Monitoring Blood Glucose for anti-aging purposes?
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free skin care · Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:10 pm

Just wondering what you all thought of using a blood glucose monitor to track your blood sugar levels for anti-aging / anti glycation purposes. Doing this for a period of time would allow you to see how you reacted to various meals and foods, how exercise or certain supplements e.g. chromium might help you. Of course this should help with skin aging but also with your general health. Monitors are not so expenive and I might try this as an experiment myself.

Anyone else tried this or have any thoughts?

free skin care · Tue Jul 21, 2015 11:41 pm

The health of your skin is generally reflected in the health of your body and monitoring Blood Glucose is normally done to check for diabetes II. Diabetes can cause such a range of health issues so making sure your blood glucose is within normal limits is a good thing.

free skin care · Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:41 am

pandora77 wrote:

Just wondering what you all thought of using a blood glucose monitor to track your blood sugar levels for anti-aging / anti glycation purposes. Doing this for a period of time would allow you to see how you reacted to various meals and foods,

Quote:

how exercise or certain supplements e.g. chromium might help you.

Of course this should help with skin aging but also with your general health. Monitors are not so expenive and I might try this as an experiment myself.

Anyone else tried this or have any thoughts?

Years ago I took chromium to help even out blood sugar. (I am not diabetic.) I found it helped suppress my sugar cravings.

As per Prevention magazine, cinnamon helps steady blood sugar and their suggestion was to add it to foods or when brewing coffee. As I really like cinnamon, I have been adding to my basket of coffee when brewing. I add it to other foods when cooking. I buy the large bottle from Costo.

I really don't know if it makes a huge difference but as I LIKE cinnamon; why not?

I also try to exercise on a regular basis. I just feel better (and tend to eat better if I spent time in a gym).

I do know that "clean eaters" tend to have better looking skin.

free skin care · Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:58 pm

Thanks for the responses. I read that people with elevated blood sugar or an impaired glucose response have a older percived age due to the effects of glycation. I got a test done the other morning and to my horror my fasting blood glucose was a little high so I have bought a home monitor and will test and try to get that down with diet, exercise and will try chromium.

I will keep and eye and see if getting my blood glucose down to a healthy range helps improve my skin any and if so I will report back here.

free skin care · Sat Jul 25, 2015 4:48 pm

Really curious whether you encounter any surprises!!

Glycation is very impt. in aging. I wonder if eating lots of fruit like I do raises my blood sugar a lot. That's the only sugar I really get.

Would love if it you update us!!! Would be great to learn how much of an effect supplements like chromium or ala have on post-meal sugar.

free skin care · Sat Jul 25, 2015 5:34 pm

Anti-glycation supps I take are Beta-Alanine, Benfotiamine and P-5-P

Good link here. http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/34878-anti-glycation-supplements/

free skin care · Sun Aug 02, 2015 6:18 pm

You inspired me to do this. It's for other reasons too, but I am curious what we find.

I eat a ton of fruit and rice so those will be my first tests.

Keep this updated! I am waiting for supplies to arrive in the mail.

free skin care · Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:24 am

Update.

After a day of this testing, I have learned so much

My smoothies barely raise my sugar at all-even with 1 c strawberries 1c rasp. Might be the kale and protein that helps.

My 2 cups of rice that I eat a lot raised my sugar massively. Even though I cook it very al dente and ate with 2 eggs for protein

My 2 cups of beans barely raised my sugar.

Current conclusion- its ok to eat tons of berries - this was the main reason I got this.

Cut down on rice

Will test mango/ pineapple/etc soon.

Other interesting conclusion- I felt sort of weak and typically I'd think my blood sugar was low and eat more, but that was the moment my sugar was highest ...

free skin care · Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:55 pm

Hi Sar,
Interesting!
How soon after you ate did you test your blood sugar?

free skin care · Tue Aug 11, 2015 8:25 pm

Hey! I tested it an hour after to get the 'peak' more or less, and then 2 and 3 hours to see how quickly it dropped. Also testing fasting glucose in the morning.

I was so surprised about the rice, but again today I had rice and my blood sugar was higher than its been.

Next step is to get some ALA or chromium and see if that helps...

free skin care · Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:12 am

I'm not surprised about the rice. I am assuming you are eating white rice, since you didn't say anything about it being brown or unrefined. And all refined grain products, like white rice or white bread, I'm been told (and it is also my own experience) responses like sugar in the body.

Unrefined rice (ie. brown rice) might spike your blood sugar too much, but still not to the same extent as the refined grain will.

Also, some find that unrefined grains like quinoa or millet spike the blood sugar less than even unrefined brown rice does.

free skin care · Wed Aug 12, 2015 12:34 pm

You know its mega cool to see people finally putting things to the test that I was speaking about years ago. Being a diabetic I learned first hand the importance of things like sugar levels being balanced and also how some foods that are supposedily healthy raised my sugars big time and others didn't. It is so interesting to learn how our bodies respond to different foods for sure.

free skin care · Wed Aug 12, 2015 9:09 pm

I would love to hear more insights from other people.

What are the 'healthy foods' that raise sugar?

White rice was a hypoallergenic food for me. I cooked it super al dente too.

But now that I've seen the numbers I am going to switch.

Today I ate a ton of brown rice and my blood sugar did not even break 100 afterward.

It fascinates me that I can eat ~600 calories of beans or brown rice and it hardly registers. But it's great to know that as I am eating more vegan I don't have to fear carb overload as long as they're complex.

free skin care · Thu Aug 13, 2015 11:43 am

Well that’s the point I have often made that whats healthy for you may not be healthy for me an vice versa.

So for now I won’t bore you with the details of “What are the 'healthy foods' that raise sugar” because my results may be substantially different to how your body responds. Just know that because experts say one time that goji berries (for example) are a superfood doesn’t mean that they are one that your body will be able to use effectively without consequence. There are many other foods that are often sold with the label “healthy” but may not be healthy for you and your body.

With white rice – its not such a surprise. White rice is heavily processed. Almost anything with the “white” label is (think white flour, white sugar etc – all highly processed). One thing that was extremely interesting to me when I studied nutrition was that the teachers often spoke of the importance of having “short grain” brown rice with vegetables for their ability to not only hold water, but switch off the dehydration alert with in the body. As you know when you cook rice, it fills with water nicely and that water is held and used within the body. Plus short grain brown rice I have often found to be quite filling. White rice tends to raise my blood sugars also – but for example, my sister can eat it freely and her sugars do not change at all. So its just how your body chooses to respond to any food based on a variety of factors.

free skin care · Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:37 pm

My husband was diagnosed with Diabetes II a few years ago and he was able to beat it purely through the correct diet.
After attending several sessions on Diabetes it was made quite clear that the biggest mistake most people make is thinking it is just sugar that has to be reduced when, in fact, carbohydrates are just as bad for causing high blood sugar levels. So you really have to look at the carbohydrate levels in the food you eat. You don't have to cut them out, but just reduce them.

free skin care · Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:02 pm

Interesting...I know about carbohydrates, but the issue is that different ones seem to affect people differently.

Updating on fruit. Disappointed to see that my bowl of blueberries and cherries was too much, even though my green smoothies with the same amount are ok.

I probably need to find some vegetable dishes that I like more instead of fruit...

Or, maybe try some chromium

free skin care · Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:23 am

Another update in case people are trying to adapt their diets without actually testing their blood.

White rice I got at the chinese restaurant put my blood sugar at 210, whereas the white rice I make at home, and get at a deli, only puts it at around 130. Same quantity.

They must use sugar - I always thought it tasted sweet. Goes to show that when I'm eating out I'll probably stick to meat and vegetables if I don't really know what I'm getting.

I used to eat this daily, so glad I got this glucose monitor!

Wed Aug 19, 2015 7:34 am

Sar,

The Chinese restaurant white rice probably has added sugar to make it more palatable. That's pretty common. It's also common for Chinese restaurants to add MSG to their food but I don't know of a connection to how that could raise your blood sugar except that it may cause you to eat more rice than usual, thus raising blood sugar more. Also I would imagine that the rice has been well cooked and definitely not al dente, which therefore would break down into the bloodstream quicker and further raise blood sugar.

The same thing happens to me and I completely avoid Chinese restaurant rice as a rule now. At 210 the glucose is damaging to your organs like your heart and brain, as well as the beta cells of your pancreas which can exasperate blood sugar problems later in life. Best to avoid a high number like that at all costs.

Also, you said that blueberries and cherries raise your blood sugar too high. I'm curious what kind of berries you were using? Have you tried the smaller wild blueberry variety? They are at Trader Joe's & Whole Foods and provide more skin per cup and thus more nutrients and fiber. They're not as sweet, they taste better and I have better luck with those.

And in regards to the cherries, are you using unsweetened tart cherries or are those cherries the ones that were drenched in added sugar?

free skin care · Wed Aug 19, 2015 10:58 pm

VillageCat

Thanks for the chinese food sugar confirmation. I also thought it tasted sweet.

I am eating the frozen blueberries and cherries both from trader joes. Neither is sweetened, but I will retest soon in case something else was going on. I eat them a lot anyway and will continue to.

Will try the wild ones. They are delicious anyway!

In case anyone needs concrete exercise motivation:

Fairly mild cardio for 30 minutes brings my sugar way down. Even the 210 came down to around 85 in ~30 minutes of walking. I have never been a big exerciser since i live in the city and walk, but now that I see how quickly that happens, and I understand it also makes you more insulin sensitive for 24 hrs afterward, I am motivated to keep at it.

I keep weight around my waist even though I'm quite thin so I'm hoping these changes will make a difference soon enough.

Thu Aug 20, 2015 7:10 am

Definitely agree with the exercise advice. I wrote a paper on the science of glucose and exercise about a year ago and I can say that the scientific data points to exercise as one of the most important things anyone can do to keep their blood sugar down and avoid diabetes.

Cardio is obviously great but all exercise is different for the body and just like getting a wide range of healthy foods in your diet it's also important to try and get a wide range of exercise by also doing resistance exercise (weights, bands, etc.) and HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training).

The research on HIIT is astounding for blood sugar and other things. Studies show that just 4-7 minutes of HIIT can be more effective than a 30min intense cardio session so it can be helpful for people who are short on time. Check out the HIIT wikipedia site for a breakdown of information about it and go from there. I do about 5-7min of HIIT once or twice a week on my exercise bike or a real bike and mix up some cardio and weight lifting in there throughout the week. Any one of them is great but a combination of all 3 types of exercise is scientifically the best thing you can do for your blood sugar and also keep you super healthy overall.

Let's keep this discussion going! If you have any more tips I would be grateful!

free skin care · Thu Aug 20, 2015 1:33 pm

I don't have many other tips yet - I am going to keep experimenting with diet and exercise.

I am going to see what Yerba Mate does bc that's supposed to help and I used to drink it a lot.

Question - Why would morning glucose suddenly be 130?

It has been around 90 every morning. I didn't eat anything different yesterday, and I don't feel well.

Could it be a sign of overtraining from 2 days ago? Or that I'm fighting something off?

Fri Aug 21, 2015 7:51 am

Regarding yerba mate I would say don't overdo it because unfortunately it has been linked to cancer. I can't link here but google "yerba mate cancer" and check out the Mayo Clinic link as well as any of the others. I drink it occasionally but it's not something you want to be drinking too much, just in case.

There are plenty of other foods that can help your blood sugar like different kinds of mushrooms, turmeric, garlic, bitter melon, etc., that are proven health foods and definitely will not cause cancer so it would be best to try all of them and see what works. Have fun with it! And your body will thank you as you do because even if one doesn't work for your blood sugar it's all healthy anyway.

Your fasting 130 number could be for many reasons. Firstly it could be that the strip you used was faulty. For a number like that check again right after to test to see if the previous one was accurate. I've tested the same drop of blood with two different strips and got two very different results. Sometimes they can be off by 20 or 30 points.

If it's still high then it could be the "dawn effect" whereby your body produces hormones in the morning that raise your blood sugar. Google that and read about it. This doesn't happen to everyone but I think it happens to me too because I'll get the rare high reading too. The reason I got so into this subject was that I was regularly testing in the prediabetes range (>100) in the morning before food, which scared me. I found that I was eating too much before bed and lowering my food intake helped a lot. A small snack before bed can help with the dawn effect so now I do that and it helps a lot (like almond butter with a glass of water or a little 2% plain greek yogurt). You want as little sugar as possible but with a reasonable amount of protein and healthy fat.

So it could be that the 130 was just an outlier to the rest of your mornings, as you've mentioned. I wouldn't worry too much about it considering it's been 90 most mornings. One high morning doesn't mean much if all others are lower. 130 fasting blood sugar is bad though if at all regular and is in the diabetes range (>120), so like I have done, use it as a means to increase your motivation to be as healthy as you can be and change your lifestyle around. I definitely recommend green smoothies with lots of veggies if you don't already. I'm so glad I started checking my blood sugar and got the scares that I did because without them I wouldn't be where I am now. I'm much healthier and more knowledgeable than any of my friends because of this. Doctors don't do anything until you have full blown diabetes and then they put you on drugs. We have the power to prevent it altogether because we are vigilant with our own health. Now I regularly test in the mid 80s fasting.

Your blood sugar does raise when you are fighting off an infection so if you don't feel well then that's also what it could be. If you overtrained to the point of seriously harming your body then that might cause it too by causing excess inflammation. Make sure to give your body adequate rest in the future to avoid overtraining. Have fun on your blood sugar lowering adventure!

free skin care · Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:57 pm

Thanks for the info - I will say that overall I feel good and my skin is looking good from my current diet.

A question though. If my blood sugar goes to 210 after an hour of eating eggs and 2 cups of rice, and then is at 180 2 hours after eating, is that a sign of glucose metabolism problem? I haven't eaten anything like that since but I wonder if something is going on

free skin care · Mon Aug 24, 2015 11:33 am

Village Cat, thanks for good information. Great that your resting BS is mid 80's!

Sar,
High BS can also be caused by stress which is intimately connected, in the body, with over exertion of any kind, since the adrenal glands are also connected with BS levels/

Tue Aug 25, 2015 5:47 pm

Sar,

It seems like you have some insulin resistance which can snowball over years into a serious problem if nothing is done. The good news is that if you do something about it now by eating right/exercising/etc., then it can be reversed.

A non-diabetic should not be getting as high as 210, even 1 hour after food. The way you can tell if you have insulin resistance is if at 2 hours after eating you are still over 120. If you are over 120 2 hours after eating then it's probably a signal of insulin resistance. Most normal people are under 100 2 hours after eating.

My advice is to never have the rice that gave you that. You should never have white rice which is just rice with all the healthy stuff removed. I avoid white rice like the plague unless it is used in sushi, where even then I'll prefer brown rice sushi if available. Try other options like brown rice or wild rice. See what works for you.

Thanks Jasmine!

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