In the past, my 76 year old mother, who has
type 2 diabetes,
ate about what she wanted and her medicine kept her morning blood levels
about 110-125 mg/dL [6.1-6.9 mmol/L] even when she ate at night.
Since the new year she has been eating 1200-1400 calories per day. Her
meal plan is very balanced between carbs and proteins and low in refined
sugar, with no snacking late at night. However, since she began this diet,
her morning blood sugar levels in the have been 200 mg/dL [11.1 mmol/L]
After taking her meds, they will go back down to 110 mg/dL [6.1 mmol/L] or
so. We thought watching her diet would help her glucose levels (or at
least not make them worse).
She seemed to do better when she was eating ice
cream at 9:00 pm. Why is this?
Answer
Eventually, patients with type 2 diabetes will require insulin to control
levels. One of the defects in type 2 diabetes is excess release of stored
glucose by the liver overnight and between meals. By eating something
before bedtime, this may actually have minimized production
of glucose by the liver. However, that problem exists whether one eats or
not, and over time, your mother will require more medication
to control her blood glucose levels.
slb
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