August 20, 2001
Daily Care
Question from the United Kingdom:
I’m a 17 year old with type 1 diabetes, and I am currently taking Humalog (lispro) insulin before breakfast, lunch, and dinner and a long acting insulin before bed. Do I have to have breakfast in the morning (and insulin) as it’s so fast acting it only really lasts for that meal? This is becoming a problem as rarely feel hungry until lunch time, and at present I am forcing myself to eat breakfast which leaves me feeling bloated all morning.
Answer:
In theory, if you don’t take insulin then you don’t need to eat breakfast. However, it’s pretty unphysiological to fast more than 12 hours, and any dietitian will tell you that breakfast is a very important meal for setting you up metabolically for the day. Moreover, if you miss breakfast then your bedtime insulin may still be around and precipitate hypoglycaemia. To summarise, I see no need for you to eat much, but you should eat something.
KJR