In the last article I explained the three primary markers we use to track blood sugar: fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and hemoglobin A1c (A1c). We also looked at what the medical establishment considers as “normal” for these markers. The table below summarizes those values.
| Marker | Normal | Pre-diabetes | Diabetes |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <99 | 100-125 | >126 |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <140 | 140-199 | >200 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <6 | 6-6.4 | >6.4 |
In this article, we’re going to look at just how “normal” those normal levels are – according to the scientific literature. We’ll also consider which of these three markers is most important in preventing diabesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. But before we do that, I’d like to make an important point: context is everything.
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article series, there are potential problems with how well these tests are utilized to diagnose diabetes. This is an area that needs further study, but continuous glucose monitoring for the general population may be a better marker.
In my work with patients, I never use any single marker alone to determine whether someone has a blood sugar issue. I run a full blood panel that includes fasting glucose, fasting insulin, A1c, fructosamine, uric acid and triglycerides (along with other lipids), and I also have them do post-meal testing at home over a period of 3 days with a range of foods.
If they have a few post-meal spikes and all other markers or normal, I’m not concerned. If their fasting BG, A1c and fructosamine are all elevated, and they’re having spikes, then I’m concerned and I will investigate further.
On a similar note, I’ve written that A1c is not a reliable marker for individuals because of context: there are many non-blood sugar-related conditions that can make A1c appear high or low. So if someone is normal on all of the other blood sugar markers, but has high A1c, I’m usually not concerned.
With all of that said, let’s take a look at some of the research.
Fasting Blood Sugar
According to continuous glucose monitoring studies of healthy people, a normal fasting blood sugar is 89 mg/dL or less. Many normal people have fasting blood sugar in the mid-to-high 70s.
While most doctors will tell you that anything under 100 mg/dL is normal, it may not be. In this study, people with FBG levels above 95 had more than 3x the risk of developing future diabetes than people with FBG levels below 90. This study showed progressively increasing risk of heart disease in men with FBG levels above 85 mg/dL, as compared to those with FBG levels of 81 mg/dL or lower.
Far more important than a single fasting blood glucose reading is the number of hours a day our blood sugar spends elevated over the level known to cause complications, which is roughly 140 mg/dl (7.7 mmol/L). I’ll discuss this in more detail in the OGGT section.
One caveat here is that very low-carb diets will produce elevated fasting blood glucose levels. Why? Because low-carb diets induce insulin resistance. Restricting carbohydrates produces a natural drop in insulin levels, which in turn activates hormone sensitive lipase. Fat tissue is then broken down, and non-esterified fatty acids (a.k.a. “free fatty acids” or NEFA) are released into the bloodstream. These NEFA are taken up by the muscles, which use them as fuel. And since the muscle’s needs for fuel has been met, it decreases sensitivity to insulin. You can read more about this at Hyperlipid.
So, if you eat a low-carb diet and have borderline high FBG (i.e. 90-105), it may not be cause for concern. Your post-meal blood sugars and A1c levels are more important.
Hemoglobin A1c
In spite of what the American Diabetes Association (ADA) tells us, a truly normal A1c is between 4.6% and 5.3%.
But while A1c is a good way to measure blood sugar in large population studies, it’s not as accurate for individuals. An A1c of 5.1% maps to an average blood sugar of about 100 mg/dL. But some people’s A1c results are always a little higher than their FBG and OGTT numbers would predict, and other people’s are always a little lower.
This is probably due to the fact that several factors can influence red blood cells.
A number of studies show that A1c levels below the diabetic range are associated with cardiovascular disease. This study showed that A1c levels lower than 5% had the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and that a 1% increase (to 6%) significantly increased CVD risk. Another study showed an even tighter correlation between A1c and CVD, indicating a linear increase in CVD as A1c rose above 4.6% – a level that corresponds to a fasting blood glucose of just 86 mg/dL. Finally, this study showed that the risk of heart disease in people without diabetes doubles for every percentage point increase above 4.6%.
Studies also consistently show that A1c levels considered “normal” by the ADA fail to predict future diabetes. This study found that using the ADA criteria of an A1c of 6% as normal missed 70% of individuals with diabetes, 71-84% with dysglycemia, and 82-94% with pre-diabetes. How’s that for accuracy?
What we’ve learned so far, then, is that the fasting blood glucose and A1c levels recommended by the ADA are not reliable cut-offs for predicting or preventing future diabetes and heart disease. This is problematic, to say the least, because the A1c and FBG are the only glucose tests the vast majority of people get from their doctors.
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OGTT / Post-Meal Blood Sugars
If you recall, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) measures how our blood sugar responds to drinking a challenge solution of 75 grams of glucose. I don’t recommend this test, because A) it’s not realistic (no one ever drinks 75 grams of pure glucose), and B) it can produce horrible side effects for people with poor glucose control.
However, there’s another more realistic and convenient way to achieve a similar measurement, and that is simply using a glucometer to test your blood sugar one and two hours after you eat a meal. This is called post-prandial (post-meal) blood sugar testing. As we go through this section, the numbers I use apply to both OGTT and post-meal testing.
As the table at the beginning of this article indicates, the ADA considers OGTT of between 140 – 199 two hours after the challenge to be pre-diabetic, and levels above 200 to be diabetic.
But once again, continuous glucose monitoring studies suggest that the ADA levels are far too high. Most people’s blood sugar drops below 120 mg/dL two hours after a meal, and many healthy people drop below 100 mg/dL or return to baseline.
A continuous glucose monitoring study showed that sensor glucose concentrations were between 71 – 120 mg/dL for 91% of the day. Sensor values were less than or equal to 60 or 140 mg/dL for only 0.2% and 0.4% of the day, respectively.
On the other hand, some studies suggest that even healthy people with no known blood sugar problems can experience post-meal spikes above 140 mg/dL at one hour. As I said in the beginning of the article, context is everything and all of the markers for blood sugar must be interpreted together.
If post-meal blood sugars do rise above 140 mg/dL and stay there for a significant period of time, the consequences are severe. Prolonged exposure to blood sugars above 140 mg/dL causes irreversible beta cell loss (the beta cells produce insulin) and nerve damage. Diabetic retinopathy is an extremely common (and serious) diabetic complication. Cancer rates increase as post-meal blood sugars rise above 160 mg/dL. This study showed stroke risk increased by 25% for every 18 mg/dL rise in post-meal blood sugars. Finally, 1-hour OGTT readings above 155 mg/dL correlate strongly with increased CVD risk.
What does it all mean?
Let’s take a look again at what the ADA thinks is “normal” blood sugar:
| Marker | Normal | Pre-diabetes | Diabetes |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <99 | 100-125 | >126 |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <140 | 140-199 | >200 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <6 | 6-6.4 | >6.4 |
But as we’ve seen in this article, these levels depend highly on context and whether all markers are elevated, or just a few of them.
If you’re interested in health and longevity – instead of just slowing the onset of serious disease by a few years – you might consider shooting for these targets. But remember to interpret the numbers together, and also remember that blood sugar is highly variable. If you wake up one morning and have a fasting blood sugar of 95, but your A1c and post-meal numbers are still normal, that’s usually no cause for concern. Likewise, if you see a one-hour post-meal spike of 145 mg/dL, but all of your other numbers are normal, that is also usually no cause for concern.
| Marker | Ideal |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <86* |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <120 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <5.3 |
*If you’re following a low-carb diet, fasting blood sugars in the 90s and even low 100s may not be a problem, provided your A1c and post-meal blood sugars are within the normal range.
And the good news is that this can be done cheaply, safely and conveniently at home, without a doctor’s order and without subjecting yourself to the brutality of an OGTT.
I’ll describe exactly how to do this in the next article.
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How would you recommend dealing with the inaccuracy of glucose meters? The FDA only requires glucose meters to be within a +/- 20% range of accuracy for glucose over 75 and +/- 15% for under 75. So a glucose reading of 120 could actually be as high as 144 or as low as 96, if in fact the 120 is accurate. This makes checking after meal glucose for more specific levels far more difficult.
A 110 reading 2 hours after a meal could give a false sense of comfort if in fact your glucose is 132.
Would you recommend an average of tests over a period of time? I think this may be why the A1C test is preferred. I have not researched the accuracy of A1C testing, I would hope that it would be fairly accurate as it can only be done in a lab.
Sandra, I use this website for A1C conversion.
http://professional.diabetes.org/glucosecalculator.aspx
When I save my individual glucose measurements over a representative time period, the average should wash out any wild points, more or less. It is not perfect but if the meter is fairly accurate the average can be entered to the converter to get an A1C. Then you should get an A1C taken from a blood test for about that same period and see if they are close. I tried this 3 times and it was so close that I felt confident the A1C from the HMO and my home calculated A1C are both correct as one helps validate the other. I believe this is the only way you can find out. No one will know if your home meter is accurate or not. Hope this helps 🙂
I read in a Q&A from a couple months ago that alcohol effects BG. I recently had FBG of 95 and A1C of 5.9. Told to keep carbs between 80-90/day. I’ve never been a big bread eater. I do like rice/pasta/deserts – but those things don’t make up the majority of my dietary intake. I exercise regularly (5-6 days per week short runs and light weights) but have a desk job. BMI is 23.2. I’ve always watched my calories- but now I’ve integrated carb monitoring as well. My alcohol intake (until recent blood work) was having 2-3 glasses of white wine several nights a week. I had been doing this for at least the past 3 years. All other lab work came back in normal ranges. I purchased a monitor because this is concerning to me. I know the many complications that can come with diabetes. I have had my FBG in the am reading in the mid 80’s. 1 hr postprandial mid 90’s and 2 hrs postprandial mid 70’s. I have stopped all alcohol intake for the past 3 weeks and I’m monitoring the carb intake. My question is… how much of an effect does the alcohol have on the A1C and BG? Will eliminating the wine reverse those numbers? Could those numbers be inflated by the alcohol and I’m not really bordering on diabetes because everything else is responding well?
Question on BG levels. I have been diagnosed for a few weeks. I had an A1C of 12.4 and my BG in the mornings was over 250 sometimes would drop to 199.
The first couple of weeks, my levels were consistently high, 250 to 330. Turns out, I had was on the verge of a heart event that resulted in a mild Heart Attack. It took almost two weeks after that for my BG levels to come down and level off and are now anywhere from 76 – 93 after exercise, and 95-110 before meals, 120 – 135 after meals. Occasionally it is in the 150’s or 160’s after I eat but usually in the 12–135 range.
My fasting BG, after 9-10 hours of not eating (taken each morning between 4am and 7am is always 140-155. Pretty consistent in that range. I have even gone to bed (3 hours after eating) and my BG was 105 and the next morning it was 155 before eating.
My question is: Is this normal when recently being diagnosed and due to the fact I am Type II and as I lose more weight, it will come down? I guess what I am asking is if I am watching my diet, limiting my carbs (counting my carbs each meal and not snacking after dinner – I give my self two small snacks between meals), should I expect immediate normal results or will this take time for my body to operate more efficiently? I am keeping my carbs at meals to around 30g a meal and 10 – 15 for snacks (if that).
I have the same AM problem. I have recently converted my diet to very, very low card by cutting out ALL sugar, pasta and bread. I tossed my diabetes meds in the trash (do not recommend this but they were not helping) blood sugars are half but when you consider AM 360+ DOWN to 180 after less than a week it is a good start. Fasted 21 hours BS was 128, ate a very low carb dinner with no food after 8:00PM. Bedtime BS was 168 woke up to 249 nine hours after eating. Will bring back on diabetic med that reduces liver glycogen, inject at night and see what happens. Test starts tonight.
Do some exercise after each meal. You will be surprised how much just walking up and down a few flights of stairs will lower your BG.
But the problem is, it will spike soon afterwards to what it normally tends to be!
Try weights for 10-20 mins a day,they burn the sugar first and burn into the next day.
I know you say there is a follow-up article, but I did not find it. Standing alone, these types of articles are great at moving, say, 10 percent of the population from being at risk to having about 40 percent be at risk because of more detailed testing, but they do little other than give people one more thing to worry about. I presume the follow-up article explained ways to lower FBG or other risk measurements. Our school systems deal with “grade inflation,” but I believe the medical industry deals with “risk inflation.” When I was a kid, physicians did not worry about cholesterol until it topped 400. Then it was 220…200…180…. Same with blood pressure. Anything under 145/90 used to be normal, but “normal” kept getting lower, as new categories of risk were introduced, similar to the “prediabetes” categorization. Yes, in many cases, lower is better, and still lower (to a point) is even better. To the extent these articles encourage us to eat healthier and get a good amount of exercise, I am all for them, but I suspect they go further toward lining the coffers of the medical establishment that is simultaneously dismissed in these comments.
I am totally baffled. 65 years old, slightly overweight female, hypothyroid but on armour thyroid. I tend to have sleep problems and wake between 3 and 5 am with tension and anxiety. Recently had blood work – glucose a couple of hours after breakfast was 93, C-peptide was near the lowest end of normal at .88 which is consistent with past years when I had low end of insulin levels when tested, including all through a 3 hour glucose tolerance test where insulin stayed at low end and blood sugars were not at all high and hardly responded to glucose. This was after having several fasting glucose readings over 100 but with normal A1C. The A1C this time was 6 despite the low C peptide and the 93 blood sugar. Doctor said it appears I’m over-sensitive to insulin so I don’t make a lot, but that I must spike at times for some reason. So I got a meter, had a fairly normal meal last evening and this morning after not eating anything for over 12 hours my blood sugar was 110! I did have a bad episode at 5 am of anxiety and tension waking me up. I read that fasting sugar can go up in response to stress hormones being released but the article was talking about actual diabetics. Does anyone have any experience similar to this? It seems I am always having strange and inconsistent test results in various ways.
Do you drink alcohol? I don’t mean to be insensitive, but alcohol can cause BG to go too low, and then your body can compensate the next day with high spikes. Also, do you have a high sodium intake? I am not on-board with the docs that say that high sodium is bad, at least until they can present conclusive proof and a consensus among other “experts” that high sodium is bad for you. So far there is no proof, but i have found that high sodium foods do cause a dip in my BG.
Another issue. you said that you are slightly overweight. Again, no offense is meant to you, but when most of us say we are “slightly overweight” we are speaking of the mirror weight and not the scale and body mass index weight. I am “slightly overweight” but I am in the obese range. I am working on that. As you lose weight your insulin resistance will improve, and if you lose the weight through exercise, it will improve greatly. Remember, every day you spend with a high BG (above 120 and up) you are damaging beta cells. The cells in the pancreas responsible for creating the correct amount of insulin at the correct times. Lay off the caffeine, as that has been shown to screw up the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose.
I don’t know what else to tell you other than, I wish you good health!
As far as the fasting BG being high, yes the longer you don’t eat tends to either make your body go too low on BG or too high. There are a few reasons for this. When your BG goes too low during fasting, your liver causes the release of glucose. If your body is insulin resistant, or your beta cells have been impaired, then your body cannot handle the glucose that your liver is releasing. This causes a spike in BG at fasting. The same thing will happen when you eat high carb meals.
If you have a very low BG after fasting, it means that either your liver is operating properly and your pancreas is responding properly, or if it is too low (below 70) your pancreas is providing way too much insulin. This can also happen, and has happened to me. Too much insulin can cause hypoglycemia, and weight gain.
By slightly I mean BMI of 25.7 and I also have a relatively small waist. I have not been drinking alcohol. As I pointed out the biggest thing I don’t understand is how insulin levels or C-Peptide are ALWAYS near the bottom of the range – bordering on too low. Type2 Diabetes starts with HIGH insulin levels. Additionally I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (autoimmune). My blood pressure is around 115/70, my triglycerides are well within normal range and my cholesterol is fine with HIGH Hdl (high 60’s to low 80’s). There are none of the markers for the typical syndrome that leads to diabetes. As to the weight I’ve tried ketogenic diets – no weight loss – only lead to my digestion and GERD getting very bad. Just moderate low carb and whole foods is the norm but I can go around hungry and lose nothing or just eat enough to feel satisfied all the time and not gain. I can’t eat a lot at once due o digestion. I am the one at a gathering of people that is asked “is that all you are going to have – aren’t you hungry”. So it’s very frustrating to have these weird blood sugar issues when I’ve spent years studying health and nutrition on my own and going to integrative doctors. All the usual pat answers don’t apply to me – if they did I would know the answers. I also take a supplement at bedtime called cortisol manager to lower cortisol – still wake up between 3 and 5 with all the tension build up.
Alibar, Dr. Mercola recommends fasting insulin ideally under 3, where 10 is really bad. Unless you are under 1 maybe your insulin is OK. Just google his name with insulin test and read his analysis. You don’t mention your blood sugar levels, but if you are having trouble with digestion you can look into the alkaline diet and strive for more low PH forming foods. I used to have a hard time digesting fats of any kind until I increased my alkaline food in take — the easiest way I found to eat raw greens in consistent adequate quantity is with green smoothies. There are thousands of free ideas for this now on the web. It really worked for me, and anyone who does it for a month or more.
The “alkaline diet” is nothing more than a fad. Your body has to maintain a proper PH or it would be fatal. I don’t know where this idea that the body could be acidic, as a normal response to bad diet, came to be, but it is false. One instance where the body because too acidic is ketoacidosis, and that can be fatal and is immediately debilitating. Don’t listen to those who claim your diet is making your blood too acidic. It has absolutely no basis in biology.
I had a typo in there. The sentence “One instance where the body because too acidic…” should read “One instance where the body becomes too acidic…”.
I thought I would mention, incidentally a low alkaline diet is conveniently fruits and veggies. Because that is the best diet, the parasite people that latch onto the alkaline diet ideas push the fruits an veggies diet claiming it will balance your blood Ph. Your blood Ph is ALWAYS balanced no matter what you eat, because an imbalanced Ph will kill you. Yes fruits and veggies are the best for you, but it has absolutely nothing to do with blood Ph, nothing at all.
Here is more info on your body’s Ph level. http://www.webmd.boots.com/diet/alkaline-diet
Im 33 yrs old and just started having neuropathy feelings (tingling, burning, itching) in feet and legs in sept. My dr did blood test and said bad cholesterol is high and good cholestrol is low and my fasting bg was 97. This is the first time i have been to the dr since i was a kid. Is there a chance diabetes is causing this neuropathy?
I’m having the same problems with neuropathy. My cholesterol is fine and my FBG is 92. Were you able to find out anything in the last 6 months?
Lots of people do not believe in the benefits of converting their body water from an acidic state to a neutral pH about 7.0. It takes some study and interest in the pH of the intestinal tract towards assisting your digestion. I accept it as true that the body will maintain blood pH within a minute tolerance and has no problem decomposing body parts to get the necessary alkaline substances needed to achieve survival, although maybe bed ridden as things get worse. It is coincidental, or not, that very low sugar fruits and vegetables hit the list for top alkalizing foods. Somebody trying to deal with blood sugar issues could benefit from following the list, and avoid fruit that provide less progress, or add insult to injury. The alkaline diet is nothing more than a road map to help you convert your body water throughout all your cells. It takes a year for the average person, and using the pH strips helps you see when you finally are nudging your body into a healthier defense and stronger digestion to encourage greater healing throughout the body. A urine pH of 6.5 to 7 will give better evidence of total health than a proper BMI. Plenty of thin good BMI people have cancer and diabetes. So pH is another measurement that is affordable and simple to do at home. It provides another form of a goal to challenge us to control our diet/food types. Since I have taken body water pH seriously I have had no illnesses, and have no signs of aging anymore.
You cannot rely on urine to test the acidic level of the blood stream. If people knew anything at all about how the body balances pH, they would know that the pH of urine will always fluctuate because that is one mechanism of the body keeping the blood’s pH balanced. Regarding the pH of the digestive tract, it is around 3, give or take a tiny minute amount. The digestive tract is acidic because it has to digest food. The rest of the body is 7 within a small tolerable range. Anything outside that extremely small range and you will die. It is impossible to adjust your pH through diet. The only way your become too acidic is the side effect of drugs, such as metformin, and other similar contributors to ketoacidosis where your body is burning nothing but fat and protein which causes too many ketones in the blood causing acidic environment. This is rare, very rare.
Here is an article that supports my research, from this very blog site: http://chriskresser.com/the-ph-myth-part-1/
According to ncbi.gov medical research website for public awareness, the small intestine rises to 7 from 6 as food enters from the duodendum and ends up at 6.7 at the rectum. If the urine PH never gets over 5 the cells are stuck in acidic conditions and the body is ill for it. The stomach is made for acid ph of 4 and lower, but the healthy cells of the rest of the body like to be in a solution a little like ocean water. The urine includes acidic waste products and represents a typical pH of the cellular water and a reduction due to the waste water. Thus 6.5 urine is not too shabby. Anyone who can eat a steak and potato dinner and score 6.5 after digestion is doing pretty good. Anyone who eats a huge salad and scored 4.5 after digestion is doing pretty bad. PH is logrythmic so 4.5 is 100 times more acidic than 5.5. None if this is talking about blood, just relating to 70% of body composition, ie water mass. Its takes allot if vegetables to turn the tide of an acidic ocean within. It took me 1 year to see a .5 change. And about the same each year with a balanced diet trying to keep high pH foods in the daily routine, and don’t pig out on acidic foods. If someone has cancer they can go heavy on green juices and smoothies to improve body eater a little quicker.
No amount of factual articles that I throw at you is going to convince you that your body cannot be acidic without experiencing extreme, life threatening symptoms. So let’s just drop it. You clearly haven’t performed the research necessary to determine that pH is carefully controlled by the body for good reason, and it is extremely rare for a body to be out of balance regarding pH. I really wish you all wouldn’t push this hype on people, scaring them into buying things like alkaline water and such. Yeah a mostly vegetarian diet is good for us, everyone knows that, but it has absolutely nothing at all to do with our body’s pH. Now stop the deception right here and now!
Here is one more to debunk the false idea that your body’s pH can be out of balance: http://paleoleap.com/acid-alkaline-balance-paleo/
My road to Low Carb started on the $17 Alkaline Diet education package. Best thing I ever bought. It taught me how to maximize the potential of low carb and permanently maintain my weight and health. All my prescriptions and OTC crutches went in the trash and my Doctor says “keep up the good work”. Alkaline dieting repairs the gut and this is now the hot topic online. It teaches the healthy oils and nearly identical Paleo foods. It teaches you to listen to your gut response and slowly avoid the things that take away your vibrant energetic feeling. I never bought a water alkalizer or any drops, but I have made lemons an every day thing and I try to keep my animal protein to normal portions while filling the plate with vege items and snacking with nuts and pumkin seeds for example. When I do indulge at parties I just stick a little tighter to my alkaline plan the next couple days. The proof is in the pudding when people who see me after years say I look better now than 10 years ago and want to know what I doing. Most of them decide to stay on their beloved foods and age before my eyes. My wife is astounded to see her peers looking so unhealthy while she in the other hand was carded last week and the cashier was blown away when he saw her DOB. We see the celebrities who defy their age and can look in the mirror and say, wow we are even older and look as good without makeup. Yup I love what the Alkaline teaching is all about:)
You mentioned the acidic level of your intestines. Yeah your digestive system will always be highly acidic, and nothing you do will change that. Your blood and body acidity however will always remain the same. Your unrine will vary because your body is always adjusting. This isn’t rocket science, it is biology 101, and you all need to take a lesson!
If people wish to eliminate medications and feel very well, the Alkaline diet is worth a try based on all the claims from regular people. There is no need to know Biology since the test strips are color coded. Normal every day illnesses disappear as the strips come out yellow to green. While in the red – orange color people still typically need headache and acid-reflux relief (often asthma and allergies are common as well). These symptoms should clear up. Once the test results are consistently green people can play around with high acidic foods and notice how the urine pH is still green, or yellow at the worst. This indicates the body has taken on a bold alkaline front and is readily able to enjoy the benefits of fish and grass fed beef etc. Headaches, shortness of breath, and heartburn are things of the past. It is very common to feel 10 or 20 years younger. The only down side is it may take 6 to 12 months of being patient before the strips change color so it can be discouraging and you need to hang in there.
Mine was 105 one morning but when took it again in 2 minutes it was normal. Sometimes the meters don’t work properly.
Also, dehydration may cause a higher fasting reading.W
Hi Alibar,
There is something called the “Dawn” effect, where glucose rises in the morning. It happens around 4am to 5am.
Search for information about this. You can start here:
http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/dawn-phenomenon.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/
HI THERE, YES!! STRESS HORMONE CORTISOL RAISES YOUR BLOOD SUGAR SO WHENEVER YOUR WAKING FEELING ANXIOUS AND TENSE, I BET YOUR BODY HAS RELEASED IT. I SUFFER FROM THIS EXACT PROBLEM BUT THEN MY BODY OVER CORRECTS THE RAISED LEVEL (FROM CORTISOL) AND I GO HYPOGLYCEMIC….WELL WHEN THIS IS GOING ON ITS LIKE A YO YO. MY ADRENALS ARE FATIGUED AND I ALSO HAVE CANDIDA. CHECK INTO THESE POSSIBILITIES.
MY MISTAKE WAS THAT I LIVED ON PURE STRESS AND COFFE AND WAS A WORK AHOLIC. THE ANSWER IS GET RID OF THE STRESS AND SUPPORT YOUR ADRENALS IF YOU HAVE WHAT I HAVE. IT. TAKES ABOUT 2YRS TO HEAL YOUR ADRENALS. IM LEARNING HOW TO HELP MY BODY HEAL. NEVER GIVE UP. GET RID OF YOUR STRESS SOURCES, EAT LOTS OF VEGIES AND REAL FOOD NOT MANUFACTURED FOOD STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL AND REST.
I have similar results with my blood sugar number in the morning.I travel for work and live about 3 months a year in hotels.I usually have to go to bed early because my day starts early so sometimes I would take a sleep aid and I would not wake until norning.My morning glucose reading would be really low for a type II diabetic,100 or less generally.
Now that I’m back home,for some reason I have been waking up at 4am every nite,probably stress also.My morning glucose has shot up to 140 levels!. It was as high as 170 but I’ve been taking B5 ,B6 and juicing Bittermelon which seems to be helping.I’m 60 so I’m close to your age .I think hormone levels might play a part here.
Hi,
I am a Juvenile Diabetic for the past 3 decades. I am on insulin from the age of 7. I am 40 now.
Last 10 years on Medtronic Insulin Pump. With all this my 11 am spike is still a challenge.
Even with a normal fasting between 75-100 I still see a spike at 11 am even with a 10 g carb diet administering 8Units of fast acting novorapid. It goes no less than 230 and a sudden steep down after 11 am . Which drops to again 80-70 by 1 pm.
Tried all tricks.. no carb breakfast, 10gms carb breakfast.. More Bolus, Higher basal ..No stone left unturned.
How do I handle this. Is there a way to break this. I am an Indian, Vegetarian.
However my A1c I am maintaining anywhere between 7 to 7.5%
Looking forward for some responses.
Hi,
I am also T1D, and not in any way a medical practitioner, so please take my experience as simply sharing my experience.
You could ask your doctor about changing when you inject your basal, if you’re back to using NovoRapid and a basal. He or she will probably want to see consistent testing and documentation around the 11am spike, so keep that in mind should you wish to book an appointment.
i used to have a lot of trouble when I injected my basal at night. I would have a significant need for more bolus in the morning, and then BG would drop in the evening and through the night, sometimes precipitously without any on-board bolus. Sometimes there’d be a significant drop near lunch, as well. With a switch to injecting the basal in the morning in combination with a low-carbohydrate diet, I’ve found that BG is much more stable throughout the day and night. I do sometimes need to inject a little bit of bolus in the morning, regardless of intake of food (which of course also may require a bit of bolus).
Do note, that these results were most prominent when I adhered to a low-carbohydrate diet, and was much easier for me to determine trends due to the stability of fewer carbs and less insulin injection.
Additionally, if you’re on the Medtronic, you should be able to increase the basal rate for that time period, as they (at least currently) have the ability to change multiple times across the day.
Finally, you may also ask about trying out two daily basal injections. I have no experience with this, however and cannot offer any insight.
Recently I was tested for my fasting glucose level while I had a cold and was alarmed to see it was 126. my AIC, however, was 5.5 and I was told that was normal but I should return to have my fasting glucose test in a few weeks when the cold is not in my system. Do you have any comments/opinions regarding my situation? Thank you.
When you are sick, your BG will spike, and sometimes high. Test your BG when you are not sick, and also get your A1C tested as that is an average of BG levels over a few months.
Think about this. When your body is sick or damaged, it needs extra energy to heal along with maintaining normal functions. So your liver will tell your body to release more glucose into your blood stream so it has enough energy to do everything it needs to do. Also, when we are sick we tend to not eat as much, and that also tells your liver to trigger the release of more glucose.
You may be completely normal, which is why your doc told you to get your BG measured again when you are not sick. Diabetes is found by measuring your fasting BG and a random measurement of BG after eating, as well as measuring A1C. A1C is an average of how much BG is clinging to your blood cells over a few months (2 to 3 months). So it will be a good indicator if you are truly pre-diabetic or diabetic.
Thank you Derik. I will be getting tested again when I am better. My A1c was normal but my concern for the fasting BG is there. Hopefully, next time it will be normal or better and if not, I will have to deal with it. I appreciate your response.
Thank you very much for your response to me, Derik.
I have been eating VLC for the last 6 years and where as my numbers come back ‘normal’ I still worry that they are only ‘normal’ because I eat VLC(no sugar, no grain etc). Is there any worry with these numbers when on a daily intakes I have VLC and have not eating grains/sugars for 6 years?
fasting glucose 5.2mmol(Canadian)
Hemoglobin A1C 5.7%
I had my blood urea come back out of range(8.1mmol) so just wonder why, if there is any possibility I am pre-diabetes with these ‘normal’ range numbers but feel they are ‘normal’ because I eat VLC.
Those are pre-diabetic levels. If you raise as you eat carbs, then you may be diabetic. As long as you keep your BG and A1C as close to normal as possible, you will be fine. You definitely need to measure your BG daily and have your A1C taken a few times a year (every 3 months is good) for a while to ensure you are staying in range. Start exercising more because that will lower you BG as well. If you exercise, you will be able to consume some carbs, like beans, barley, etc. and still maintain a low BG. A fasting BG above 90 is not a good sign.
Thank you for taking the time to write back. Interesting to see that my numbers mean pre-diabetic in the us, here in Canada my numbers are considered ‘normal’ . I have made an appointment to go talk with dr about this as I have always felt I was pre-diabetic. Diabetics does run in my family just thought I would never get as I have been eating VLC so long.. I do get a bit of mild exercise, I’m a mom of three young boys and keep busy. My weight is not overweight per say(around 165lbs-5’6″) but I do have lipoedema so my legs are on the larger side and are quite heavy. I find anything more then walking now days is difficult on my legs/knees. I will def try to get more walking in and go in soon tide to talk about getting a monitor. Thank you again for your wealth of knowledge, much appreciated.
If you do get a BG monitor, I suggest getting the TrueTest monitor. You can get it on Amazon and I find that it is very close in accuracy to one of the most accurate monitors available (the One Touch UltraMini). The TrueResult strips are only about $18 per 100 where the OneTouch strips are around $80 per 100 online and $140 per 100 at the pharmacy. I use the TrueResult, even though my insurance won’t cover this brand, so that I can measure several times a day if I need to. After a week or so of measuring BG 2 hours after meals, and fasting BG, you will get an idea of what spikes your BG. Carbs aren’t bad, it’s the quality and quantity of carbs you should be concerned with. A high quality carb offers more nutrients, fiber, and protein than a low-quality carb. I consider low-quality carbs to be things like white rice, any bread, and sugar. Milk has a lot of sugar in it and most people don’t think about that as being a contributor to spiking BG. I replaced milk with plant based calcium sources like Kale, and calcium supplements.
High quality carbs are things like beans, brown rice, any vegetable, and fruits that have a high fiber content to slow the sugar digestion.
Always eat your carbs with some protein. You don’t have to worry as much about this with beans (specifically black beans) because they are a good source of protein. Protein, like fiber, slows the sugar digestion and results in a lower BG spike. Check out the various sites that offer a glycemic index and a glycemic load list for foods. Follow the low glycemic index and load and you can reverse your pre-diabetes (if that is what you have).
Here is one of many sites that have a glycemic index and load chart: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-eating/glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods
The American Diabetes Association representatives frown when you mention the glycemic index. That is because they are not well trained and use government backed talking points about diabetes. So I tend not to listen to them too much, but they are coming around. In the past 5 years or so, they seem to be paying more attention to low-carb diets and glycemic index. My “Diabetic Educator” wanted me to stick with a minimum of 100 grams of carbs per day (she specifically mentioned white rice, potatoes, and bread) when my BG was 370 mg/dL back in April of this year. That was the last time I went to see her. Since then, I have controlled my BG very well usually sticking to around 60 to 80 grams of carbs per day. The trick for me is exercise (I walk 12 to 22 flights of stairs at least once per day) and eating protein with my carbs.
I meant a TrueResult monitor, not TrueTest. Sorry about that.
I just had an odd experience. I went to a movie and decided to pig out on popcorn, knowing it isn’t a normal thing for me and I can always exercise afterward to bring my BG back to normal. I fully expected to spike to around 170 or so with that much popcorn (it was a lot). However, half way through the movie (and all the way through my popcorn) I started to feel shaky and strange. When I got home (about 2 hours after the popcorn) I took my BG. It was 57! Not good! So I am making a little pasta now to bring it back up. It is up to 71 now, so it won’t take much popcorn. This is without my glipizide! I haven’t taken that for 2 days because I ran out. I was going to drink a few shots of rum to help bring my BG down from what I thought would be 170ish (alcohol causes the body to produce more insulin). Thank goodness I didn’t drink any! I could have died from hypoglycemia! WHEW!
Well I believe I found the answer after reading some posts and articles. Apparently excessive salt not only makes your body retain water in the blood system, but also reduces potassium, and both can cause low blood sugar. That is a relief! I thought something else was very wrong. Anyway, I had some pasta and went up to 109 in a couple of hours. I feel pretty darn good now.
My doctor says i have hypoglycemia but I dont show any symptoms. I briefly tried intermittent fasting to see if it broke my fitness plateau but after the diagnosis I dont know if I should continue. I switched back to small snacks every two hours. On the other side my blood tests per this article are not that bad. Fbs 84, post prandial 2hr test at 73 and A1c in 4.6. How can i confirm if im really hypoglycemic?
Have you been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes? Probably not since you are not taking insulin (I assume). You don’t seem type 2 with those numbers because your A1C is an average of over about 3 months. So you have been perfectly normal for about 3 months or so. Those numbers you show are perfect! However, drinking low carb alcohol (like rum, vodka, etc.) will lower your BG even more because it causes the body to produce more insulin and since you don’t seem insulin resistant at all, then that could make you hypoglycemic fast.
Throw some more high quality carbs into your diet (like beans and barley) and don’t fast when your BG is low. Also don’t work out too hard when your BG is low. Fat burning mode is good, but you don’t want to go hypoglycemic in the middle of a tough workout.
With fasting sugar levels of 105-115 on most days and A1C of 6-6.1%, I am pre diabetic – who exercises every day intensely and stay out of any high GI. I found out that my morning readings are the highest, which is just before I head to the pool or the Gym at 6AM.
Later in the day, I have blood sugar levels that drop below 90’s and quickly settle after meals.
Can the timing of exercise be related to the highest morning readings? Could the body prepare sugars when it is accustomed to regular training at sun rise?
I have a similar issue also and was wondering what it means — my fasting blood glucose, when taken in the morning after a 8-12 hour fast, is always 101-108 mg/dL, which is “pre-diabetic.” However, random blood glucose readings throughout the day are in the 70-85 mg/dL range, and post-prandial readings never seem to go above 120 mg/dL. I’m fairly healthy, eat low-GI foods, exercise, etc. No matter what I do my FPG is always high.
Tom,
In the mornings the body naturally emits “wake-up” hormones such as cortisol to supply more sugar in the blood to get us going (cortisol levels are generally highest in the morning). Alternatively at night cortisol is generally lower thus not as much sugar in the blood and you’d expect to see a lower FBG.
And absolutely the body can anticipate exercise which would cause a release in the exercise/wake-up hormones as well.
Wow, this article was written back in 2010 and still getting frequent responses! Way to go Chris!
Tom, Travis is correct… You may also be over training. I just listened to Rob Wolf’s podcast episode # 289 with Dr Richard Maurer. He was pre-diabetic in his 40’s. A lean long distant runner, he attributed it to a genetic predisposition. He recommended a low carb high fat diet with shorter exercise routines and more strength training. However, the really interesting part was his explanation how over training can impact thyroid T3 conversion slowing you metabolism and increasing insulin resistance (he explains this in detail and provides nice analogies).
I should also add, he stressed (as does Chris K.) everyone’s metabolism is unique and cautioned against a one size fits all diet. While it worked for him, someone who is hypoglycemic or sub clinical thyroid would likely struggle on a LCHF diet.
-Lars
After a stressful fall of (admittedly ) overindulging on chocolate and bread I found myself with a fasting BG of 111 and A1c of 6. I was horrified and have cut out all bread and treats.
I eat a high fat low carb diet with lots of vegetables, I’m 61 and I’m fit with a BMI of 20 . I’m a yoga teacher and have been doing weight training as well. Now I’ve added twice weekly spinning at the YMCA.
All this took my FG to 97 and my A1c to 5.7 . Of course it’s better than before but the trouble is I don’t know much else to do.
I had been taking Glucosamine sulfate for some knee pain- and it does overlap in time period with the elevated levels, so I thought I might cut that out. I’ve ordered a glucose meter and strips etc.
I can’t afford to lose more weight at my age. Any other ideas ?
Can’t stop eating cookies or cake around 3:00 pm everyday. I am prediabetic. A1c 5.8, fasting blood sugar 120. This is a new problem. Whats going on?
Dianne, sugar is now known to be an addiction as strong as that of coccaine. Your daily walk of shame ot the cookie draw is something all of us have had to deal with at some point. There are many books and programmes designed at assistng people to break their sugar additions – just google it and a few options will come up (like “I Quit Sugar” by sarah Wilson; the “21 Day Sugar Detox” by Dian SanFilipo etc).
Diabetes runs in my family. I have been tested several times for it and have always came out clear. However I get severe migraines in my eyes, dizzy spells, extreme nausea to the point I can’t eat if I wait too long, and my vision starts to dim even in well-lit spaces. My mom gave me her testing meter to just watch my blood sugar levels throughout the day and I’m finding my blood sugar levels are 70 to about 80 between meals and 110 after i have something to eat or have orange juice . Is blood sugar a factor or should I be looking at something else?
I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at age 34 with my first child. I have never been overweight, am athletic and an avid runner. When I had GD, my fasting glucose was usually mid-90’s. I would have post meal spikes of up to 180. I controlled blood sugar with diet and exercise, and my baby was 6 pounds 1 ounce and born 5 days after his due date. Post-baby fastings were in the 80’s. About 8 months after giving birth, I noticed some tingling in my hands and feet, starting testing and my fasting glucose readings are now between 105-128! Took an OGTT and had a 2-hour reading of 152. Because of learning how to eat a low-carb diet I actually weigh about 10 ponds less then before my pregnancy (5’6″, I weigh 135 now, 145 before pregnancy). My a1c is 5.6%. It doesn’t make sense at all, my endo is even going to test me for MODY (a genetic disorder which causes elevated blood sugar but no complications otherwise). It doesn’t make any sense, as diabetes does not run in my family, and I never had any weight or blood sugar issues before the pregnancy. I have been tested and confirmed that it is not type-1/auto-immune related, and I am producing insulin. The tingling has since stopped b/c I am going pretty low-carb just to be safe.
You can find our more about gestational diabetes here: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/healthlibrary/conditions/diabetes/gestational_diabetes_mellitus_gdm_85,P00337/
I have made a completer change in my diet as recently diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2. I am watching carbs like crazy, have increased fiber, and no fast food!! i set goals like 40grams for meals and 2 30gram snacks/day. I dont even hit near the carbs I’ve set and this morning I had coffee, checked my blood sugar at 9:30 before my protein shake and it was 335??? I take Metformin 500 and Glyburide 2.5 q am! shouldnt it be coming down??
What I have discovered, and this is not from a medical source, but it is that blood glucose continues to be made from stored fat in the liver until the liver receives the signal that it needs to change course by your pumping some carbs in. I realize this is totally counter-intuitive, but even a lot of exercise on rising does not stop the liver from producing carbs.
Fasting blood glucose is the other side of the coin from mini-fasting (read up on that) as a weight loss technique. Generally speaking, you use up your existing blood glucose about four hours after your last meal and during sleep your liver starts producing it and keeps on producing it until you eat some healthy carbs to let it know you are not starving.
Consequently even if you exercise, etc., after rising, you won’t find blood glucose declining in my experience. My plan is to take FBG level immediately on rising, and then eat as quickly as possible after that, not a lot, but pack in some carbs (some oatmeal?) of a healthy complex nature to signal your body, “Stop producing carbs, I’m eating again.”
So, from my point of view, the key thing regarding FBG is to get it stopped ASAP, then go ahead with exercise & low carbs & post-prandial measurements. Once you think about this, it’ll seem obvious which makes me wonder why we are measured for FBL, but never told in medical settings how to reduce it ASAP.
(By the way, I’ve learned that the little hand-held BG measuring devices are wildly goofy. I’ve gotten so efficient with home testing that, using he same blood from the sticking, I can get it on three test strips in 90 seconds, and the values reported are ALWAYS different. Just now I did that and the three scores (same blood, same device, different test strips) went from 89 to 101 to 93. Go figure, but don’t get anxious, it is just part of the deal that favors pills over natural treatments.
About the exercise, your BG will decline when you exercise because your muscles will use the existing glucose in your blood first. Rigorous exercise is the best for lowering blood glucose. The other day, I was bad and had some refined carbs (that’s a no no for anyone). My BG shot up to 170 mg/dl from about 100 mg/dl within an hour. I ran up and down 8 flights of stairs and lowered my BG to around 90 in that time. It really depends on how insulin resistant you are but no matter how resistant you are, for type 2 diabetics, exercise WILL lower your blood glucose. That’s why we have to be careful when on medicine like glipizide (increases insulin production), because rigorous exercise can drop you to dangerous levels. I walked fast for a while last night, and this morning I woke up at 63 mg/dl and had to quickly eat an apple which bumped me up to 83. Thank goodness I hadn’t taken my glipizide yet! You won’t control your type 2 diabetes without exercise. It will get worse and worse as you age unless you get your butt moving!
Hmmm. I don’t see how this is a reply. Of course, Blood Glucose declines with exercise. My point was about ending the body’s need to produce Blood Glucose that is measured by Fasting Blood Glucose.
Exercise will reduce Blood Glucose but it won’t shut off Fasting Blood Glucose production in my experience.
I replied because you made it sound like you were saying that exercise doesn’t reduce blood glucose. I guess I read your comment wrong. I apologize. And yes, your liver never actually stops producing glucose. What it does is slow down and starts storing glucose as glycogen for later use. Then, when the body needs additional energy in the fasting periods (between meals and during sleep) the liver signals to release the stored glycogen. If the body is insulin resistant, or in the case of type 1 diabetics, fails to produce insulin at all, that’s when we get the high blood glucose levels above 90 (not including just after a meal).
By the way, if you do exercise rigorously, and your BG is still very high and/or rising, check your urine ketone levels. If they are also high STOP EXERCISING and get to a doctor! Your body may be becoming too acidic which can happen if your body is so insulin resistant that it will use fat and protein as energy instead. This can lead to ketoacidosis and that is a very dangerous condition. You can find out more here: http://www.hopkinsguides.com/hopkins/view/Johns_Hopkins_Diabetes_Guide/547037/all/Diabetic_Ketoacidosis
I am female, 44, at a healthy weight, and have always had my A1C checked regularly because diabetes runs in my family. Recently I was surprised to learn my A1C was 5.7. I started checking myself at home and discovered my fasting glucose was consistently over 100. Ate a 70g carb meal and tested at 190 an hour afterward, 143 after two hours. Scared the crap out of me. Started a low-carb diet immediately. Have been doing that for a week and fasting glucose is still high–this morning was 118. What am I missing?
Do you exercise every day and vigorously 3 times per week? That will go a long way to reversing pre-diabetes, which it sounds like what you are experiencing. Your body is becoming insulin resistant, probably due to inactivity. Walk fast for a half hour every other day, try to run other days, and maybe work some light weight. You should be moving for at least a total of 30 minutes per day. It doesn’t have to be all at once. I walk stairs a few times per day for 10 minutes each.
If exercise and diet changes don’t work, you will want to see your doctor as soon as you can to get a handle on this before it gets out of control. Anything above 140 can do some pretty bad damage to your nerves and vessels in your eyes. I experienced eye damage, but it didn’t diminish my sight at all, thank God!
I am a recently diagnosed diabetic patient which came to me as a surprise as I had always gone for comprehensive medical checks every 6months prior to now and the doctors assured me everything was okay despite a HBAic of 6.5 and an FBS of 113g/mol. However, last month, I noticed a change in my body system and went to the same hospital where an RBS revealed my blood sugar was 408g/mol. I was admitted in the hospital for 6days and had to change hospital when the Physician insisted it was a Type 1 DM and i had to go home on insulin despite much plea to try drugs. The second hospital insisted it was a Type 2 and discharged me after four days on drugs. I am on four diabetic drugs now. Yesterday, my RBS was 71g/mol and I got scared and took only the medformin as I am more concerned of going into Hypoglycemia. My pandra after that was 180g/mol. I have seen both an endocrinologist and an Opthamologist and they assure me things are okay. I am tired of drugs. Please what is the best way out of this? Do we have a choice in going herbal?
Do you exercise every day and vigorously 3 times per week? That will go a long way to reversing pre-diabetes, which it sounds like what you are experiencing. Your body is becoming insulin resistant, probably due to inactivity. Walk fast for a half hour every other day, try to run other days, and maybe work some light weight. You should be moving for at least a total of 30 minutes per day. It doesn’t have to be all at once. I walk stairs a few times per day for 10 minutes each.
Sorry my comment was addressed to Cynthia (right above yours). I must have hit the wrong reply button.
I am struggling, I am eating everything I am supposed to but my sugars in the morning after a meal & meds is close to 240, what should I ask my doctor & what should I expect?
You need to see your doctor NOW! He will test your blood glucose and most likely prescribe Metformin (inhibits glucose production in the liver) and Glipizide (increases insulin production). Metformin can have some side effects that aren’t life threatening but aren’t pleasant, for example, diarrhea. I was only on metformin for a month or so and couldn’t take the side effects, and I am now only taking glipizide (2.5 mg).
The first thing your doctor will tell you, beyond the medicine he will prescribe, is to start exercising every day. You need to make your muscles work to increase their insulin sensitivity. You will never control your blood glucose without exercise. Exercise is the most important thing for a type 2 diabetic.
Hey guys, I wonder if any of you could help me?
I’ve been on a low-carb diet for ages. A1c is 4.4% and FBG was 4.7mmol (85mg), both as of last week.
However, this week I’ve been trying to reintroduce carbs to around 150g, and have decreased my fat. Yesterday I was caught short in a restaurant ate a tiny plate of roast sweet potato, beetroot and black beans. It probably weighed around 250g. An hour later I got 7.8mmol (140mg). It then decreased.
Today I ate 70g of white rice with some crab, and again, got 7.8mmol (140mg). I also got a reading of 8.4 (152mg) a few minutes later but I don’t know if that was accurate as 5 minutes later I got 6.9 (125mg).
What do you think? I’m terrified. Some people have entire PLATES of rice, I feel like I’d die in that situation?!
Thank you 🙂
BTW I’m 23 and have no other known health issues.
Why do you want to reintroduce carbs if you were doing so well? Just curious.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with introducing different carbs into your diet as long as they are high quality carbs. White rice isn’t really a quality carb because it has been stripped of most of its fiber and nutrients found in the husk. Eat brown or wild rice mixed in with it, eat small portions of it, and eat it with a protein. The 140 mg/dL spike is normal for that many starchy carbs as long as it returns to normal (around 90 to 100) a couple of hours later. If it doesn’t, walk some stairs for 5 minutes, or take a fast walk outside for 15 minutes. It will come back down. Above 140 seems a bit high, but again, if it is very short-lived (1 to 2 hours) that is okay. You don’t want to go many hours with a high BG level because it will damage many systems in your body, most frequently the small vessels in your eyes. I take a walk after every meal, even when I am on a low-carb diet. Again, it’s not about carbs, it’s about the quality of the carbs. If the carb doesn’t offer high fiber and other nutrients, it’s not worth it. Starchy carbs are not worth the hassel in my opinion.
The comment above was assuming you are either a pre-diabetic or type 2 diabetic. This won’t work for type 1 diabetes and can be dangerous to exercise with a high BG in type 1 diabetics. You need to adjust insulin according to your planned meals if you are a type 1.