Metformin Reduces Diabetic Risk by Improving Gut Health

[ratbag]

Nelson, that is a very specific answer as a source of your fatigue.

Makes me wonder, is there a test for ATP production in the mitochondria?

I read a little about an organic acid test, it seems similar to the dutch test, are either of those involved?

My gut changed for the worse after being Rx'd 1000 mg daily. Now I have bowel movements more frequently and irregularly. It feels unstable now whereas previously it wasn't a problem. My A1C is now 5.3 which is great, but my time on the toilet is 10 fold?

 

[DragonBits]

I started taking 500 mg Met ER twice a day, no bowel issues, no GI distress. Except for the following.

What I have noticed is that if I eat something like a 1/2 hamburger, or similar thing like tacos / gyro, I get very uncomfortably full, kind of like a mix of sluggish and disturbed stomach. Maybe the mix of carbs and a lot of protein.

Also I often drink whey protein for breakfast, before MET that seem to make me feel full for hours, now it seems like I ate nothing. But one hard boiled egg is enough to make me feel full till lunch.

My BG went pretty far down, I have seen a low of 80, several 80s and most often under 100 all day long. The highest postprandial I have seen is one hour after eating at 131, but only once did I see it that high.

I have lost more weight now, about 10 lbs, so maybe that comes into play also. A couple of more pounds since starting Met on 10/17.

I am impressed with metformin.

 

[dnfuss]

My gut changed for the worse after being Rx'd 1000 mg daily. Now I have bowel movements more frequently and irregularly. It feels unstable now whereas previously it wasn't a problem. My A1C is now 5.3 which is great, but my time on the toilet is 10 fold?

Are you on regular Metformin or the extended release form? The latter is very helpful if you're having gastrointestinal issues from the drug.

 

[dnfuss]

I started taking 500 mg Met ER twice a day, no bowel issues, no GI distress. Except for the following.

What I have noticed is that if I eat something like a 1/2 hamburger, or similar thing like tacos / gyro, I get very uncomfortably full, kind of like a mix of sluggish and disturbed stomach. Maybe the mix of carbs and a lot of protein.

Also I often drink whey protein for breakfast, before MET that seem to make me feel full for hours, now it seems like I ate nothing. But one hard boiled egg is enough to make me feel full till lunch.

My BG went pretty far down, I have seen a low of 80, several 80s and most often under 100 all day long. The highest postprandial I have seen is one hour after eating at 131, but only once did I see it that high.

I have lost more weight now, about 10 lbs, so maybe that comes into play also. A couple of more pounds since starting Met on 10/17.

I am impressed with metformin.

Metformin yields best results when combined with a low-carb diet. On a Standard American Diet, it will have mixed results at best in terms of reducing fasting and post-prandial serum glucose levels and there will be a much greater incidence of gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, upset stomach, indigestion, feelings of fullness, etc.).

 

[DragonBits]

Metformin yields best results when combined with a low-carb diet. On a Standard American Diet, it will have mixed results at best in terms of reducing fasting and post-prandial serum glucose levels and there will be a much greater incidence of gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, upset stomach, indigestion, feelings of fullness, etc.).

I was experimenting with different foods just to see how BG reacted while on MET. I was surprised by the degree of fullness I felt.

But the feeling of fullness works for me right now as I am on a drive to lose weight so this makes eating less easier. Last night instead of a 1/2 lb hamburger, I ate about 3/8 lb burger by just cutting it up. No fullness feeling at that level.

No doubt if I wanted to go low carb less than 80 carbs a day, wouldn't even need MET to get my BG down to say 5.4% or so A1C. Low carb and MET I could get to 4.9% or lower A1C.

So far I have lost 10lbs, another 10 lb to go before I get to the weight I was in my picture on my avatar. Optimally I would like to lose a total of 40lbs, but losing ~30lbs total would also be a good stopping point.

At that time (30 lbs lighter) i plan to cease MET just to see how my BG reacts. But I decided to use metformin because of reported benefits that go beyond BG control. So after seeing how BG reacts, likely I will go back to Metformin.

 

[DragonBits]

I suppose in order to test how Met works with a big load of protein with no carbs, I could eat a big steak.

 

[DragonBits]

Metformin yields best results when combined with a low-carb diet. On a Standard American Diet, it will have mixed results at best in terms of reducing fasting and post-prandial serum glucose levels and there will be a much greater incidence of gastrointestinal issues (diarrhea, upset stomach, indigestion, feelings of fullness, etc.).

I think you are right, I think my diet has is the major factor in my decrease in BG levels, maybe 60% of the effect. 20 % met, 20% exercise.

I ate 8 quarts of popcorn, maybe 200 grams of carbs, my BG in 45 min went to 133, in 1.75 hours it was 113, then after 3 hours 104. Very good for a diabetic, not good for someone with well functioning insulin ability.

I am not sure what my diet will be once I lose another 20 lbs, so far I have lost 15 without much trouble. I can eat a hamburger with bun, or fish with potato, apples, fruit. What I can't eat is a pure carb meal. I don't what to get into a carb craving cycle, but a couple of times in the month I have eaten a 4 oz of yogurt covered raisins. Probably because I just wasn't eating enough calories. But it wasn't a big problem for BG.

Looking forward to seeing what my trig and A1C levels are next blood test.