Your friend may have that high reading because of her poor compliance, OR because her pancreas is burned out.

Sometimes the beta cells die and stop producing insulin. This can happen if someone has pancreatitis, or just has been insulin resistant for so long that the cells cannot work any longer.

Each person is very different. For example, and this does not pertain to you or your friend, but about 25% of people getting a liver transplant develop new onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) while on the immunosuppressant drugs after tranplantation.

Diabetes is very complicated, and the factors for each person are very unique to them in many cases.

Another example: I started theanine (an ingredient in green tea), on vacation, because someone on PN posted a study that theanine helps with peripheral neuropathy pain. Taking in supplement form, gives higher doses. Well, this is making my fasting morning sugar much lower, even lower than metformin!

Now I am watching to see if this continues, or a tolerance happens. The fenugreek did not help for me. So each person is a has unique biochemisty and body. It is thought that theanine reduces cortisol, which is a stress hormone and raises blood sugar (thought to be responsible for the "dawn phenomenon".)