There is a natural herb - Stevia, that is 8 to 12x's sweeter than sugar. Although it may appear expensive an 1/8 tsp = apx. 2 tsps. sugar. It doesn't raise glucose levels at all, and there's 0 calories. Although it also comes fortified with additional fiber, I find just straight Stevia to have the best taste. To me it's much better than any artificial sweetener.
My doc told me to use real sugar and not one of the fake sugars that most women do, it's a good thing because I CRAVED sugar on treatment I swear I could have eaten a bowl of the stuff it was so bad. But he said it was better than using tons of Equal and stuff like that.....so that is not good advice but it didn't cause me to become diabetic or anything like that.
Aww,, just realized HFCS's the main ingredient in Dr. Pepper. That's one thing I'll have to cut back on. "King Corn" haven't seen it yet, sounds like a good movie! :)
Cory
Ahem, “…I don’t know if HCV had a casual effect on my diabetes or not…:” should have read:
“…I don’t know if HCV had a CAUSAL effect on my diabetes or not…” although I guess it could have a casual causal effect too, for all I know :o).
--Bill
Thanks for the response. Currently I have no underlying cause for concern but am happy for the information in order that I don't help contribute to the possibility. With type 2 diabetes on such an astronomical increase in this country this information makes maintaining a good diet and exercise that that much more important to me.
From many of the posts that I've read, being able to eat at all is an accomplishment for some. That said, avoiding simple carbs, most of the time, is a healthy move for anybodies body.
Hi Susan,
I think if you look at the Pegasys full prescribing info sheet from Genentech:
http://www.gene.com/gene/products/information/pegasys/pdf/pi.pdf
you’ll see an entry listed under endocrine disorders (line 403-409):
‘
“Hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and diabetes mellitus have been observed to develop in patients treating with Pegasys. Patients with these conditions at baseline who cannot be effectively treated with medication should not begin Pegasys therapy. Patients who develop these conditions during treatment and cannot be controlled with medication may require discontinuation of Pegasys therapy.”
What’s not shown is the rate of incidence; I think that would be very important data. As you mentioned above, there seems to be an increased rate of DM II among HCV RNA positive individuals; obviously, all risk/benefit needs to be weighed.
I was diagnosed with diabetes type II prior to HCV Dx or therapy; I don’t know if HCV had a casual effect on my diabetes or not. I do have immediate family members with it though, and they are not HCV positive.
With all this said, I’m not convinced that an HCV positive patient needs to be particularly wary of dietary carbohydrate/sugar intake during HCV treatment. Of course, if they have evidence they’re not metabolizing carbohydrates for some reason, that’s another story.
--Bill
In doing a quick google search I do see that there is a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in people with Hep C. I haven't seen it related to tx - yet, I'll do some more checking. At this point, I shouldn't be surprised as it seems there's all sorts of undesirable extras that can come along with tx.
Yep, it'd apply to Dr. Pepper. Some soda companies are actually now making "original" soda's meaning they are using corn syrup or cane syrup. Not a whole lot better but at least it's a molecule that the body can deal with. If you want a real eye-opener about HFCS watch the movie "King Corn." Astounding! And these guys aren't out to prove a point, they just uncover what is taking place in today's food manufacturing. Pretty wild.
It`s a known possible side effect just like Thyroid problems ect....
tam199: IMHO - The less sugar the better.
Susan 1aCC: Very interesting article! :) HFCS - is in softs drinks and processed foods. BTW - Does that apply to say Dr. Pepper??
Please expound on how the meds result in diabetes.
without getting scientific about it
both Hep C and tx meds can make you become diabetic
the liver is involved in sugar metabolism
and once insulin resistant you respond less favorable to tx
knowing these facts would you say sugar consumption plays a role ?
Also really important to avoid HFCS - high fructose corn syrup - as studies suggest that it's linked to liver scarring. And it's in just about everything with a label on it. Check this: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322204628.htm
Sugar causes inflammation in the liver and other organs. I tried to limit my sugar intake while on treatment. As you say, sugar is in everything but I try to avoid the obvious: cookies, pastry , ice cream, candy, etc. I gained 20 lbs during my first tx because I ate a lot of sugar. In my 2nd tx, I lost weight because I controlled my sugar intake.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/HCV-and-Diabetes/show/1413034
Three hours before you, there was a post called HCV and Diabetes. A little more info for you.
hi there , unless you are diabetic sugar is irrelevant to HCV