I want to open a discussion related to a question I’ve asked myself recently and been too exhausted to research and dig deeper:
If ME involves a block, or major reduction, of aerobic glycolysis in the mitochondria (via PDH inhibition or related), and diabetes involves resistance to insulin outside the cell reducing glucose from entering the cell, then why don’t PwME have high blood glucose**? Why do people with diabetes not have even close to the symptoms and immense disability we get very quickly with this disease?
From my understanding, most people with diabetes do not even know they’ve been living with it for years until they see a doctor and find blood glucose levels well above 200, or they go because they get their first diabetes related symptom. So you can see it’s very different from ME because you don’t really have any clinical symptoms for a long time yet your body is completely resistant to glucose.
** I believe one Aussie ME research group found that PwME have elevated fasting blood glucose compared to healthy controls, though we are still at the top end of the normal range.
It’s also consistent with my own blood glucose tests over the ME years and more recent home blood measurements (when not doing keto), elevated but doctor never thought abnormal because usually below, and sometimes at, 100.
Its been this way since my first doctors appointment and blood work 1 1/2 months after getting ME (and not knowing what it was or what was going on). I was still very much in great athletic shape at the time and was at ideal weight, so can definitely rule out other causes.
I also think this might put PwME at slightly higher risk of eventually getting diabetes in the future compared to healthy controls.
If ME involves a block, or major reduction, of aerobic glycolysis in the mitochondria (via PDH inhibition or related), and diabetes involves resistance to insulin outside the cell reducing glucose from entering the cell, then why don’t PwME have high blood glucose**? Why do people with diabetes not have even close to the symptoms and immense disability we get very quickly with this disease?
From my understanding, most people with diabetes do not even know they’ve been living with it for years until they see a doctor and find blood glucose levels well above 200, or they go because they get their first diabetes related symptom. So you can see it’s very different from ME because you don’t really have any clinical symptoms for a long time yet your body is completely resistant to glucose.
** I believe one Aussie ME research group found that PwME have elevated fasting blood glucose compared to healthy controls, though we are still at the top end of the normal range.
It’s also consistent with my own blood glucose tests over the ME years and more recent home blood measurements (when not doing keto), elevated but doctor never thought abnormal because usually below, and sometimes at, 100.
Its been this way since my first doctors appointment and blood work 1 1/2 months after getting ME (and not knowing what it was or what was going on). I was still very much in great athletic shape at the time and was at ideal weight, so can definitely rule out other causes.
I also think this might put PwME at slightly higher risk of eventually getting diabetes in the future compared to healthy controls.