If you have type 2 diabetes and use insulin to control your sugar levels, a new study from Germany may change how long you need to wait before eating. In fact, you may not need to wait at all after taking your insulin.
Diabetes is the condition that results when your body is not able to process sugar correctly.
When you eat, your body converts food to sugar which is needed by the cells as a source of energy. Insulin acts like a key to open cells so they can draw insulin out of the blood.
When cells become resistant to the work of insulin or when the body does not produce enough insulin, type 2 diabetes can develop. When this happens sugar accumulates in the blood and cells are starved for energy.
Some people with type 2 diabetes need to supplement the insulin their bodies make by injecting extra insulin to keep their sugar levels in balance.
If you have type 2 diabetes and need extra insulin your doctor may have told you to wait 20 minutes or more after taking your insulin before eating. This time is believed to allow the insulin to work its way through the body so it can be more effective at moving sugar out of the blood.
But a new research study shows that waiting after using insulin does not significantly improve the drug’s effectiveness.
Researchers in Germany divided a study group of 100 people with type 2 diabetes into two groups.
The first group was monitored for four weeks while waiting 20 minutes between insulin use and eating. After four weeks, they switched to eating immediately after injecting insulin.
The second group did the reverse – they ate immediately for four weeks then waited 20 minutes for four weeks. The researchers used blood tests that measure average blood sugar levels over time to compare the two groups.
The test showed only a 0.08 percent difference between waiting to eat and eating immediately. The researchers called this difference “negligible”.
Another important consideration for the researchers was how well patients follow instructions when taking insulin. When waiting to eat is inconvenient, some are tempted to skip their insulin rather than wait.
In this research study, 87 percent of participants said they would much prefer being able to eat immediately after using insulin.
The results of this study appear to indicate that eating immediately after insulin use does not adversely affect sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes. The research team believes this new protocol will help people comply with insulin usage by making the process easier.
This study may also provide an option for people using more expensive fast-acting insulin by allowing them to switch to less-expensive human insulin without the need to wait before eating.
The researchers stressed that the study only pertains to people with type 2 diabetes. Further study is needed to determine whether doing away with the wait time between insulin use and eating is safe or effective for people with type 1 diabetes.
If you have type 2 diabetes and take insulin to control your sugar, talk to your health care provider about whether you can cut the wait time between using insulin and eating. Do not make any changes to your insulin use without first talking to your doctor.
Sources:
MedCity News. Diabetics can eat right after using insulin: study. Andrew M. Seaman. Web. February 4, 2013.
http://medcitynews.com/2013/01/diabetics-can-eat-right-after-using-insul...
American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Basics: Type 2. Web. February 4, 2013.
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/type-2/?loc=DropDownDB-type2
PubMed Health. Type 2 diabetes. Web. February 4, 2013.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001356/
Diabetes Care. Randomized Crossover Study to Examine the Necessity of an Injection-to-Meal Interval in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Human Insulin. Nicolle Müller, PHD et al. Web. February 4, 2013.
http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/01/15/dc12-1694
Reviewed February 6, 2013
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith