Question:
From Prince Edward Island, Canada:
My 5 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes one year ago. I recently read an article which read "Fat, it turns out, is a much more important dietary variable than sugar, when it comes to controlling diabetes." This is the first time I've ever heard about that correlation. Is it true, and can you elaborate for me?
Answer:
Fat affects the blood sugar by slowing down the absorption of other
nutrients. Only about 10% of the fat eaten can be turned into sugar
for use and it would much rather be stored for emergencies. If a great
deal of fat is eaten at a meal the blood sugars may be higher at the
next meal due to the delayed absorption of the food. Sometimes this
does not coincide with the insulin making blood sugars high at the next
test time. This varies in individuals.
I would say that the carbohydrate still has the most to do with balancing insulin and blood
sugar. You may want to keep a food diary to document the foods your
child eats and the blood sugars following their ingestion.
JM
Original posting 24 Dec 97
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