THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX - How It Works, And When It Does Not #keto #insulin #diabetes #obesity [aac676]

Understanding Blood Sugar Levels: What's Normal, What's Not

When it comes to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, knowing what ranges are considered normal is crucial. A significant number of adults in the US experience some level of insulin resistance or pre-diabetes due to various lifestyle factors and dietary choices.

The American Diabetes Association recommends that most people aim for a fasting blood glucose level below 100 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). For those with diabetes, an HbA1c test is used to measure long-term average blood sugar levels. According to the ADA guidelines, an ideal target range would be between 7% and 8%.

However, what exactly does it mean when we say a person's blood glucose level is "too high"? How do you know if your numbers are within the normal range? For those with pre-diabetes or diabetes, understanding their unique targets is essential.

Recognizing Blood Sugar Imbalance: Symptoms and Consequences

When an individual experiences recurring episodes of excessively high blood sugar levels, it can lead to complications ranging from mild discomforts like blurred vision and dizziness to severe long-term issues such as kidney damage. A person's body responds differently when trying to manage unusually high or low glucose levels.

Understanding the fluctuations that cause this imbalance is crucial for recovery. In many cases, factors contributing include consuming large amounts of carbohydrates without adequate fiber intake or failure to maintain an active lifestyle. Managing stress effectively can also play a significant role in keeping blood sugar within normal limits.

The Link Between Diet and Blood Sugar Control

Monitoring food choices and incorporating diet strategies that support balanced glucose regulation is often key for those with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or simply wanting to prevent these conditions through healthy habits. Incorporating nutrient-rich foods helps sustain stable levels of energy throughout the day while ensuring blood sugar remains under control.

Including whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, fruits such as berries and citrus fruits in moderation (because they are naturally rich with sugar) is beneficial for those seeking a balance between their nutritional needs and desire to manage their glucose intake effectively. For individuals dealing specifically with weight gain or managing diabetes through dietary means, adjusting portion sizes of all foods consumed remains an essential aspect.

The Impact of Lifestyle Factors on Blood Sugar Balance

Exercise has long been understood as crucial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels by allowing the body's cells to become more sensitive to insulin and reducing glucose in the bloodstream. Even light physical activity such as a short walk each day, can be beneficial if paired with other effective dietary methods.

Managing stress effectively is equally vital when it comes to preventing fluctuations from causing significant health problems before meal blood sugar level over time due largely because of how hormones released during stressful states raise cortisol levels within our body's system which further intensify these issues even without consuming too much sugar overall. Proper relaxation techniques such as meditation, exercise or reading are among the best choices.

How Medications Interact with Blood Sugar Management

Certain medications often prescribed for individuals experiencing a range of health conditions may have effects on blood glucose levels that users must understand to keep their condition under control and also be aware if there are interactions which would suggest seeking medical advice beforehand. For instance, some antidepressants could cause high blood sugar in susceptible people.

Antibiotics may occasionally lead to issues by causing gastrointestinal distress affecting digestion directly or impacting hormonal imbalances leading indirectly towards unstable levels of glucose within the bloodstream due its strong influence on gut bacteria making nutrient absorption uneven and unpredictable throughout any one day which might result either too much unused nutrition wasted through excretion thereby raising levels excessively fast over time without ever feeling satisfied completely first before releasing it naturally after consumption – a direct impact directly linked in blood sugar management for both short term acute episodes, as well long standing chronic struggles affecting overall well being.

Blood Sugar and Heart Health: The Unspoken Connection

The heart's health is intricately connected to the regulation of glucose levels within our bloodstream. Research has established that consistently high or low levels can have adverse effects on cardiovascular wellness by increasing blood pressure thereby causing strain directly on major organs throughout one’s circulatory system over time – potentially elevating risk factors towards potential serious consequences such as atherosclerosis, heart attacks among others depending upon other lifestyle choices made too.

Understanding Blood Sugar Medications: A Guide for Self-Management

Several categories of medications are available to help control blood glucose levels. For some people with diabetes or pre-diabetes choosing which ones baking soda and apple cider vinegar for blood sugar suits them best may involve working closely together their primary healthcare provider in identifying specific needs through benfotiamine lower blood sugar various lab tests determining baseline values at the onset then again periodically adjusting as necessary.

Maintaining a Healthy Blood Sugar Range During Illness

When one falls ill, blood sugar levels can spike significantly due to factors like inflammation and dehydration. Managing this delicate balance during illness is essential for overall health and preventing complications arising from fluctuating glucose concentrations that might require hospitalization when they severely impact daily life negatively over extended periods if unchecked causing harm beyond immediate short-term recovery.

Blood Sugar Range: Is It Too High? What Can Be Done

Identifying whether one's blood sugar range has reached critical levels is not always straightforward without proper guidance or tools for accurate measurement at home. Monitoring with a glucometer, understanding when to seek professional help during such crises remains crucial while implementing broader habits supporting optimal wellness in every single day regardless health status currently as the goal here towards living best quality life ever achievable by managing one’s own well-being fully now always today tomorrow next year too!

The Glycaemic Index was introduced in 1981 as a useful guide to the relative rapidity with which a particular food releases glucose into the blood, thus "spiking" blood sugar, and a corresponding rise in insulin. This is useful information for anyone who is pre-diabetic or diabetic and needs to monitor blood sugar and medicated insulin. The scale runs from 1 to 100, with 100 being allocated to pure, simple glucose (which obviously raises blood sugar the quickest). Foods scoring above 70 are consideredd "High GI", foods scoring below 55 "Low GI", and those in between "Medium GI". However, although many foods appear on the table, their values are averages, and the particular GI effect varies with ripeness, cooking, refining, variety and growing conditions. In addition, glycaemic responses vary across individuals according to factors like genetics and metabolic health. The numbers on the scale are therefore not absolute, and mostly useful only as a guide. People who are overweight and wish to burn body fat or reverse insulin resistance, or are trying to cut sugar intake to reduce inflammation and lower the risks of the metabolic diseases associated with dietary sugar, need to look beyond the GI numbers if they are to be successful. The same applies to Diabetics who are using ketogenic (low sugar) nutrition to reverse Type2 Diabetes, as the GI tells you how quickly a particular food releases glucose into the blood, but it does not tell any story about either the concentration or the type of sugar found in the food - and these are important factors. Eating a small amount of a High GI food (eg white bread) will be less harmfull than eating, say, 20 bananas (which are "Med GI") as the total sugar co0nsumed in the bananas will be multiples higher. "Glycaemic Load" takes account of both the GI number, and the amount of glucose consumed, and is a more practical consideration. As the GI is a measure of the timing of sugar release, foods that release glucose - however much they may contain - slowly, have a lower number. Thus "whole" foods, as opposed to "refined" versions, then to have a lower GI as the fiber in the food slows the sugar absorption. Thus "wholewheat" bread has a lower GI than white bread (even though it is still made from refined flour!) as some whole grains, or fragments, have been added back in prior to baking. Probably the greatest weakness of the GI system to predict the healthful effect of food relating to its sugar content, is the fact that measuring glucose in the blood does not take into account other sugars present in the food - like galactose (part of the milk sugar "lactose") and fructose (which makes up 50% of "sucrose" or table sugar, and is found in large amounts in sweet fruits). These non-glucose sugars do not register as blood sugar, and are not distributed around the body for burning, the way glucose is. Instead the go directly to the liver where they must be modified into glucose first. Thery are then released, and this delay allows the food source to score lower on the GI. However, the danger comes if the glucose content of the blood is already high or if the person is already obese or insulin resistant (pre-diabetic) in which case much of that generated glucose turns to triglycerides and is stored in the liver, leading to Fatty Liver Disease. Fatty Liver Disease is a short-track to Type2 Diabetes, where excess triglycerides spill out of the liver and settle in the pancreas, sabotaging it's ability to produce insulin. Thus eating high quantities of sugary foods that are labelled "Low GI" can in fact lead quite quickly to Obesity, Insulin-Resistance and Diabetes! To illustrate the point, White Bread, White Rice and Pasta are "High GI" whereas White Sugar is "Medium GI" (due to it being 50% fructose). LINKS A Basic Explanation of Dietary Sugars: The Debate around Complex Carbohydrates: Why You Can't Burn Fat: The Hidden Dangers of Fructose: How Healthy is Fruit? Join this channel to get access to additional benefits: *ANDREW TUNSTALL* is a Nutrition Coach, Educator and Athlete who dodged Heart Surgery and a Hip Replacement by changing his lifestyle and eating habits before starting SHAPEFIXER to help others harness the power of knowledge to lose weight, improve health, fight disease and slow ageing. *DISCLAIMER: I am a Nutrition Coach and an Educator; I am not a medical doctor. All videos are for informational and motivational purposes only and are not to be taken as personalised medical diagnoses or advice. Speak to your own, trusted medical professional about all decisions you take regarding any aspects of your health, medical conditions and ongoing medication – Andrew Tunstall*