a toaster oven.

Nachos made with baked pita chips and smothered with chili and shredded low-fat cheese.

Can of refried beans topped with low-fat shredded cheese and sour cream, scooped up with celery sticks or lettuce leaves.

Hummus has become my new best friend. I have hummus scooped up in lettuce leaves or raw veggies rather than pita chips.


*** Make sure you drink enough water. It really does make a difference. Water lubricates the system and allows for better digestion and fat to burn more efficiently. It also flushes out the toxins & sugar. ***


I've learned there is a big, big difference between a "snack" and a "treat." Cookies, chips & sweets should be a small treat and not used to quell hunger pangs between meals.

Treats should be portioned out to a few sweets depending on your carb intake: 1-2 cookies, a few chips or pretzels.

I love a good half cup of sugar-free jello.

There are better tasting protein bars out now. Some are healthy because of the high fiber in the whole grains. Zone Perfect makes bars that taste just like a good chocolate bar but has a high percentage of protein. They are much better than cookies or real chocolate candy bars Zone Perfect also make fruit yogurt bars.

Balance Bars and Trader Joe's 40/30/30 bars are good too. They mostly have nutty flavors. You don't have to eat a whole bar for a treat.

Other sweet treats to have: No- sugar-added Fudgsicles, sugar-free Popsicles®, sugar-free Jello, drink mixes lightly flavoring water, and hard candies and chewing gum.


Oh, if you really want to have cereal for breakfast, try the Glucerna cereals. They are purposely designed not to spike blood sugar. So they are good to eat even for non-diabetics. They will be found in drugstores in the aisle near the diabetic supplies/supplements, not the cereal aisle.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=166212&catid=10017