Let’s talk about blood sugar, or blood glucose. Maybe you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes and you’re not sure where to start. Or maybe you’ve just been hearing some buzz about “blood sugar-friendly foods” and you’re wondering if you should pay attention.
When blood sugar spikes after eating, it can leave you feeling tired, lethargic and moody. Over time, chronic blood sugar issues can put you at risk for conditions like kidney disease, heart disease and even dementia.
The good news is, you can improve your blood sugar control today with a few simple steps.
What causes blood sugar spikes?
First, let me define what a blood sugar spike is and how it happens. A blood sugar spike occurs when your blood glucose level rises right after eating. This is actually a normal occurrence in all people after eating foods that contain carbohydrates. When this happens, two important reactions take place in the pancreas: an immediate release of insulin and an immediate release of a hormone called amylin.
Insulin works quickly to move glucose out of the bloodstream and into cells. This takes just a matter of minutes. The amylin helps prevent food from reaching the small intestine too fast (where most nutrients are absorbed). Most of the time, the after-meal blood glucose rise is temporary, even hardly noticeable.
But for people with diabetes, these normal post-meal reactions are hampered. In people with Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas makes insulin, but the cells don’t respond to it as they should. This is referred to as insulin resistance.
Since the glucose can’t get into cells, the blood sugar level quickly rises. Diabetics (Type 1 or Type 2) who are on insulin therapy typically experience a significant delay in the reduction of blood sugar because it can take up to 15 minutes for the insulin to begin working. Diabetics also either do not produce amylin at all, or not in sufficient quantities. This causes their food to be digested much faster.
As a result of delayed insulin release and a faster digestion rate, blood sugar levels can rise very high right after eating. Once the insulin finally kicks in, a rapid drop in blood sugar can occur.
How these blood sugar spikes affect your health
Over time, recurrent spikes in after-meal blood sugars can raise your HbA1c level. HbA1c is a measure of your average blood sugar over a three-month period. Having an elevated HbA1c has been shown to increase the risk of other health complications.
Research has shown that frequent high blood sugar levels after a meal can exacerbate the onset of kidney disease and accelerate the progression of retinopathy. Type 2 diabetics may experience more cardiovascular problems when post-meal blood sugar spikes occur frequently.
Cognitive decline, including an increased risk of dementia, has also been associated with after-meal sugar spikes and large variations in blood sugar levels. Other short-term complications can include fatigue, cognitive impairment (also called brain fog), reduced physical ability and changes in mood.
One study conducted on the effects of acute high blood sugar on cognitive function and mood in Type 2 diabetics found that the speed of information processing, memory, and some features of attention were all impaired during elevated blood sugar readings. It was also noted that participants experienced a reduction in energy and increased sadness and anxiety.
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