Hyperglycemia & Carbohydrates

Hyperglycemia is a condition that involves too much glucose, a simple sugar, circulating in your blood. Too much glucose in the bloodstream is harmful to nerves and blood vessels and keeps your cells from properly using it for energy production. Chronic hyperglycemia is a hallmark of diabetes, but it can also be caused by other factors. Carbohydrate-rich diets can lead to temporary hyperglycemia in those with and without diabetes. If you think you may be at risk of developing diabetes, talk with your doctor.

Hyperglycemia

Hyperglycemia, meaning "sweetness of the blood" in Latin, infers too much glucose circulating in your blood plasma. In general, your fasting blood glucose levels should be 70 and 90 mg/dL, and levels above 120 mg/dL are considered mildly hyperglycemic. Diabetics unable to produce enough insulin or those who are insulin resistant are often diagnosed as such when they can't get their glucose levels below 180 mg/dL, although obvious symptoms of hyperglycemia may not be experienced by some until levels climb to 250 mg/dL or higher.

Symptoms

Temporary hyperglycemia from eating a meal high in simple carbohydrates, such as pasta and breads made from white flour, sugary deserts and fruit, is possible, but it's often benign and asymptomatic. Your blood-glucose levels can rise well above normal for short periods of time without producing symptoms or permanent negative effects. Initial symptoms of hyperglycemia include frequent hunger, thirst and urination, which are considered the classic hyperglycemic triad of symptoms, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." Other early effects may include blurred vision, fatigue, tingling in your arms or legs and erectile dysfunction. Long-term, uncontrolled chronic hyperglycemia can produce serious complications, such as recurrent infections, kidney dysfunction, neurological damage, cardiovascular disease, blindness, coma and death.

Causes

Chronic hyperglycemia is often caused by diabetes mellitus. Type-1 diabetics don't produce enough or any insulin, which is needed to shuttle the glucose from your blood and into your cells where it can be metabolized. Type-2 diabetics are resistant to the effects of their insulin, and not enough glucose gets into their cells. Other causes of longer-term hyperglycemia include drug reactions, critical illnesses and severe stress. Short-term hyperglycemia may temporarily occur as a result of eating a meal rich in carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are foods that consist of long-chain and short-chain sugars that your body prefers to use to derive glucose. Vegetables, fruits, breads and pastas are all carbohydrates. According to a study published in a 1992 edition of "Diabetes Care," high-carbohydrate diets may cause accentuation of hyperglycemia, a rise in plasma glucagon levels, and adversely affect blood lipoproteins in people with type-2 diabetes. Diabetics are often advised to reduce simple carbohydrates, such as desserts, some fruits and white bread, and replace them with complex carbohydrates that take longer to metabolize, such as starchy vegetables, potatoes and whole grain foods. For nondiabetics, overeating simple carbohydrates can cause temporary hyperglycemia before enough insulin is secreted to shuttle the glucose into your cells or store it as fat.