Octopus Overlords

hitbyambulance wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:56 pm

em2nought wrote: Tue Aug 16, 2022 7:33 pm she just puts the dogs outside every twenty minutes without even knowing that she just did it twenty minutes ago. The exercise has been good for her at least.

i'm sure the dogs appreciate it

Isgrimnur wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 11:06 pm Since the news for sugar substitutes seems to be getting worse, I’m switching to iced tea. And I’m trying this whole “eat less” thing

The immunologists’ and microbiologists’ study, published this month in the journal Cell, doesn’t quite answer that question—but it does get close. The team divided 120 study participants (who did not regularly consume NNS) into six groups. For two weeks, each of the four groups was tasked with consuming a different NNS on a daily basis: stevia, sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet ‘N Low), and aspartame. Another group consumed only the filler material associated with NNS, as conventional NNS brands typically add extra material to bulk up the tiny bits of actual sweetener contained in each packet. The last group acted as a control group, consuming no NNS at all.

Participants logged all food and drink intake during the study period. They also took oral glucose tolerance tests and provided oral and stool samples, which allowed the researchers to analyze their gut microbiomes. Blood glucose responses were steeper in participants who’d consumed saccharin or sucralose; those who had consumed the former also had increased levels of an amino acid isoleucine, which is typically associated with poor metabolic health. Participants from all four NNS groups experienced changes related to gut bacteria, which have an impact on the body’s ability to exercise glycemic control.

Throughout their paper, the researchers suggest that a body’s reaction to NNS is highly “personalized,” relying heavily on the person’s physiology, diet, and other factors. More research is required to determine whether NNS are “better” or “worse” for humans than traditional sweeteners like cane sugar, and those results are unlikely to apply to those with metabolic disorders like diabetes. Still, the study proves that low-calorie sweeteners aren’t as passive as previously thought.

Isgrimnur wrote: Wed Aug 24, 2022 10:07 am Extremetech

The impact of monk fruit sweetener consumption has not been studied in individuals with Type 2 diabetes. Some observational studies have demonstrated an association between low-calorie sweetener consumption and risk for Type 2 diabetes; however, because none of the studies included monk fruit sweeteners, no evidence of an association between the reported consumption of monk fruit sweeteners and Type 2 diabetes has been described in the published literature.

Liver enzymes, cholesterol, and triglycerides have improved significantly. We will keep cholesterol dose the same
Sugars have improved but not quite to the level we would like them. Keep on with your lifestyle changes but I would like to add metformin to your regimen and check back in 3 months to see how you respond to this with your lifestyle.

- Sugars have improved with the medication and your modifications and are now at goal at less than 7% on the hemoglobin A1C. We will continue your medication the same and see you back in 6 months for recheck
- One liver enzymes is elevated slightly, which can occur for many reasons but it typically resolves on its own. Please limit tylenol and alcohol use as well as get plenty of cardiovascular exercise. We will recheck these at your next follow up.
- Your triglycerides, a different form of fat in the blood than cholesterol, were high. These can increase risk of heart disease and if very high, developing pancreatitis. They are controlled by what is in your diet. Please limit starches including potatoes, breads, pastas, and rice. Limiting animal fats and alcohol consumption may also decrease this number.

rittchard wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 1:34 pm I've been Type II for about 10 years now, been on a number of different meds that seem to keep things under control for the most part. I often feel like I'm just being lazy in terms of not changing my diet and exercising more, but that's another topic.

One thing I thought I'd mention is I've occasionally been using the Freestyle Libre system for glucose measurements and I was really impressed with it overall. Basically you stick a sensor (it does have a small needle prick) onto your arm and you can take manual scans whenever you feel like. Unfortunately for me it kind of gets in my head some times when I'm trying to sleep, and I don't end up wearing it as long as it's intended, but I really like having the data for reference, and not having to do finger pricks is just such a game changer. I'm still hoping Apple or someone will get a completely non-invasive sensor built into their watch or whatever, that would be wonderful.

Punisher wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:04 pm

rittchard wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 1:34 pm I've been Type II for about 10 years now, been on a number of different meds that seem to keep things under control for the most part. I often feel like I'm just being lazy in terms of not changing my diet and exercising more, but that's another topic.

One thing I thought I'd mention is I've occasionally been using the Freestyle Libre system for glucose measurements and I was really impressed with it overall. Basically you stick a sensor (it does have a small needle prick) onto your arm and you can take manual scans whenever you feel like. Unfortunately for me it kind of gets in my head some times when I'm trying to sleep, and I don't end up wearing it as long as it's intended, but I really like having the data for reference, and not having to do finger pricks is just such a game changer. I'm still hoping Apple or someone will get a completely non-invasive sensor built into their watch or whatever, that would be wonderful.

I just picked up one of those about 1 week or so ago.
The first one alerted me it was expired the day after I inserted ot instead of lasting 2 weeks.
2nd one is still going with about 4 days left.
I ended up returning them all. While it's more convenient than finger pricks, it's not what my doctor or me wanted. I'm in the process of upgrading to the Libre 3 which sends out teports every minute without me checking. This way it can alert me if I'm going up or down too much.
Unfortunately this requires more authorization so I'm waiting for that to finish.
The needle does seem bigger than the finger one bit I didn't feel it at all.
No issues sleeping or bathing so far.

gbasden wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 7:07 pm

Punisher wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2023 5:04 pm

rittchard wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2023 1:34 pm I've been Type II for about 10 years now, been on a number of different meds that seem to keep things under control for the most part. I often feel like I'm just being lazy in terms of not changing my diet and exercising more, but that's another topic.

One thing I thought I'd mention is I've occasionally been using the Freestyle Libre system for glucose measurements and I was really impressed with it overall. Basically you stick a sensor (it does have a small needle prick) onto your arm and you can take manual scans whenever you feel like. Unfortunately for me it kind of gets in my head some times when I'm trying to sleep, and I don't end up wearing it as long as it's intended, but I really like having the data for reference, and not having to do finger pricks is just such a game changer. I'm still hoping Apple or someone will get a completely non-invasive sensor built into their watch or whatever, that would be wonderful.

I just picked up one of those about 1 week or so ago.
The first one alerted me it was expired the day after I inserted ot instead of lasting 2 weeks.
2nd one is still going with about 4 days left.
I ended up returning them all. While it's more convenient than finger pricks, it's not what my doctor or me wanted. I'm in the process of upgrading to the Libre 3 which sends out teports every minute without me checking. This way it can alert me if I'm going up or down too much.
Unfortunately this requires more authorization so I'm waiting for that to finish.
The needle does seem bigger than the finger one bit I didn't feel it at all.
No issues sleeping or bathing so far.

My insurance is only covering the Libre 2, but I've had really good luck with it so far. I've only had one sensor that didn't initialize, and Abbott replaced it for free. I'm interested in hearing about the Libre 3, though!

Punisher wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:41 am Also they apparently discontinued the 3 and changed to a 3 plus. No idea what the difference is.

dbt1949 wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 10:39 am I finally got my blood sugar under control and they took me off all my medicines.

Kasey Chang wrote: Wed Jan 15, 2025 1:42 am

Punisher wrote: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:41 am Also they apparently discontinued the 3 and changed to a 3 plus. No idea what the difference is.

3 plus has an extra day of battery (15 vs 14 days), indicated for kid as young as 2 (3 is only rated for 4 year old and up), and 3 plus will work with AID (automatic insulin delivery) system, but not the regular 3.