I had read in a IR book that the sugar in milk is naturally occuring and does not affect BG. I have read on this site that lactose affects BG. I had been okay with using milk before in a link and balance way but I am curious if this is true about the sugar in milk being natually occuring and not affecting BG or is Lactose separate issue?
Lactose is a combo molecule of glucose and galactose so it is going to affect your BG in the same way as sucrose (table sugar) that is a combo of glucose and fructose 1/2 of either is going to turn into blood sugar immediately. Sucrose and lactose are both naturally occuring and so is starch which is even worst as it turns 100% into blood glucose very fast. Just because it is natural does not make is good.
That is total and complete bull****… it’s a sugar just like any other, and to add to that, any kind of milk is a high GI food, which means it will spike your BG faster than a more complex carb would.
Carb for carb milk not quite as bad as bread. anyways cant live forever and I like café au lait.
if I drink regular milk, I get hives and my sugar goes sky high. If I do lactaid milk or soy milk I’m fine.
so for me, yes lactose raises blood sugar.
And, if I drink milk, my blood sugar spikes and within a few hours all my joints start to ache and my body feels achey and I move like an old lady. It all goes away after a few days if I lay off dairy completely. Weird huh?
As a T1 I have more issues with bread than with milk… but I guess it’s a YMMV thing. Since I really don’t have any insulin resistance it’s quite possible that either could effect someone who does, differently.
I am just now testing again so I’ll have to see how I react. Intertesting though that the IR book makes it sound like you can drink milk with no adverse affects.
I have found a couple of bread products that are low carb or I just use half that have worked well. Thinking of trying the Ezekiel breads. Nice to have bread every now and then. I miss chips 
I know somebody who uses milk to treat lows because it raises their blood sugar very quickly.
Everything you eat will make your bg goes up. Even things with 0 carbs like protein and meat can spike your bg. The only way you know is to test a lot. Sometimes if I don’t eat for 5 hours my bg goes up.
Hi Debbie -
If there’s ONE THING I know absolutely, it is that each and every diabetic is totally and completely unique. There are no hard and fast “rules” that work for every single person. As Jeannie said, you have to test A LOT to learn about your unique issues and tolerances. Before I got a quantity override from my Endo (so my insurance would cover the extra strips), I got a cheap Reli-On meter & strips from Wal-Mart to make up the difference. Test, test, test.
I would also recommend Blood Sugar 101: What They Don’t Tell You About Diabetes by Jenny Ruhl
Protein and fat can’t spike your blood sugar, they digest way too slowly, as in 6-12 hours. They will break down to sugar eventually but it is not fast enough to create a blood sugar spike. If carb digested as slowly as they do it wouldn’t spike you either. The problem is that carb is digested very quickly, as in 5-90 minutes. Not eating anything for 5 hours, or eating no carb, will likely trigger your starvation mode which means the liver will start releasing glucose which will spike your blood sugar. That’s a simplistic version though, in reality it’s very complicated.
Thank you, I am not choosing anything dairy and will test to see how my BG reacts. I have just been put on Metformin and I try to eat a low GI balanced carb meals through the day. Being extremely careful until the BG looks better. I have not been able to find my IR book…I think I must have lent it out but I am certain that I have the fact straight.
I have a better understanding and keep learning more and more.
Thanks again!
Looking at the Glycemic Load 4 and 3 respectively for full cream and skimmed milk and their Glycemic Index 30 and 32, it looks as if they have both have low Glycemic loads which in theory should not cause spikes. I notice Sarah says milk is High GI, not according to David Mendosa and his professional friends who seem to know quite a bit about it.
Yet there are a lot of sites where people say that that they know from experience that milk spikes their blood sugars. So I guess that you would have to test yourself before and after drinking milk and see if you are one of those people which milk raises the blood sugar in. I know i read somewhere that cow’s milk was less insulinogenic than human milk.
Z
I think it would be wise for me to go back to the Low GI food lists. I am being careful with fruits because I know I can over do them. I sure would like a bowl of kashi Go Lean cereal 
I just have to wait this out for a bit. My A1c was 6 this time, which is good but I have learned that this is not always a good indicator that everything is okay. My BG have been way up in ranges that I used to be able to keep balanced by starting off my day with a low 80’s fasting. Am now getting to low 100’s so I hope the Metformin kicks in for me.