Why Blood Sugar Matters
If you’ve read my bio, you know that I am a holistic nutritionist specializing in blood sugar balance. What you might not know, is why blood sugar balance matters, and why you should care.
Eating too much sugar or ultra-processed and refined carbohydrates can negatively affect gut health, mental health, liver health, hormone balance and more. These types of foods create sharp spikes and drops in blood sugar – and chronically elevated blood sugar levels are associated with a slew of health concerns.
Insulin Resistance – occurs when chronically high blood sugar levels result in chronically high insulin levels, which will result in cells becoming less responsive to insulin. More than 70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance. If left unchecked, insulin resistance will lead to type 2 diabetes. (1,2)
Inflammation – High blood sugar levels will trigger inflammation throughout the body. Chronic inflammation may cause cardiovascular disease. (3)
Cardiovascular Disease – Elevated blood sugar levels increase your risk of coronary artery disease, stroke, and heart attacks. (4)
Impaired Cognitive Function – High blood sugar results in poor brain health, including inability to focus and increased feelings of anxiety. (5)
Energy Levels - Blood sugar spikes can lead to fluctuations in energy levels, with periods of fatigue following the spike. This can impact overall well-being and daily functioning.
Weight Issues – While I fully believe in NOT weighing yourself, it is important to address that excess fat on your body caused by chronically high blood sugar and insulin levels can negatively impact hormone balance, organ health and mobility issues. You CAN care about maintaining a healthy weight WITHOUT weighing yourself. (6)
It's important to note that individual responses to blood sugar spikes can vary, and these health consequences may not apply universally. Additionally, factors such as the duration and frequency of elevated blood sugar levels, overall diet, and physical activity levels play a role in determining health outcomes.
So How Do You Know?
You may have chronically high blood sugar levels if:
You gain weight quickly and easily, and/or your weight is in constant fluctuation
You experience mood swings and anxiety, especially the day after eating a lot of sugar
You have been diagnosed with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver (NAFLD)
Your body is achy and your joints hurt often
You regularly experience brain fog
You experience sharp drops in energy levels
You have gut health issues
You have been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
You have skin tags
You have shakes and tremors, especially the day after eating high sugar foods
If you suspect you have blood sugar issues, I recommend you ask your doctor for a glucose tolerance test, which measures your blood sugar before, immediately after, and 2 hours after eating a syrupy (and gross) drink high in sugar. A blood glucose level 100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) indicates insulin resistance, and a level between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8 and 11 mmol/L) is considered impaired glucose tolerance, or prediabetes. You can also ask your doctor to check your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) – this is a measure of your average blood sugar over a 3 month period. A healthy level is anything between 4% and 5.6%.
Your Awesome Body
The good news is, that because your body is an amazing miracle, it is designed to try to bring itself back into better balance and heal. This means that with changes to your diet and lifestyle, you can work to improve your blood sugar levels to become consistently within normal range, and reverse blood sugar balance issues like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes and manage PCOS. One of the many reasons you should absolutely love your body.
The even better news is there are sooooo many ways to eat to help with blood sugar control. Which means you can find a food lifestyle that works for you and your life, because studies have found that in order for your eating habits to be successful in improving your health, they have to be something you stay consistent with and stick to long term. This means you have to actually LIKE what and how you’re eating. (7)
What you need to know is that chronically high blood sugar levels lead to poor health outcomes, but that you can totally take control and keep your blood sugar in better balance. And you don’t ever need to weigh yourself to do so. Because life is so much better without the scale.
Suspect you have blood sugar balance issues and want to work with me to experience food confidence & body love? Click that button for a free 15-minute consultation, and let’s get you feeling really, really good.
Sources
Defronzo RA. Pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Med Clin North Am. 2004;88(4):787-835.
Dunaif A. Insulin resistance and the polycystic ovary syndrome: mechanism and implications for pathogenesis. Endocr Rev. 1997 Dec;18(6):774-800.
Pickup JC, Crook MA. Is type II diabetes mellitus a disease of the innate immune system? Diabetologia. 1998;41(10):1241-1248.
Sarwar N, Gao P, et al. Diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration, and risk of vascular disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 102 prospective studies. Lancet. 2010;375(9733):2215-2222.
Strachan MW, Reynolds RM, et al. Cognitive function, dementia and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the elderly. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2011;7(2):108-114.
Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(2):274-288.
Leung AWY, Chan RSM, Sea MMM, Woo J. An Overview of Factors Associated with Adherence to Lifestyle Modification Programs for Weight Management in Adults. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Aug 16;14(8):922.