Blood Sugar: What It Is & Why You Should Pay Attention to Yours
Have you ever felt a sudden boost of energy followed by an abrupt crash or fatigue? It may come as a surprise that this unexpected change in energy levels could be linked to your blood sugar levels. Blood sugar is essential for various bodily functions, from powering your muscles to helping you think clearly, and recent research has highlighted the important role blood sugar plays in living a long and healthy life.
Living in a constant state of blood sugar highs and lows can lead to poor metabolic function, the process in which your body converts food into energy. Over time, metabolic dysfunction can lead to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome or more serious disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The link between blood sugar and metabolic function
A stable blood sugar offers many health benefits and is a powerful metric in determining whether one has a healthy metabolic function.
Poor metabolic function or metabolic disorders have become increasingly prevalent in recent years. From diabetes to obesity, these conditions are affecting millions of people worldwide, including many within our own social circles. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, about 1 in every 3 Americans have metabolic syndrome1, a group of conditions that can raise your risk of serious health problems, including strokes and diabetes.
The chances are high that someone you know is currently dealing with a metabolic disorder, yet their struggles may remain hidden due to the sometimes subtle nature of these conditions. The good news is that many metabolic disorders are avoidable and even reversible. It can sometimes be as simple as making one major change: lowering your blood sugar.
So, what is blood sugar?
Blood sugar is something we all can and should learn to optimize for better health. You’ve most likely heard the term before, but what exactly is it? Put simply, it is the amount of sugar found in your blood, and its levels are affected by the foods we eat, particularly sugars, starches and other simple carbohydrates. The body breaks these foods down into glucose, which it then releases into your bloodstream — and this is measured as blood sugar.
Now you might think the obvious answer to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is to simply decrease your intake of sugary foods. While that might be a good start, it’s not exactly that simple. While table sugar (or sucrose) and added sugars are the biggest culprits, many other foods, many of which you may not realize, create the same effect.
Any food that contains simple carbohydrates — carbohydrates that have been stripped of their fiber — are converted into glucose after they are consumed, which then leads to blood sugar or insulin spikes. This may happen frequently throughout the day depending on not only what you eat but your physical activity level, stress and other factors. Some simple carbohydrates include white bread, pasta, rice, soft drinks, candy and refined breakfast cereals.
While many high-carb foods are amongst our favorites and sometimes have other nutritional benefits (versus consuming straight sugar), when it comes to your blood sugar, they are one and the same: sugar molecules that can be converted into glucose.
For example, white rice is high on the glycemic index (GI) because of its ability to spike glucose. In fact, a higher consumption of white rice is associated with an increased risk of incident diabetes.2 Understanding the impact of these types of food is a great first step to understanding blood sugar and how to keep yours in check.
LINGO LEARN Glycemic index (GI) is a measurement of how quickly a food raises blood sugar levels after consumption and is ranked on a scale of 0 to 100. Foods high on the GI include white and whole wheat bread, breakfast cereals, white rice, potatoes, sweetened dairy products and pasta.
When blood sugar spikes, your body reacts
So we understand what blood sugar is and we know it's important. But why? Your body is highly intelligent. Not a surprise, as it has so many functions, including metabolism, responsiveness, movement, reproduction, growth, differentiation, respiration, digestion and excretion.
In order to function properly, your body wants to find an equilibrium, a homeostatic balance, so that it is happy and you are thriving. For this reason, when your body recognizes sugar in the blood, it cleverly moves it along to the cells for energy. It calls on the pancreas to release an essential hormone, which we have all heard of before (generally when talking about diabetic metrics), called insulin. This incredibly important hormone has a vital role: It removes the sugar from your blood and delegates it to the cells for energy.
Be aware of hidden sugars
The average person in the modern world has such a high sugar intake that the body’s insulin is working overtime. With so much added and hidden sugar found in packaged and processed foods like condiments, cereals, breads and yogurts, many of us are unaware of just how much sugar we consume each day. When insulin has too much glucose to handle and our body has more energy supply than it needs, it does what any of us would do when we are exhausted: It stops working as efficiently as it should.
In the continuous process of unlocking access to your cells — muscles, organs and all over your body — insulin can become unrecognized by your cells and they stop responding to it, or in medical terms, the body can become insulin resistant or insensitive. Your blood sugar is left high and unstable, and this is where the problem begins.
When the body starts to experience these spikes too often, and we are treading closer to insulin sensitivity, we have metabolic dysfunction. This is a situation where the body cannot convert energy properly and therefore cell function begins to suffer.
Reversing metabolic dysfunction
There’s promising news for those who may be at risk of metabolic dysfunction or those already struggling with a condition. Some simple lifestyle modifications are the most effective way to reduce the incidence of complications caused by metabolic syndrome3.
Here are a few simple ways you can improve your metabolic health and stabilize your blood glucose:
- Adjust your diet. Limit processed food, sugary drinks and simple carbohydrates and increase your intake of vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.
- Exercise regularly. Aim for 30 minutes a day, several days a week. Losing excess weight can significantly improve blood sugar control.
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Decrease your stress. Chronic stress can mess with the body's ability to control blood sugar. Over time, this can cause the body to become resistant to insulin, leading to type 2 diabetes4. Try different meditation techniques, yoga or breathwork to help manage your stress.
- Monitor your blood sugar. The best way to better understand what is causing insulin spikes is to see them happen in real time. Consider a small, wearable glucose monitor.
By understanding the importance of blood sugar and the factors that influence it, you can take proactive steps to maintain healthy levels. A balanced approach to blood sugar management can not only help you reduce the risk of disease but can lead to more energy, better focus and an improved quality of life.
Wellness begins every day
Small steps can lead to big results and change doesn’t happen overnight. When it comes to optimizing your blood sugar and reversing metabolic dysfunction, start small. The only way to build lasting habits is to create achievable goals, and changing your entire diet or lifestyle simply isn’t realistic. With a few minor changes and a commitment to sticking with them, you can be on your way to stabilizing your blood glucose levels.
Optimizing your blood sugar isn’t as challenging as it might sound — and a single step is all you need to start a real transformation. So why not start today?
1 What Is Metabolic Syndrome? Updated May 18, 2022. Accessed September 26, 2024. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/metabolic-syndrome
2 Bhavadharini B, Mohan V, Dehghan M, et al. White Rice Intake and Incident Diabetes: A Study of 132,373 Participants in 21 Countries. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(11):2643-2650. doi:10.2337/dc19-2335
3 Kim HL, Chung J, Kim KJ, et al. Lifestyle Modification in the Management of Metabolic Syndrome: Statement From Korean Society of CardioMetabolic Syndrome (KSCMS). Korean Circ J. 2022;52(2):93-109. doi:10.4070/kcj.2021.0328
4Sharma K, Akre S, Chakole S, Wanjari MB. Stress-Induced Diabetes: A Review. Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29142. Published 2022 Sep 13. doi:10.7759/cureus.29142
