Diabetics should not consume unexpectedly starchy and sugary food and should schedule regular examinations, doctors at the Lin Shin Hospital in Taichung’s Wurih District (烏日) said on Tuesday.
Lin Wei-han (林瑋涵), from the department of endocrinology and metabolism, on Tuesday said that a 46-year-old man surnamed Tseng (曾) complained of severe itches during a routine diabetes checkup.
Doctors found that Tseng’s preprandial blood glucose levels had soared to 307 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), while his glycohemoglobin levels had reached 11 percent, Lin said.
Tseng used to be good at controlling his blood glucose levels after he was diagnosed with diabetes three years ago, and he regularly returned for checkups and his prescriptions, Lin said.
However, Tseng said that he had had a green bean smoothie every day for 10 days, as he believed the drink was healthy way to cool down, Lin said.
Green beans and red beans are rich in starches and are not considered part of the beans and nuts category, Lin said, adding that many vendors add syrup to green bean smoothies to enhance the flavor.
The resulting drink is unhealthy for diabetics, Lin said.
Lin told Tseng to stop drinking green bean smoothies immediately, or he would have to have insulin injections, Lin said.
After a week of taking his medications, carefully controlling his diet and substituting water for other drinks, Tseng had reduced his blood glucose levels to 130mg/dL, the absolute maximum within the accepted preprandial target for diabetics, Lin said.
While many diabetics believe that only rice is rich in starch, other foods, such as red beans, green beans, taro, yam, potatoes and Chinese yams are also considered part of the grains category.
Diabetics should go for microalbumin tests every half-year to ensure early detection of diabetic complications in the kidneys, Lin said.
Patients should also undergo fundus examination on a yearly basis, he said, adding that the test helps keep track of whether optic nerves or the retina have suffered complications due to diabetes.
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