Transcript Slide 1

DiabEATes and Carbs
Jen Block, FNP, MSN, RN, CDE
Stanford University Department of Pediatric Endocrinology
Email: [email protected]
Objective: Answer these questions
• Why count carbs?
• What are options for carb counting?
• What tools are available to help with carb counting?
• Why do different carbs impact glucose differently?
• How can we better match insulin to carbs and improve post meal glucose
control?
• What is new in the research?
American Diabetes Association:
Nutrition Recommendations for Children and
Adolescents with T1D
•
•
•
•
Achieving glycemic goals without excessive hypoglycemia
Achieve lipid and blood pressure goals
Normal growth and development
Consultation with a registered dietitian experienced in both
pediatric nutrition and diabetes is recommended.
• Meal planning approach should help families learn the effects of
foods on blood glucose levels.
• Evaluate height/weight BMI and nutritional plan at least annually.
• Calories should be adequate for growth and restricted if the child
becomes overweight.
Care of Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes; A statement of the American Diabetes
Association. Diabetes Care, vol 28 (1) January 2005
Why Count
?
• “Monitoring carbohydrate, whether by carbohydrate counting,
choices, or experience-based estimation, remains a key strategy in
achieving glycemic control.”

Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes: Diabetes Care vol 35, supplement 1,
Jan 2012 p.s23
• Carbohydrate counting was found to be effective in helping people
achieve glycemic control in the DCCT (DCCT, 1993) (Evert,
2012)
• Advantages to carbohydrate counting:

Better match of insulin to carbs

No “off limits” foods

Flexibility in meal & snack quantities
What are options for counting
• Food labels
• Measuring foods
• Weighing foods/ Carbohydrate factor
• Portion estimation
• New technology
?
Are Food Labels Precise?
• Is there a U.S. labeling regulation that establishes the allowable variance
for the analyzed value vs. what is printed on the label? If so, what is the
specific regulation? (April 2011)
• Yes, FDA regulation, 21CFR101.9 specify the allowable variance for Class II
(naturally occurring nutrients) which includes the total carbohydrate content.
• The value derived from a sample of twelve units, with one unit coming from
each of twelve different randomly chosen shipper cases is the standard.
• The analyzed value must be at least 80% of the label value and the analyzed
value for the "nutrients to limit" (calories, sugars, total fat, saturated fat,
cholesterol or sodium) must not be greater than 120% of the label value. These
allowable variances are commonly referred to as the "80/120 rule."
Carbohydrate Factor Method
• Weigh a portion of food
• Multiply the weight by its carb factor*
• Get total grams of carbohydrate
• This may not be practical all the time but can be used as a means to gain
familiarity with a food
*A carb factor is the percentage of the food’s weight
that is carbohydrate. The rest is water, protein,
fat, minerals
Suggestion: Eat Smart Professional Scale
Favorite scale: Eatsmart professionalhttp://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Digital-NutritionScale-Professional/dp/B0013IDHTO/ref=cm_cr_pr_pb_t
– check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ePghF-aeOQ
Carbohydrate Factor Method
Carb Factor Examples:
Apple: .13
Apple Pie: .32
Bagel: .51
Carrot (raw): .06
Chocolate Cake: .51
Cornbread: .45
Pancake: .28
Pizza (cheese): .32
Potato, baked: .22
Potato Salad: .09
Rice: .27
Spaghetti: .26
Vanilla Ice Cream: .23
Watermelon: .06
For carb factors for more than 6000 foods (in Excel spreadsheet format), go to:
www.friendswithdiabetes.org/files/Carb factor.xls
Carbohydrate Factor Method
How much carb
is in a baked potato
weighing exactly 300
grams?
300 x .22g = 66g carb
Portion Estimation
• Use common, everyday objects to measure the portion size of food

Soda can (12 fl.oz.) = 1 ½ cups
 Baseball or adult’s fist = 1 cup
 Child’s fist = ½ cup
 Adult’s spread hand = 8” diameter
 Adult’s palm = 4” diameter
Portion Estimation Method
• Other “tricks”:
Long Sandwiches
~8g per inch (6in Subway = ~40g)
Pizza
~30g per adult hand-sized piece
(fingers together)
Cookies
~30g per adult-sized palm
Breaded meat/veg/cheese
~4g small (“thumb/nugget sized”)
~10g large (“patty/palm-sized”)
Portion Estimation Method
• Estimate the carbs:
20g/cup
X 1 ¼ cups
 25g
Portion Estimation Method
• Estimate the carbs:
5g / cup
X 3 cups
 15g
Portion Estimation Method
• Estimate the carbs:
30g / hand
X 1 1/3 hands
 40g
Carbohydrate Counting Tools
• Calorie king Smart Phone App
• Lenny the Lion: Aimed at kids, teaches carb
counting
• Restaurant Nutrition
• Carb Finder
• Fast Food Calories
• Websites:
• USDA Food Composition

www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
• Calorie King

www.calorieking.com
• Fast food companies’ or food manufacturers’
websites
• NutritionData.com
Do different carbs impact glucose differently?
The WHO/FAO recommend that terms sugar as complex carbohydrate
and sugars be removed from food labels and replaced with just total
carbohydrate content and GI.
Source: http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php Accessed 5.5.2012
There Must Be More to the Story….
• Carbohydrate Counting assumes…

That only carbohydrates influence blood glucose and
consequently, the dose of insulin required.


Do you find this to be true?
That all foods with the same carbohydrate content should
have the same impact on blood glucose and consequently
require the same amount of insulin.

Do you find this to be true ?
Glycemic Index
• All carbs (except fiber) convert to blood glucose eventually
• Glycemic Index (G.I.) Reflects the magnitude of blood glucose rise for the first
2 hours following ingestion
• G.I. Number is % or rise relative to pure glucose (100% of glucose is in
bloodstream within 2 hours)
• Based on feeding measured portions of the food with 10-50 grams of
carbohydrate to 10 people without diabetes and monitoring their BG response
over 2 hours .
• Most studies are done in Canada and Australia, using it can add complexity.
• Note – consuming a mixed meal (carb + protein + fat) will blunt the postprandial excursion vs. when carbohydrate consumed by itself
• Source: http://www.glycemicindex.com/about.php Accessed 5.5.2012
Glycemic Index (GI): Sample Graphs
Adapted from Good Carbs Bad Carbs Reprinted courtesy of Marlowe & Company.
Source: PPT Gushers and Trickers: Practical Use of the Glycemic Index By Johanna
Burani, MS, RD, CDE American Diabetes Association Southern Regional Conference Marco
Island, Florida May 26, 2006
GI
Rate of
Conversion
Low
GI
0-55
Moderate
56-69
High
70 or more
What’s your Guess?
Low, Moderate or High?
Raw Banana
• GI (vs glucose) 70
• High
What’s your Guess?
Low, Moderate or High?
Premium Ice Cream: Ultra Chocolate
• GI (vs Glucose) 37
• Low
What’s your Guess?
Low, Moderate or High?
Sweet Corn
• GI (vs Glucose) 60
• Moderate
What about FIBER?
• Fiber can slow down the conversion of enzymes that work on starch slowing the
conversion to glucose.
• If a food contains more than 5 grams of fiber, substract half the grams of fiber
from the carbohydrate grams to get the total carbohydrate grams.
• If a food contains more than 5 grams of sugar alcohols, subtract half the grams
of sugar alcohol from the carbohydrate grams to get the carbohydrate grams.
NOTE: excessive consumption of sugar alcohols can cause a laxative effect.
• Is this practical? – not for everyone.
• Bottomline: Eat more fiber, it is good for you. Might be practical for
individuals that are insulin-sentivite (ICR of 1:20 or higher or individuals
following a vegetarian/vegan eating pattern)
Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy 2002
DRI book page number for caloire in fiber
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=10490&page=349
What About Fat and Protein?
• Fat and protein slow gastric emptying, which
means they also slow the digestion of starch.
Carbs Are a VERY Efficient Source of Energy
• They do not need to be restricted…
Possible Causes of Variable Glucose Response
• Fat and protein content
• Fasting / pre-meal BG
• Available insulin
• Exercise
• Degree of insulin resistance
• Type and Source of carb
• Physical form (whole fruit vs. juice)
• Type of starch (Amylose is slower and Amylopectin is faster)
• Degree of processing (Highly processed foods are digested faster)
• Ripeness of food
• Food preparation Cooking swells starch molecules and softens foods, which
speeds up the rate of digestion

Source: Evert, 2012 and ADA Nutrition Recommendations and interventions for diabetes
(position Statement; Diabetes Care 31 (suppl 1), 2008
Now you Know the Carb Content… What Next?
• Monitor blood glucose with BG meter /
CGM to assess the impact of the food on
BG.

Keep in mind in order to truly assess effectiveness of insulin dosages for
meals you must know the carbohydrate content.

Carbohydrates with different GI and differing fat, protein and fiber content
may have different glucose profiles.
Know Your Insulin
• The key to achieving post meal glucose levels within your target range is
knowing the impact of the meal on your BG and how best to match the insulin
to the food’s impact on BG.
• Insulin action times for currently available rapid-acting insulin:

Onset: 5-15 minutes

Peak between 30-90 minutes

Duration of 4-6 hours
If You Doubt the Impact of Carbs on Glycemic
Control…
• 65% missed more than 1 meal bolus/week
• ≥ 1 missed meal bolus/week was associated
with a ½% increase in HbA1c

Burdick, Chase, Pediatrics 113: e221, 2004
Fig 1. HbA1c levels correlated with the number of missed meal insulin boluses per day (r
= .4)
Burdick, J. et al. Pediatrics 2004;113:e221-e224
Copyright ©2004 American Academy of Pediatrics
The Challenge: Matching Insulin to Carbs
Are Current Analog Insulins as Fast as Carbs?
Source
Population
Study Description
Results
Scaramuzza et Chidren with
al. Diabetes
T1D on insulin
Technol 12:
pump therapy
149-152, 2010
Ideal time of meal boluses using
apart/novolog.
Compared doses given at start of
meal, 15 min prior and after the
meal
•Glucose 3 hours after meal was
lower with pre-meal insulin given 15
min prior or immediately before meal
rather than after.
•Significant reduction in 1 hour PP
BG with dose 15 min prior to meal.
•Results occurred even if BG was
low before eating (gave CHO for low
before meal bolus).
Cobry et al.
Subjects with
Diabetes
T1D using
Techol 12:
insulin pump
173-177, 2010
Ideal timing of meal boluses
using glulisine/ apidra.
Compared doses given at 20 min
prior to meal, at start of meal and
20 min after start of meal.
•At 1 and 2 hour post meal glucose
excursions were lower when
insulin was given 20 min before
the meal.
Luijf et al.
Diabetes Care
33: 21522155, 2010
Ideal timing of meal boluses
using aspart/ novolog.
Compared doses given at 0, 15
and 30 min prior to meal.
•Taking insulin 15 minutes prior to
meal resulted in lower post meal
glucose excursions and increased
time in target without increasing
hypoglycemia.
therapy
Subjects with
T1D using
insulin pump
therapy
Evert and Franz, 2012
More on Meal Insulin Dose Timing
• There is no clear consensus on how best to handle meal insulin timing in the
presence of hypoglycemia. Below are some suggestions:

If low before a meal, treat the low (with carbs), inject the meal insulin and
then eat. (Scaramuzza, 2010)

Treat the low and delay meal insulin dose for a short time. (Trigdell, 2010)

Based on clinical experience, the individual could also be advised to reduce
the meal insulin or increase carb consumption. (Evert and Franz, 2012)
• Timing of premeal insulin should be based on clinical experience and may not
be advisable when:

Timing of meal is not certain

Carbohydrate intake is not predictable (young children, picky eaters,
elderly) (Evert and Franz, 2012, Trigdell, 2010)

Type of food

Activity
Initial Data:
TDD= 40 units
I:CHO Ratio at Breakfast 1:10 grams all other meals 1:12 grams
Delivers bolus immeditaely before or just after the start of the meal.
3 Months Later:
Boluses 5-15 min Pre-Meal Unless Low..
Taking it to the Next Level with Insulin Pump Therapy
• A small prospective cross-over study in pediatric T1D showed significant
reductions in BG before and 2 hours after meals despite not making changes in
insulin doses in children while using the bolus calculator.

Shashaj et al. Benefits of a bolus calculator in pre- and
post-prandial glycemic control and meal flexibility of
paediatric patients using CSII. Diabet Med 25: 10361042, 2008. (Evert and Franz, 2012)
Insulin delivered over time
• Potential uses:
• Low carb meals high in fat/ protein
•
Extended Bolus
Insulin
Extended/ Square Wave Bolus
Gastroparesis
Time
Combination/ Dual Wave Bolus
A combination of a normal
bolus plus an
Extended
extended bolus
Bolus
•
Potential uses:
•
Carb containing meals high in fat/ protein
•
Gastroparesis
Insulin
Combo Bolus
Time
What’s New in Research?
Optimizing Post Meal Glucose in Pediatric T1DM:
Pump Therapy
• Study evaluating 4 different meal and types of boluses on 3 hour post meal
glucose.
• N=20 subjects aged 8-18 years and a control group without T1D was also
studied.
• Meals had the similar carb, fat and protein content but different glycemic index.
• Same meal was given 2 days in a row with different bolus types; regular bolus
(100% given immediately before the meal) and a dual wave with 50% given
immediately before the meal and 50% extended over 2 hours.
•
High GI food: pre-meal bolus type had little effect on post meal glucose and
regardless of type of insulin used were higher. Post meal glucoses were 3 x
higher than the controls without diabetes.
• Low GI foods the dual wave bolus had a 3 hour post meal glucose AUC that
was 47% lower than the standard bolus and the glucose profiles closely
mirrored the control arm (without diabetes).

NOTE: Subjects with a lower pre-meal glucose were significantly more likely to
experience a low post meal when using a standard bolus rather than a DW.
O’Connell et al. Optimizing postprandial glycemia in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes using insulin pump
therapy: Diabetes Care vol. 31 (8); pp 1491-1495
A: Low GI meal.
O'Connell M A et al. Dia Care 2008;31:1491-1495
Copyright © 2011 American Diabetes Association, Inc.
What About Pizza?
• Several small studies compared use of a normal bolus to a dual wave bolus and
impact on post meal BG.

Normal bolus and DW had similar BG profiles for 3 hours, however, at 514 hours the normal bolus was associated with elevated BG.


Lowest post meal glucoses were lowest at 90-120 minutes when DW was
70% up front and 30% extended over 2 hours.


Lee SW et al. The dual-wave bolus feature in CSII controls prolonged post-prandial
hyperglycemia better than standard bolus in type 1 diabtes. Diabetes Nutr Metab 17:
211-216, 2004.)
Chase 2002
Lowest mean glucose and best postprandial control were achieved with a
DW bolus where 50% was given up front and 50% was extended over 8
hours.

Jones SM et al: Optimal insulin pump dosing and postprandial glycemia following a
pizza meal using the continuous glucose monitoring system. Diabetes Technol Ther 7:
233-240, 2005
Evert and Franz, 2012
Can we improve estimation of mealtime insulin doses?
• N= 28 adults with T1D on insulin pump therapy used CGM to assess post-meal
glucose levels.
• Uses a novel strategy for insulin dosing based on the hypothesis that insulin
requirements may be more precisely predicted by examining the physiologic
insulin response to a food in people without diabetes: Food Insulin Index (FII)
for Normal Insulin Demand for Dose Adjustment (NIDDA).

FII is based on insulin demand for 1,000 kj portions of a
single food consumed by subjects without diabetes.

This method takes into account all dietary factors, not just
carbs.
• To test this subjects were given one meal that was high in carbs (75 grams) with
only 20% of calories from fat and protein (1600 calories).
• Other meal had half the carbs (41 grams) and the same insulin demand based on
the FII (7 grams more protein and 11 grams more fat) but 1600 calories.
Bao, J et al. Improving the Estimation of Mealtime Insulin Dose in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes, the
Normal Insulin Demand for Dose Adjustment Study. Diabetes Care. Vol 34 Oct. 2011; 2146-2151
Results of FII Study
• Compared with carbohydrate counting, the FII algorithm resulted in a 31%
increase in the time spent within the target range (72-180 mg/dL/ 4-10 mmol/L).
• The FII algorithm also produced a 30 mg/dL / 1.7 mmol/L (41% lower) peak
blood glucose when compared to carb counting.
• There was no significant difference in the percent of time within target between
meal A (high carb) with Carb Counting and Meal B (less carb, more fat and
protein) using FII algorithm however, meal A had a significantly higher peak
blood glucose than meal B with FII.
• FII did not singificantly increase hypoglycemia.
• FIRST stage of evidence that use of a FII based on insulin demand of subjects
without diabetes may be an effective tool for estimating insulin in T1D.
• Limitations,: only 120 foods, more studies need to be done…
Bao, J et al. Improving the Estimation of Mealtime Insulin Dose in Adults with
Type 1 Diabetes, the Normal Insulin Demand for Dose Adjustment Study.
Diabetes Care. Vol 34 Oct. 2011; 2146-2151
Putting it all together.....
• Carbohydrates are main factor in the diet impacting
glycemic control.
• Carbs are an efficient source of energy for the body.
• GI: Different carbs impact glucose differently.
• Fat and protein slow down gastric emptying, and thus,
slows down digestion of starch.
• If you simply count carbohydrate, but ignore
fat/calorie content of foods you can gain weight.
• Current analog insulins may not be as fast as the carbs
we eat, the timing matters!
A Glimpse of the Future….