Blood Sugar Regulation

Why does blood sugar regulation matter if you haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes or hypoglycemia? Poor blood sugar regulation contributes to the most common chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, dementia, and infertility. The dysfunction that can lead to these outcomes can start building years before it shows up on a blood test but may show up as symptoms in your everyday life that you brush off as “normal.” Symptoms may include; brain fog, excessive hunger, fatigue, constant cravings for sugar, difficulty sleeping, irritability, inflammation, headaches, and shakiness, to name a few. Glucose comes from the food you eat and enters your bloodstream once digested. Glucose triggers the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that helps bring glucose into your cells for energy. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in your muscles. It is also stored in your liver as triglycerides and fat cells. Your body can use the glucose in your bloodstream or your stored glycogen for energy. Eating a diet too heavy in carbohydrates and sugar can disrupt your metabolic processes and lead to health problems. According to the CDC, more than a third of U.S. adults have prediabetes. Up to 64% of those people may develop Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that much of this is preventable. You have a lot of control over your blood sugar—and in turn, your metabolic health through choices around diet and lifestyle.