Why is My Blood Sugar High?

1. Why is My Blood Sugar High? Seth Roberts Tsinghua University & UC Berkeley twoutopias@gmail.com

5. Blood Sugar Measurement • First QS = home blood glucose measurement • Started by Richard Bernstein (who had Type 1 diabetes) in 1960s • He achieved much better blood sugar control • Now standard for diabetics

6. Blood Sugar Measurement Tools

7. “Fasting” Blood Sugar • 8-12 hours without food • <100 = “normal”, 100-125 = “prediabetic”, 126 or more = diabetes • I believe best = low 80s • In big U.S. study, mean = 105 • Strong correlation with HbA1c

8. “Fasting” Blood Sugar • 8-12 hours without food • <100 = “normal”, 100-125 = “prediabetic”, 126 or more = diabetes • I believe best = low 80s • In big U.S. study, mean = 105 • Strong correlation with HbA1c

11. Can I Reduce My Fasting Blood Sugar? • After reducing carbs, didn’t know what else to do. • Already did regular aerobic exercise

12. How to Reduce Fasting Blood Sugar? Online Answers • “I exercise 3 times/week but my fasting blood sugar is 94-107. Why is this happening when I am not consuming carbs and sugar?” • Answer 1: “Quit taking blood sugar test so often.” Answer 2: “There's no 'trick' to lowering blood sugar that you haven't already tried.” Answer 3: “These numbers are OK.” Answer 4: “You are TOTALLY NORMAL.”

13. How to Reduce Fasting Blood Sugar? Online Answers • “I exercise 3 times/week but my fasting blood sugar is 94-107. Why is this happening when I am not consuming carbs and sugar?” • Answer 1: “Quit taking blood sugar test so often.” Answer 2: “There's no 'trick' to lowering blood sugar that you haven't already tried.” Answer 3: “These numbers are OK.” Answer 4: “You are TOTALLY NORMAL.”

14. How to Reduce Fasting Blood Sugar? Online Answers • “I exercise 3 times/week but my fasting blood sugar is 94-107. Why is this happening when I am not consuming carbs and sugar?” • Answer 1: “Quit taking blood sugar test so often.” Answer 2: “There's no 'trick' to lowering blood sugar that you haven't already tried.” Answer 3: “These numbers are OK.” Answer 4: “You are TOTALLY NORMAL.”

15. Effect of Walking on Blood Sugar

16. Effect of Walking on Blood Sugar

21. Intermittent Fasting • 2012 BBC TV show Eat Fast and Live Longer • Emphasized IGF (insulin growth factor) improvement • Best-selling book The FastDiet. Advises 2 fast days/week. • Lots of supporting research

22. Intermittent Fasting • 2012 BBC TV show Eat Fast and Live Longer • Emphasized IGF (insulin growth factor) improvement • Best-selling book The FastDiet. Advises 2 fast days/week. • Lots of supporting research

23. Intermittent Fasting: My Friend’s Experience • Started 9 months ago eating every other day • Same amount & type of food, different timing • Hungry first fast day, easy after that. Feels strong hunger for first time on non-fast day • Three different food/digestive problems went away • So I tried it

26. Intermittent Fasting: Other Effects • No unpleasant hunger, not hard at all • No problem not eating while others eat • If anything, feel more energetic • Save 1-2 hours/day • Weight loss • No sleep change

27. Intermittent Fasting: Other Effects • No unpleasant hunger, not hard at all • No problem not eating while others eat • If anything, feel more energetic • Save 1-2 hours/day • Weight loss • No sleep change

28. Q. I know fasting is healthy.What’s new? • Blood sugar much easier to measure than other measures that improve, such as IGF • Fast clear improvement • Blood sugar measurements can determine details of fast (how often, how much) • Intermittent fasting rarely proposed to cure high blood sugar

29. Q. I know fasting is healthy.What’s new? • Blood sugar much easier to measure than other measures that improve, such as IGF • Fast clear improvement • Blood sugar measurements can determine details of fast (how often, how much) • Intermittent fasting rarely proposed to cure high blood sugar

30. Conclusions • Expect to do this rest of my life • Worth trying for Type 2 Diabetes