It may be nice to know something. Our bodies need sugar to survive! Almost all of my clients are perplexed on the topic of sugar. Nowadays it has so many different names and applications. Added sugars are hiding in almost everything. My goal for this blog is to help you visualize how your body manages sugar in your blood. When you can visualize how your body works, it’s easier to make healthier choices.
Here are some bullet points to help wrap your mind around how our bodies manage sugar.
Sugar and Your Body:
Think of sugar as fuel that gives your body energy. It comes mostly from eating carbohydrates that are converted into sugar, which goes into your blood.
Now imagine that your body is a car engine that needs the right amount of fuel to run smoothly. It’s all about the right amount. Too little, there’s not enough energy to function properly. Too much, it spills out and your body does everything it can to use it up or store it for future use.
Pro Tip: We need about 1 tsp of sugar in the bloodstream at all times to maintain balance. This will naturally come from
carbohydrates, fruits/veggies, or milk. So if you think of the added sugars we consume, we’re already over the limit. The American Heart Association suggests these daily guidelines for added sugars. Approximately 6 tsp for women /9 tsp for men. Now take a moment to think about how much natural and added sugar you consume per day.
Insulin and Your Pancreas:
Your pancreas is like the fuel gauge in your car. When the pancreas senses that our blood sugar rises above normal levels, it releases a hormone called insulin which is designed to remove sugar from the bloodstream and help store it in muscle, fat, and liver cells for a source of energy. These particular cells won’t allow sugar in without the insulin “key”. So the blood sugar that is not immediately used by the rest of the body, tries to get stored for future use with the help of insulin in these other areas of the body.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is like a hiccup in the fuel delivery system. There are two common types:
Type 2 Diabetes:
In Type 2 Diabetes, cells don't re
spond normally to insulin trying to store the excess sugar. This happens when you’ve consumed so much sugar, that your cells won’t allow the insulin to bring more in (aka insulin resistance). Your pancreas keeps making more insulin to try to get cells to respond, but they won’t. Your pancreas eventually gives up and now you're in a situation where you’re not producing insulin at all. 90% of people who have diabetes have Type 2 Diabetes, which is largely related to lifestyle.
Type 1 Diabetes:
In Type 1 Diabetes, your pancreas either doesn’t produce insulin or does not produce nearly enough.
10% of people who have diabetes have Type1 Diabetes, which is either caused by your pancreas finally giving up trying to make insulin or you’re born with a genetic trait (typically detected in childhood).
How You Might Feel When Sugar Builds Up in Our Blood:
Thirsty: Your body tries to flush out extra sugar through urine, making you thirsty.
Blurry Vision: High sugar levels can affect your eyes, making things look fuzzy. Diabetic retinopathy is caused when high blood sugar damages blood vessels in the retina.
Loss of sensation: Similar to blurry vision
, having high sugar levels for a period of time can damage your blood vessels and nerves in the rest of your body.
Slow Healing Cuts and Infections: High blood sugar causes inflammation that suppresses the immune system.
Weight Gain: Diabetes prevents the storage of sugar, so the body will start storing fat instead.
How You Might Feel When Your Muscles Don’t Have Enough Sugar to Use:
Tired: When the cells in the muscles stop letting blood sugar in because it is too much, they eventually use up all the stored sugar that is there. Now they have no sugar to burn and are running on empty. So even though you’re eating, when insulin can’t get the sugar into your muscles, they are depleted of energy.
Hungry: Your muscles are sending signals to your brain to eat because they do not have fuel.
Terminology of Sugar :
There are a TON of different types of sugars. Perhaps I’ll write about that soon. But for now, here are a few terms to help demystify the main words surrounding sugar when you’re looking at health.
Glycogen: Sugar is called glycogen once our bodies convert it and store it in our muscles for fuel.
Carbohydrates: Macronutrients found in certain foods and drinks. When we eat carbohydrates, our digestive system breaks them down into a simple sugar called glucose.
Glucose: A simple sugar that our digestive systems create from carbohydrates.
Blood Glucose: Concentration of glucose in our bloodstream..
Blood Sugar: Used interchangeably with Blood Glucose.
Okay, I hope that was helpful! Please let me know if you'd like to learn more!