Sugar Crash—Explained 😮

👀 Pause the scroll and spend a minute with me…

Ready for a crash course in exactly what happens at the cellular level when you eat too much sugar at once?

(let’s say—a big gulp slushie 🥤)

When the sugar hits your digestive tract, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream as glucose (aka blood sugar)...

…which signals beta cells in your pancreas to release insulin (a hormone) into the blood as well.

⚠️ Remember this: because we’re dealing with a slushie here, a large spike in blood sugar triggers a large spike in insulin.

Insulin facilitates the movement of glucose into cells so it can be used as energy 👏👏

Sounds great EXCEPT…

Because of the sudden nature and magnitude of the sugar spike and insulin spike, glucose is quickly moved into cells and blood sugar drops dramatically (the CRASH 🫨)

Cue hunger, cravings, shakiness, brain fog, anxiety, you-name-it.

👉 The point is that our bodies were not made to deal with excessive sugar intake.

If repeated day in and day out, eating high amounts of sugar or refined carbs without healthy fats, fiber, and protein…

…is the main cause of insulin resistance.

If you’re still with me, like ❤️this post and follow 🚶‍♀️for my upcoming posts on how to keep a healthy blood sugar balance.

Subtle Signs of Insulin Resistance

Signs of Blood Sugar Imbalance You May Not Know 👇👇

But first it’s important to be clear that you cannot know if you have blood sugar problems strictly by the way you feel.

💥 The only way to know is to test.

That being said, here are some of the outward signs:

▪️ Belly fat

▪️ Sugar Cravings

▪️ Energy Crashes

▪️ Brain Fog

▪️ Mood Swings

▪️ Skin Tags

▪️ Darkened Skin Creases

These signs give us clues that you may have insulin resistance, which means your cells have become less responsive to insulin and less effective at using glucose from your blood as energy.

Left unchecked, insulin resistance can also fuel inflammation, weight struggles, and heart disease 😬

Be sure to like ❤️ this post and follow🚶‍♀️for more posts coming soon on how to understand and optimize your blood sugar.

[New Study] Night Owls at Higher Risk of Insulin Resistance

🤔 Would you consider yourself a night owl or an early bird? 

Turns out it might affect your metabolism.  

A new study shows that people with metabolic syndrome who tend to stay up late and sleep late (any night owls out there?) have a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. 

Yikes. 

The difference relates to a topic I’ve recently shared about—

⚠️ Insulin Resistance ⚠️

Here’s how the study went:

👫 51 participants with metabolic syndrome were monitored for a week for their activity patterns over the day. 

🥗 They all ate the same diet, controlled for nutrition and calories. 

🐥 Results showed that early birds burned more fat for energy (both while exercising and at rest) and had better insulin sensitivity. 

🦉 Night owls’ bodies favored carbohydrates as a fuel source and were more insulin resistant. 

This study involved people who already had metabolic syndrome, so we don’t know if it also applies to healthy people. 

Still. Knowing this link between staying up late and insulin resistance is one thing. But what can we do about it? 

Do you believe that it’s possible for night owls to become early birds? 🤷‍♀️

Reference

Malin, S. K., Remchak, M. E., Smith, A. J., Ragland, T. J., Heiston, E. M., & Cheema, U. (2022). Early chronotype with metabolic syndrome favours resting and exercise fat oxidation in relation to insulin-stimulated non-oxidative glucose disposal. Exp Physiol. [link]

Can Supplements Support Blood Sugar?

Before jumping to take a bunch of supplements for blood sugar support, please see my previous post about lifestyle changes to reverse insulin resistance!

Supplements can be a helpful addition but will not have much effect unless you also make lifestyle changes. 

That said, let’s look at 5 top supplements for blood sugar support:

💊 Gymnema

Gymnema is an herb that comes from the Ayurvedic tradition. If you taste it directly, it will numb your taste buds so that you cannot taste sweet! The leaf extract is used to support blood sugar. 

💊 Berberine

Berberine is a plant compound that’s responsible for the yellow color of herbs like goldenseal and Oregon grape. It supports blood sugar but may also interact with medications or disrupt digestion. 

💊 Chromium

Chromium is a trace mineral that’s needed for insulin to function properly. It can be supplemented along with meals to support insulin sensitivity. 

💊 Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Alpha-lipoic-acid is not an official vitamin but is similar to B vitamins. It is a powerful antioxidant and also supports blood sugar metabolism. 

💊 Magnesium

Low blood levels of magnesium have been found in people with type 2 diabetes. Many people do not consume the recommended amount of magnesium, making it an important supplement to consider. 

It’s always best to talk with a health professional before adding supplements into your routine—especially if you are already taking medications. 

🎁 This wraps up my post series on insulin resistance! I hope you’ve learned a thing or two. More importantly, I hope you’ve been inspired to take an action or two. 

Because lifelong health begins with prevention and that begins now. 

If you have any concerns about blood sugar or insulin resistance and want professional guidance and a personalized plan, please call our office to book an appointment 🗓️

Did You Know Insulin Resistance is Reversible?

✨ Insulin resistance is reversible ✨

Insulin resistance means that the cells in the body have become less responsive to insulin, which leads to elevated blood sugar levels. 

If left unchecked, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes. 

That’s why it’s critical to take insulin resistance seriously. Here are some lifestyle changes that can help to reverse insulin resistance. 

Did you ever think of numbers 3 or 4?

1️⃣ Weight Loss

Being overweight or obese is associated with multiple changes in the body (including inflammation and leptin resistance) that contribute to or worsen insulin resistance. Studies show that weight loss is one of the best ways to reverse insulin resistance. 

2️⃣ Exercise

Exercise not only burns energy in the moment to help regulate blood sugar levels but also builds muscle. Muscle cells more effectively burn sugar than fat cells, even at rest. Exercise is essential to reversing insulin resistance. 

3️⃣ Sleep

Didn’t think of this one, did you? Sleep deprivation is a risk factor for increased blood sugar levels, and even one night of a lack of sleep can worsen insulin resistance. 

4️⃣ Clean Living

Minimizing your exposure to toxins supports cellular health! Some pesticides increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, and many synthetic chemicals are known to be endocrine disruptors that may contribute to insulin resistance. 

5️⃣ Eat for Blood Sugar Balance

The foods you eat have a dramatic effect on blood sugar levels. You can slow the digestion and absorption of sugars from your food by combining carbohydrates with fats, fiber, and protein. 

I’d love to know if you or somebody you know has taken action to reverse insulin resistance. Drop me a quick comment below ⤵️