At any given time, the level of glucose, sugar, in the blood fluctuates. A small deviation up or down or a slow deviation in either direction goes unnoticed and has no consequences. However, a rapid rise or fall of blood glucose presents trouble.
Definitions
Blood glucose represents the amount of sugar in the body's serum. Most of it comes from ingested foods. Insulin, a protein hormone, comes from the pancreas. When food enters the blood system, glucose floods the blood stream. In response, the pancreas secretes insulin into the blood where it couples with the glucose. Then the insulin escorts the glucose to the cells of the body. A properly functioning pancreas provides just the right amount of insulin to clear the bloodstream of glucose quickly. According to Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, 2010, the normal glucose level falls between 60 and 110 mg/dL when tested after fasting.
Significance
The body uses glucose in many ways. Endocrine Physiology, 1997 states the brain depends on it for energy metabolism. Muscles and body tissue use glucose as well, however, they can also break down fat, adipose tissue, for their energy needs. Fortunately, insulin knows to satisfy the brain's requirements first and channels the brain's share of glucose to it before accommodating the peripheral tissues of the body. Unfortunately, the system of insulin matched to glucose doesn't always run smoothly.
Hyperglycemia
"Hyper" meaning too much aptly names the condition of diabetes. Sometimes, the pancreas stops releasing insulin, a situation that means too much glucose stays in the bloodstream. Because glucose has a high acidic make-up, it becomes corrosive to the blood vessels. The damage glucose does results in eye trouble, peripheral nerve death and cardiovascular disease. In some cases not enough insulin gets secreted by the pancreas or for various reasons the insulin will not pair up with the glucose. This insulin resistance often comes as a result of a high sugar/high fat diet with a sedentary lifestyle. Insulin becomes so overworked and overwhelmed by huge amounts of ingested sugar that it cannot do its job. Insulin injections and/or oral medications can treat this condition.
Hypoglycemia
In hypoglycemia the reverse takes place. The lowered glucose in the blood often occurs because a diabetic, who takes insulin, has taken too much and not eaten enough so the insulin outnumbers the glucose. However, hypoglycemia can happen to a non-diabetic when a person goes for long stretches of time without food. The brain, starved for glucose, malfunctions. As a result, the person experiences restlessness, irritability, motor in-coordination, confusion, tingling sensations, headache, sweating and possible loss of consciousness, coma and death. A person with low blood sugar must learn how to space meals with added healthy snack times to fill in the gaps. A diet low in sugar benefits the person by not allowing a surge of blood glucose from ingesting simple carbohydrates that causes a quick decline in blood glucose.
Prevention
Genetics and lifestyle play a role in developing hyperglycemia. While we cannot change our gene pool we can make a difference by altering the way we live and eat. To lower your blood glucose levels, limit intake of sugars and fats and aim to carry less excess weight on your body. Exercise not only keeps the weight down, it promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. On the other hand, if your glucose level takes a dive soon after you eat, increase the complex carbohydrates in your diet. Eat whole grains, beans and legumes and lots of vegetables. The idea is to eat mostly foods that take a long time to turn into sugar in the body. To become familiar with those, purchase a guide of glycemic indexed food. See website below. Also plan those in between meal snacks to give you a boost. Seek medical help if your blood glucose deviates too high or too low from the norm.
References
- Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; Stephen J. McPhee and Maxine A. Papadakis; 2010
- Endocrine Physiology; Susan P. Porterfield; 1997
