Could Stamp Collecting Practices Be Potentially Harmful To Diabetics?

I recently was in a discussion with a fellow diabetic about hidden sources of sugar.

They cited a British study that stated the average person licking a British postage stamp consumes up to 14 calories from the dextrin based adhesive.

They asked me if stamp mounts and hinges also used dextrin based adhesives. If they do they could potentially be a serious problem for diabetics by increasing their A1C levels.

Has anyone heard of this before or has there been any studies done on this subject?

As a mild diabetic I can say that:
1. The usage of snail mail for private use is dropping, so it's a pro-diabetic trend.
2. A stamp collector is the collector, not the licker.
3. A diabetic patient knows to arrange things and buy extra things to accommodate his needs: Sugar-free food, Insulin, and so on. So why not buy that sponge for stamps?
4. A diabetic has a problem with insulin production, to break down the sugar, but he still needs some sugar.

One of the unfortunate side-effects of a transplant is medication induced diabetes. As such, I wear a blood sugar monitor and it constantly records without stop 24/7.

Over the last few days, I have licked over 900 hinges in three stamp mounting sessions. The hinges were about 50/50 mix of vintage Dennisons and a more modern brand. There was no significant increase in my blood sugar levels during the three sessions that I was licking hinges compare to the previous same time periods.

So for me, my opinion is that there is no appreciable increase my blood sugar levels when licking stamp hinges. Of course, this is just antidotal observation and other's "mileage may vary".
Don

Wish you only health, Don.
One question: Why lick and not use a wet sponge pad?

Good question, I guess I have always licked hinges and my default behavior is to do today what I did yesterday.
I am glad that Timm raised this question because it had not occurred to me that hinges might have a potential impact. I'll now watch my blood monitor reports for any periods that I am mounting stamps (including using mounts) and see if I notice any changes. If I notice any, I might change to a sponge.
Don

So you have HLD: Hinge Licking Disorder.

The other health issue is becoming too sedentary and a lack of exercise by spending too long looking at our collections!

I would think we are more in danger from breathing in mold spores in a confined space.

My wife, a diabetic from the age of 20, who had a pancreas transplant 15 years ago, laughed at this. Hinge gum would have been the least of her worries pre-transplant.

What you eat before, during (don't get the juice/frosting on your stamps!) and after you stamp collect is really more important. And as others have mentioned because collecting stamps is a sedentary activity try to get in some meaningful exercise to balance things out.

Try some weighted tong curls and red box lunges.

I concur with Roger's wife; eating/drinking is paramount. I would differ a bit on the topic of exercise, at least in my experience.

Exercise only has had a small impact on my blood sugar levels; nothing like the impact when I eat/drink or the take my meds. (This mirrors my experience with dieting too; it is all about what you put in your mouth.)

Of course, exercising is contextually important but trying to use it to control your weight or blood sugars is difficult for me since it has such a small impact. Making it worse is the fact that exercise sends your body signals to eat and feel hungrier AND can lead you to think "oh I exercised so I can now treat myself and eat this piece of cake now".
Don

My doctor says on that subject, and weight loss, "It's 90% what you eat, and 10% what you do." Of course, exercise can have important psychological and social benefits.

For what it's worth, my anecdotal experience as a mild diabetic who's on medication is that exercise does not burn off a lot of calories (walking a mile only takes care of 100). but it somehow makes it easier, not harder, to control what I eat. I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm taking up time going outdoors and getting fresh air instead of sitting on my behind sorting my collection, or just some sort of psychological effect. But my diet goes a lot better, not just a little, when I get out every day. And I use hingeless albums, so licking stamps or hinges doesn't add to the problem, if there is indeed some such effect from those.

Well, anecdotally, it was noticeable that, when I retired, and lost my daily walks to and from the station and in the street at lunchtime, I definitely grew tubbier with my new, sedentary day. The mortification of having to buy a 32" waist in 501s.

14 calories is almost one teaspoon (4.2 g) of sugar. How big are these British stamps? And who is "they" and is there a reference for this British study? It's easier to believe one can burn up 14 calories licking a stamp, including placing it on an envelope, walking 3 blocks to the postbox and walking back.

32" waist? Only in my wildest dreams.

32" waist? Not in my wildest hallucination.