It affects everything from our risk of heart disease to our ability to concentrate. Lisa Buckingham explains what you should know about your glucose levels and how you can balance them
Blood sugar is one of the hottest topics in the health world right now. Multiple studies have been published recently, revealing how its peaks and troughs throughout the day can impact our long- and short-term health. Meanwhile, biochemist Jessie Inchauspé (@glucosegoddess) has gained 1.2m followers on Instagram by sharing research and charting her own responses to different foods.
It’s an exciting new field of expertise, showing us that how, when and what we eat can affect everything from our energy levels and mood to our ability to shift weight and ward off disease. And it’s relevant to everyone – not just people living with diabetes.
So why is there so much buzz around this topic, and how can you work with your blood sugar levels to feel your healthiest and happiest?
WHAT IS BLOOD SUGAR?
When you eat carbohydrates, glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream and your blood glucose (also known as blood sugar) level rises. This is called your ‘postprandial glucose response’. The pancreas then produces insulin, which helps your cells take up sugar from your blood to store or use for energy before your blood sugar level goes back down.
In all of us, it’s normal for blood sugar to rise after eating and drop back down once insulin has worked its magic – or we have moved our muscles and used that glucose. The problems arise when the peaks are very steep, very high/low or too prolonged. All of this can happen in healthy people.
CAUSE AND EFFECT
Repeated and excessive peaks over time can lead to poor health outcomes in the long-term. ‘These peaks are associated with oxidative stress and inflammation,’ says Dr Sarah Berry, an associate professor at King’s College London and chief scientist at ZOE, a personalised nutrition company. ‘When you’re having excessive peaks regularly throughout the day, you’ll end up being in a more pro-inflammatory state, which increases your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, while also predisposing you to obesity.’
Meanwhile, excessive dips may have more short-term impacts, such as increased irritability, hunger and calorie intake, as well as a reduction in alertness, says Dr Berry. ‘We were able to separate big dippers and little dippers – big dippers were shown to eat 320 calories more in 24 hours than little dippers.’
While the inflammation caused by excessive peaks can be hard to detect in yourself, excessive dips are easier to spot. ‘Do you feel hungry a couple of hours after eating, or a bit shaky with a loss of concentration? These can all be signs of big dips in blood sugar,’ says Dr Berry.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
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