I've eaten a whole 180g bar of chocolate

I thought up to 5.0 was okay.
Try diabetes UK site fosy. The NHS give crap advice on diabetes suggesting you 'must' have cards like potatoes with every meal.

Fosy

In your units a reading of 21.5 mmol/mol converts to 4.0 mmol/L which is the new perception of PRE DIABETES.

The big concern for DM is that it can be on element of the "metabolic syndrome" where there is a combo of DM/hypertension/hyperlipidaemia.

Those with renal issues should ideally be targeting a BP around 120/70 - rather than the somewhat higher readings taken as normal at a GP Surgery.

The 3 core components of the metabolic syndrome - if present together - mean that the risk of atherosclerosis is multiplicative - rather than just additive

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Why did HbA1c units change?
The old, percentage way of reporting HbA1c values is known as the DCCT (Diabetes Control and Complications Trial) units.

The new mmols/mol values are known as the IFCC (International Federation of Clinical Chemistry) units.

See also:
European countries have been using the IFCC units for a number of years and usage of the IFCC units by the UK will allow easier comparisons to be made between UK and European results.

Haemoglobin molecules stay in the blood for around 3 months so the HbA1c test is able to give a measure of how glucose has interacted within our blood over up to a 3 month period.

Getting familiar with the HbA1c unit changes

Are the new HbA1c units related to blood glucose test units?
The new HbA1c units (mmol/mol) looks similar to the units used for blood glucose tests (mmol/l) but they are measuring two different values.

The HbA1c test measures how much haemoglobin in the blood has become glycated (chemically bonded with glucose).

How does HbA1c differ to a blood glucose test?
Blood glucose tests, by comparison, measure the concentration of glucose molecules present in the blood at the very time of the test.

SO -HYPOTHETICALLY

If you had 10 rounds of SYRUP SANDWICHES just before a simple blood glucose test - both glucose and triglycerides would be sky high - and both would subside over a few hours.

What is far more important - from the standpoint of keeping both small and large blood vessels unclogged - is the ambient level of glucose marinading your RBCs.

In automotive terms you may have an Oil Pressure guage on the dashboard showing an instantaneous reading - which may well differ from a recorded set of readings taken via a device plugged in to the OBD port.

The ideal in a car is biased to higher readings to keep moving parts separated - but converse applies in circulatory system where you desire low readings which are indicative of nothing impeding nicely oxygenated blood flow - which is essential to maintaining tissue survival.

You need as much carbs as you need to give you the energy you need to cover whatever activities you intend.  Complex carbs are much better than sugar, especially for endurance activities like cycling or a long hike, as you need the slow release of energy to keep you going, rather than a sudden jolt of a sugar rush.I think this current obsession with low carbs, no carbs, keto, no sugar, low GI really is getting out of hand.  All of us could probably cut back on actual sugar as sucrose, but carbs are still an important part of a balanced diet, especially if you do sport or have a physical job.
Sometimes the mental health benefits of eating something you really like and enjoying it guilt free does you far more good than the harm the wrong kind of calories might do.  If your diet is otherwise healthy, you are physically active and of a healthy weight.  Eating carbs alone and even sugar doesn't give you diabetes, though you do need to limit them if you are already diabetic/prediabetic.  Being of a healthy weight reduces the diabetes risk by more than any other factor and if you are prediabetic, weight loss is the biggest single factor in reducing your risk of it becoming full blown diabetes, more even than how much sugar you eat.



Agree, Diabetes UK website is a valuable source of information, so is the Livewell website.  Also, most of the major supermarkets have recipe pages that are organised and flagged in a way that can be easily accessed by people with various health issues.

Hope you enjoyed your chocolate, gow.  Sadly, it's not something I can indulge in, atm.

gow,

i played ball with the gp practice and started their pre diabetes course but soon jacked it in as it told me nothing new and was very patronising.
it was a cheaper alternative to having a specialised nurse.
most was online, but when you did speak to an "associate" [they are not medically trained] you could tell it was script work.

boydel,

all im highlighting is that the medics are publishing blood test results using the "old measure" as the headline figure, which if this is typical will be what most patients are familiar with.
when discussing with patients their results they use the "old measures".
also highlighting how medics interpret different measures [ glu/hba1c] to determine an outcome but end up with opposing views [in my case].

i prefer my consultants opinion as their knowledge of my condition is far superior to most gp,s unless they have specialised in this area.

as and aside, talking with my gp, he said " renal consultants are excellent physicians, but crap surgeons"....
he is a surgeon, so no bias there...;¬)

I have been diabetic since 1996 Type2 and was told to take my sugar level readings daily by having to prick my finger and test the blood on a machine i had, if it read 5.0 it was fine anything above that was getting bad and if it was 4.0 or below that was also not so good and heading for comatose but i was told by my consultant to be 5.0 or above and up to 10.0 was the side to be on as long as it wasn’t every day.

The readings of 42-48 is the new scale for hba1c results with the 48 and above being the high level and taken over a 3 month period, when my consultant was trying to explain the new system to me she said that even if your readings are regularly 4.2 or below you will always be a diabetic, you can not become un-diabetic.

Anyway, at the end of the day if you enjoy your chocolate then why not every now and again :) I know i do! lol





Andy Mac

Type 2 DM can be reversed with enough weight loss - but if that is not possible then one continues to show the symptoms of DM - ie excess levels of blood glucose - with or without the associated diabetic stigmata..

Consultant was correct in that you will always be a diabetic - albeit "in remission" if you keep HBA1c within normal limits

Is 180g considered a particulaly enormous chocolate bar?

I would call it a standard size of chocolate bar

180g is about 6-7 ounces.  It's not a huge amount, but a bit more than the 2-3 squares a day recommended.  Good grief, who on earth opens a bar of chocolate and then only eats 2 squares?  I do think these government recommendations need to get real.  I've not eaten chocolate for months, but if and when I do, I want to have enough to enjoy it and feel afterwards that I had it.  Otherwise, it's just a tease.

You're right Minnie. I don't think there has ever been a time in my life when I started a bar of chocolate and didn't finish it.

I often wonder if many of these medical dieticiany people have some kind of eating disorder themselves, controlling food is one of the symptoms of eating disorders.

You don't want to wonder any more, wh. I used to work with an NHS dietitian and she told me that eating disorders are spectacularly rife in her profession and she thought that they are not the right people to be advising others on what to eat.

I haven't eaten any chocolate today.
I had overnight oats, blueberries and goats yogurt for breakfast.
Chicken caesar salad for lunch.
Slow cooked chicken and veg for tea.

The same reason I ate too much chocolate yesterday, subdued my appetite today.

I have a bit of a Turkish Delight fetish at the moment. They are small bars so I eat two.

its all relative i suppose. 180g of chocolate isnt too bad, but 180g of cocaine or heroine is probably a bit too much. lol

ps lol is not a lol at cocaine or heroine, they are bad. Just say NO as zammo said

Minnie, that dosen't surprise me at all, its not just the controlling aspect, but the stuff they think people should eat and the often punishing attitude. My Dad had to see one years ago and was told to keep a food diary of everythig he ate for a week, the dietician seemed really upset that he ate so healthily.

I used to be a lover of dark chocolate and later it was white chocolate too. Now I don't like either of those.

I have just eaten a large nuts and raisin bar of chocolate

I have just eaten a large nuts and raisin bar of chocolate

Solidarity!!!

I have just eaten 2 choc eclairs...and there is still 2 to go!! 

I have today been to the nurse for my annual checkup.
I have this because of my high BP. It was diagnosed many years ago at a mobile unit. At the time, I was around a size 10 and circuit training twice z week - but I still had high BP!
It's a family failing.
I have swapped my salted caramel chocolate bar for an 125g, 85% cocoa one - which I still have some of since Monday. It's nice though.
I wasn't as heavy as I feared. No where near, but I think I've lost some in the past week.
My BP was ok, and amongst other blood tests, the HbA1c was included.
Walked just short of 4 miles today. Taking advantage of it actually not raining this morning.

Now I need to make roast potatoes for Christmas. No, I'm not eating any now!

I eat whatever I fancy and like a regular tipple too. I don't look fat or skinny or in any way unhealthy to the naked eye. I've not had a test for anything so I might be diabetic or have some other serious ailment but I don't know if that is the case.

Blissful unawareness has a certain tranquility about it.

I eat whatever I fancy and like a regular tipple too. I don't look fat or skinny or in any way unhealthy to the naked eye. I've not had a test for anything so I might be diabetic or have some other serious ailment but I don't know if that is the case.

Blissful unawareness has a certain tranquility about it.