Is this device from 20 years ago?
The good folks over at Diabetes Daily conducted a survey of people with diabetes to find out what they were doing to get good HgbA1c levels. HgbA1c is a measure of average blood sugar levels over the prior three months. Lower HgbA1c levels, generally speaking, are linked to fewer diabetes complications. Prevention is always better than treatment. If you run across someone succeeding at anything, wouldn’t you want to know how they do it, assuming it’s a goal you share? I recommend the entire report to you. An excerpt:
Type 2 Diabetes
Those in the lower A1c bracket (<6.5%) are significantly more likely than those with a higher A1c (>8%) to:
- Eat a very low-carbohydrate diet (<40 g per day): 32% vs. 13%
- Eat a ketogenic diet (<20 g per day): 13% vs. 0%
- Not vary their daily carbohydrate intake: 16% vs. 29%
- Eat a low-carbohydrate lunch (<20 g) on a regular basis: 50% vs. 28%
- Use an insulin pump: 10% vs. 3%
- Vary the timing of their meal-time insulin: 53% vs. 40%
- Exercise: Daily: 14% vs 8%. Exercise 4-6 times per week: 20% vs 8%.Exercise less than once per week: 51% vs 73%
- Feel very confident about their diabetes management skills: 69% vs. 26%
- Feel very optimistic about their long-term health: 58% vs. 30%
- Feel that diabetes doesn’t greatly interfere with their daily life: 56% vs. 19%
- Report a high degree of socioemotional support related to diabetes: 59% vs. 46%
Type 1 Diabetes
Those in the lower A1c bracket (<6.5%) are significantly more likely than those with a higher A1c (>8%) to:
- Eat a very low-carbohydrate diet (<40 g per day): 22% vs. 7%
- Not vary their daily carbohydrate intake: 9% vs. 28%
- Use an insulin pump: 71% vs. 53%
- Wear a continuous glucose monitor (CGM): 76% vs. 60%
- Have lower “high glucose alert” setting on their CGM
- Have lower “low glucose alert” settings on their CGM
- Not vary the timing of their meal-time insulin: 43% vs. 59%
- Incorporate the protein content of their meal in determining their bolus insulin dose: 44% vs. 23
- Eat similar food every day, at similar times, AND limit eating out at restaurants: 20% vs. 7%
- Exercise: Daily: 21% vs 11%. Exercise 4-6 times per week: 24% vs 8%. Exercise less than once per week: 40% vs 66%
- Feel very confident about their diabetes management skills: 82% vs. 39
- Feel very optimistic about their long-term health: 59% vs. 42el that diabetes doesn’t greatly interfere with their daily life: 35% vs. 21%
- Report a high degree of socioemotional support related to diabetes: 68% vs. 56%
Source: Habits of a Great A1c Survey Data Report – Diabetes Daily
Lead researcher was Maria Muccioli, PhD.
Steve Parker, M.D.
PS: The Paleobetic Diet provides 40–80 g of digestible carbs daily. For 20–40 g/day, check out my Low-Carb Diabetic Mediterranean Diet.
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Paleo Diabetic 
Dr. Parker, how many years have you lived with diabetes?
Ivan I don’t see how long Steve Parker has lived with diabetes has any bearing.
He’s simply recommending a report which may or not resonate with you. It’s got nothing to do with his medical history.
I’ve got T2 Diabetes and started a low carb diet less than or equal to 20g carbs per day.
After about 4 weeks I noticed that my body seemed to be getting more efficient at extracting carbs from low carb foods and the advantages of a low carb diet became less and less.
I also exercised about 3 to 4 times a week and again the benefits of that declined.
As one size doesn’t fit all all I can say that for me very low carbs don’t work. Lowish carbs 30g to 40g per day seem to work better.
The average adult daily carb consumption in the U.S. is around 250 grams.
I’ve just started my low carb diet again but am not going to aim for 20g carbs or less per day. I’ll just see what happens carb wise.
This is after two weeks of rather reckless carb eating so it’ll take a week or two for my BGs to settle down,
Good luck, TLF!