Vaping and Diabetes??

[FinchX]

So... probably a stupid question but I just thought I'd ask. And it's really just curiosity because I don't think things would change regardless of what answers I may get.

About 6 months ago I complained to my neurologist about constant thirst and it turns out I had developed diabetes in about 4 months. Blood sugar was at 296 and A1C was a 12.

Well I've been on Metformin and Lipitor for about a week and I've cut out all sodas and foods high in sugar or sugar production so my blood sugar levels are averaging 105-115 for fasting with one day at a 95. Which isn't too too bad, but I'd like to get them lower.

Anyway.... My question, as I said is probably idiotic, but... Can vaping affect your glucose levels?? I'm aware of what pg and vg are and whatnot, but I'm curious about other ingredients added for flavoring. I don't vape anything sweet or fruity, I use the various "purity" tobacco liquids from HHV... It's just something that crossed my mind and couldn't help but ask.

Thanks

 

[Norrin]

Well if PG and VG don't have anything in them I can't see any flavouring giving any real difference as the amounts used are very small. Less than 1% IIRK so even if you vape 10ml per day your getting about 1 drop of flavour.

 

[sfeltch]

I too am Type II and have similar reading as yours over the last years. I have been vaping for 1 1/2 years and have seen no ill effects from vaping regarding my sugar levels. Like you when I was diagnosed almost 7 yrs ago my A1C was high. Like around 10 if I can remember. I have been able to maintain a A1C while vaping of 7.2 to 8.5. Get checked every 3 months. I am personally satisfied with that, ofcourse my doctor wants it below 7.0. I too am and have been on metformin since the beginning. I have not seen any change in my sugar levels resulting from vaping. Only by my diet and exercise. Here is a tip. "Stay Hungry", if you get up from your dinner table and your satisfied that you are full, you are losing. Your choices are to get up from your meals being hungry or do vigorous exercise afterwards to get it down if you feel your full. Takes a short time to raise sugar levels and a long time to bring them back down. Stay away from high carb foods and high sugar content. Good luck and anything I can do to be a help feel free to ask. Everyone is different but I can share my experiences with you.

 

[R. Scott Kennan]

I'm Type II as well. As a newbie, I don't have much to add, except that VG is used as a sweetener by some diabetics, and is considered safe (as you likely know already). It's too sour, and not quite sweet enough to me to put in my tea and coffee, but I considered it.

I'd be more worried about the vasoconstriction from nicotine with our propensity for vascular issues, but I'm a hypocrite there. I'm still telling myself it's harm reduction. If I start getting diabetic neuropathy, I'll have to revisit it.

 

[DaveP]

Lots of us fight the rising A1C levels as we age. Even when I was "normal" weight I fought the fasting blood sugar test high limit. These days I'm maintaining A1C levels at 6.3/6.4 unmedicated. Doctor says losing 15 pounds would probably normalize my readings. 5 to 7 days a week I do 7 sets of 20 reps with free weights and ride the stationary bike 5 miles going from 60% resistance to 80% over 30 minutes. That's probably helping to keep me at 6.3.

My wife was prescribed Metformin earlier this year and has been fighting to lower her A1C levels by doing 10000 steps a day along with Metformin. She quit smoking, but didn't care for the tedium of vaping and just quit smoking using a prescription. She's fighting the yo-yo ups and downs of her blood sugar levels and discovering by experimentation what she can't eat. She's discovering the hard way that carbs are her enemy.

Lots of things can raise blood sugar. I really don't see vaping as a cause.

 

[GinnyTx]

My mom's the tail end (I hope) of generations of diabetics in my family so far I'm the only woman in the family that's not had it by 40..we try to stick as closely as we can to a diabetic type diet (Ed has hypoglycemia) but you're going to have more an increase in blood glucose from nicotine than you would any CHO's left around from a few mls of juice.

RScott hit the nail on the head there..it's more the dangers of neuropathy from the vascoconstriction that's an issue.

the amount of carbohydrate to affect blood sugar levels in say even 10ml of juice a day is negligible.(that's only two teaspoons if you think about it)

 

[Harlen]

Hello
As a diabetic vaping hasn't affected my Blood sugare at all .
But it has helped me frome needing the treats as much .

 

[WickedSick]

Although , there hasn't been a research into it, I don't think that vaping has any effect on your blood sugar. Well if you are snaking while you are vaping, it will surely have an effect.

 

[GinnyTx]

Hello
As a diabetic vaping hasn't affected my Blood sugare at all .
But it has helped me frome needing the treats as much .

me too! go vape some Gambit and pass on the pie yah know?

I met a gal up at the vape shop that's why she vaped, diabetes and a penchant for sweet. (don't we all right? that's how we get it *lol* so keep those fruity/dessert/custardy e juices coming I'm still hedging the big DM *lol*)

 

[bigjim3793]

I think my sweet tooth is taken care of with all the different flavors available.
My Doctor is very happy that I'm vaping.

 

[DaveP]

Although , there hasn't been a research into it, I don't think that vaping has any effect on your blood sugar. Well if you are snaking while you are vaping, it will surely have an effect.

Snacking is the culprit. We all like high carb snacks. Sitting around instead of walking around is also a contributor. Vaping? I don't see a problem as long as you taper down on the nicotine. Even Caffeine can be a contributor to elevated blood sugar. Both together can raise blood sugar significantly, according the health sites. It's why I tapered down from 24mg nic to 6mg nic. I can chain vape and not see a significant rise in my BP. If I don't watch out for salt hits my BP can rise 30 points or more for a couple of hours after a salty meal. Avoiding salt makes it coast along at normal levels.

Nicotine/Caffeine | Diabetes4Adults

 

[tj99959]

When I was smoking my A1C hovered around 7 (with Metformin, 1,000mg 2x/day)
Switching to vaping dropped it to the 6.1-6.3 range. (with Metformin, 500mg 2x/day)

now if I could just kick the Prime Rib & cheesecake habit

 

[Foggyroomz]

I have to have blood work done every year as a wellness exercise for my healthcare plan at work and after making the switch to a vape and getting the results back from my labs my doctor called me in fora consultation and wanted to know what I have been doing different because my labs had changed rather dramatically from those of the year prior and for the better. I was told that I needed to get my cholesterol and stuff in check and that I was borderline diabetic the year before. Well this year that wasn't the case so he wanted for the sake of science to do some other labs and tests and found that not only had I lost 20 pounds because I don't snack as much as I don't need to my vape flavors are so satisfying in that department, but my blood oxygen levels were much higher my blood pressure which has always been really good was that of a triathlete and that I had 60% better lung capacity than before, all of this was done 4 months after making the switch to my vape. I acyually found that I don't need all the sugary and salty foods that contributed to my declining health anymore because I actually appreciate the way my food tastes since I don't smoke anymore. Whether or not this is relative to others experiences I'm not sure but my family doctor is actually recommending to patients that struggle with smoking and snacking to give vaping a go so that people can keep their health goals on track. I'm not a doctor and every case is different but as a former smoker of 30 years I can say that this has truly been one of the best healthwise decisions in my life and I hope that my story will encourage others to stick with it. I have been over 400 some days countless hours without an analog "cig" and don't regret a single millisecond of my choice I can run and play with my grandkids without running out of breath I ride Motocross with my sons and have gone back to martial arts training and I'm in my mid-40 something years and smoked for over 30 of them. I hope the next 30 are 1000 times more fulfilling than the 30 some I spent tearing myself down. Good luck to you all and remember any decision to better your health is the right decision so Vape strong and Live long.

 

[four2109]

This question pops up on a regular basis. I think individuals are so different that your best bet is to test your BS periodically with different liquids. Diabetes is too serious to rely on the results of someone else.

 

[ian-field]

I'm Type II as well. As a newbie, I don't have much to add, except that VG is used as a sweetener by some diabetics, and is considered safe (as you likely know already). It's too sour, and not quite sweet enough to me to put in my tea and coffee, but I considered it.

I'd be more worried about the vasoconstriction from nicotine with our propensity for vascular issues, but I'm a hypocrite there. I'm still telling myself it's harm reduction. If I start getting diabetic neuropathy, I'll have to revisit it.

My GP was very happy that I'd changed from smoking to vaping - he knows I'm diabetic as well as anyone, and didn't raise any issues between the two.

 

[GT86]

I did a little test awhile back just to see. About 2 hours after lunch I checked my blood sugar, don't remember the exact number but it was around 120, then I went out and chain vaped real heavy for about 20 minutes, waited about 10 more then checked my blood sugar again. It had dropped about 5 points. I took that drop as a normal drop from not eating for 2 1/2 hours. I figure if vaping would raise my glucose level then the test would have picked it up.

 

[Stonecookie]

Well, in May this year i found out that i had type II Diabetes & changed my diet going from "no limits"..... to excluding almost all carbs....eating mostly veggies & meat. The only stuff i endulge in as a treat every now & then is nuts of all sorts.

When i first found out i had diabetes & tested my blood sugarlevel it was high....very high. I´ve been monitoring my levels ever since (including going to the doctor & diabetes nurse on a regular basis) & was set from the beginning to manage this without taking any kind of medications.

So far i have lost 45 lbs & still dropping at a steady pace.

Is it worth it ? Well, as long as i continue to eat like this.... i don´t have diabetes & my levels are now normal.

I ordered my mirst e-cig kit in the beginning of June & what motivated me to do that was..... flavors. Since i choose not to eat any candy, cakes, cookies or drink soda.... i figured that e-cigs might offer me some kind of joy as a substitute..... & it really has.

So, i go through 4-5 ml a day & it has not in any way affected my levels in a negative way.

 

[FinchX]

Thanks for the responses everyone! I really didn't think it would have much, if any, effect but like I said I just couldn't get the question out of my head.

I'm not new to vaping (just over 3 years now) but I'm obviously very new to the world of diabetes.

I'm not a fan of sweets honestly and don't eat many. Carbs are a problem I'm working on, but my main culprit was soda. I've always been a heavy soda drinker. In the past week between my meds and cutting out soda my levels have gone down by 80-100. I'm scheduled to see a dietitian in a couple of weeks and they're supposed to tell me what diet plan I should stick to along with an optimal exercise routine to help even more.

My doctor has me on 500mg of Metformin twice a day and mentioned we could increase that. Between dieting, exercise and weight loss I'm hoping to get it in check. My big fear is being put on insulin and that's what I'm striving to avoid. With all my tattoos and the piercings I've had over the years I have no issue with needles, but I don't like the idea of having to administer my own dosage of medication using a syringe.

 

[four2109]

FinchX, you might want to check out "Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution" by Richard K. Bernstein. In some respects he is pretty extreme, but he has been type 1 since childhood, and I think is in his 80's and healthy now. His bio was impressive enough for me to read the book, and I'm not diabetic, not yet anyway. I've heard some real horror stories about advice from dieticians. Just offering a balanced perspective.

 

[popwarhomie]

There have been a few of these threads.

Ive been a type 1 for almost 12 years. No issues at all with vaping.