The Human Body and Blood Sugar: Understanding the Impact of Glucose Fluctuations
That is the continuation of 1st part: “How Plants Turn Air into Energy: The Science of Glucose, Fiber, and Your Health“.
The human body consists of more than 30 trillion cells. When glucose enters a cell, its primary purpose is to be converted into energy. The “power plants” that generate this energy are microscopic organelles known as mitochondria. Mitochondria can burn as much energy as the cell needs—no more.
However, when we experience a spike in blood sugar, we are delivering glucose to our cells too quickly. Excess glucose floods the mitochondria, leading to the formation of tiny but very harmful molecules: free radicals. These elements interact randomly with everything they come into contact with. They can modify the DNA code, which may lead to mutations that activate harmful genes, potentially making them cancerous. Free radicals also damage cell membranes, causing normally functioning cells to malfunction.
When we experience repeated sugar spikes, an overwhelming number of free radicals are produced, and our bodies struggle to deal with them. When we are unable to neutralize these free radicals, our body enters a state of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes, and accelerates the overall aging process.
There is also another phenomenon called the Maillard reaction. This process occurs when glucose reacts with other molecules, causing them to become glycated or damaged. This is a normal and inevitable part of life. Although we cannot stop it, we can slow it down or speed it up. The more glucose we introduce into our bodies, the more often glycation occurs. The combination of excessive free radicals, oxidative stress, and glycation leads to inflammation in the body, which results in slow damage to tissues and organs. The World Health Organization recognizes inflammatory diseases as the greatest threat to human health.
As a result, when blood sugar levels spike, the body attempts to quickly remove the excess glucose in order to reduce the production of free radicals and slow down glycation. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, whose job is to store the excess glucose in reserves throughout the body. The first storage site is the liver, a convenient storage area since all blood must pass through it. In the liver, glucose is converted into glycogen, similar to how plants convert glucose into starch. Once converted into glycogen, glucose becomes harmless. The liver can store about 100 grams of glucose in the form of glycogen, which is half of the 200 grams of glucose our body needs each day as fuel.
The second storage site is the muscles, which can store around 400–600 grams of glucose in the form of glycogen. Once insulin fills the liver and muscle stores with glucose, any additional glucose is processed into fat and stored in fat tissue. This is one of the mechanisms that lead to weight gain. It’s important to note that fructose does not convert into glycogen and can only be stored as fat. Therefore, when choosing between two foods, it’s always better to opt for the one with less fructose. Ironically, many products that are labeled as “0% fat” contain a lot of sucrose. After consumption, fructose is converted into fat.
If we want to lose weight, it’s essential to understand what’s happening in our bodies at the cellular level and how insulin can interfere with our plans. Our body processes glycogen from the liver and muscles back into glucose when it is needed by the thousands of mitochondria in every cell. Once glycogen stores are depleted, the body uses fat as fuel—this is when we enter fat-burning mode, and we start to lose weight. However, this only happens when insulin levels are low. This is why, if we plan to lose weight, we should avoid blood sugar spikes.
Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Blood Sugar Spikes
The effects of blood sugar spikes can be divided into two categories:
Short-Term Effects:
- Constant hunger
- Fatigue
- Sleep disturbances
- Hot flashes
- Night sweats
- Migraines
- Memory and cognitive function issues
Long-Term Effects:
- Joint pain and arthritis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Increased cancer risk
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Heart disease
- Infertility
- Diabetes
- Liver diseases
How to Flatten the Blood Sugar Curve?
Now that we understand how harmful and dangerous blood sugar spikes are and the serious consequences they can cause, the logical question arises: How can we flatten the blood sugar curve? In the next section, we will explore this topic in more detail.
Thank you for your attention, Lumin Hopper
Please note: this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Before making any decisions regarding your health or diet, we recommend consulting a qualified professional.
