Why Glucose Spikes Are So Bad for You

I recently read Jessie Inchauspe’s Glucose Revolution, the life-changing power of balancing your blood sugar. It is an interesting, quick read, chock full of useful information about how food, particularly carbs, works in the body and the impact of glucose, or blood sugar, on our health.

Glucose comes from the sweet and starchy foods (carbs) we eat and provides our body the necessary fuel it needs but can wreak havoc on our health if in excess. Unfortunately, most of us get way too much glucose in our diet. Excess glucose prompts us to gain weight, feel tired, break out with acne, and suffer from low mood. It also sets us up for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune conditions, and more.

• Our food breaks down into protein, fat, fiber, starch, and sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose). Sweet foods usually contain a combo of glucose and fructose whereas savory carbs usually contain only glucose. Complex carbs have fiber and some protein and are much better for our health than simple carbs.

• Fructose is sweeter than glucose but is not necessary for the functioning of our body. Fructose gets processed differently than glucose, going directly to the liver where it is converted to fat and can develop into nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). NAFLD is increasingly common; striking one out of every 4 adults, while 70% of people who are overweight have it.

So why are glucose spikes so bad for you? Inchauspe explains that excess glucose does three troublesome things in the body.

1) Causes free radicals and oxidative stress. After we eat, glucose rushes into our cells to provide us energy but when the cells are already full, the cells cannot take up the excess glucose. The mitochondria (the energy factories of our cells) are often so crowded and overwhelmed with excess glucose that they can’t convert glucose into energy effectively. They also release free radicals which damage anything they touch.

• Free radicals damage our DNA and the membranes of our cells, and make mutations that can lead to the development of cancer. When the body has too many free radicals attacking its tissues and cells, the body is said to be in a state of oxidative stress.

• Oxidative stress is a driver of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline and general aging. Fructose increases oxidative stress even more than glucose so sweet foods (which contain fructose) are worse than starchy foods (which don’t). Too much fat can also increase oxidative stress.

2) Causes Glycation and Inflammation. Inside our bodies, we are browning like a piece of toast in a toaster in a process called glycation. The browning happens when a glucose molecule bumps into another type of molecule, leaving the second molecule damaged and “glycated.” This is a normal life process and is why we age and eventually die. Browning is aging so if you can slow your browning, you can extend your life. We can’t stop the process but we can slow it or speed it up.

• Excess glucose will bring accelerated glycation. Glycated cells cannot become unglycated, just like you can’t untoast a piece of bread. The long-term consequences of glycated molecules range from general age-related processes like wrinkles to Alzheimer’s and heart disease.

• Fructose molecules glycate 10 times faster than glucose; another reason why spikes from sugary foods (like cake) age us faster than spikes from starchy foods (pasta).

• Hemoglobin A1C test measures how many red blood cell proteins have been glycated by glucose over the past 2-3 months.

• The combination of too many free radicals, oxidative stress, and glycation leads to generalized inflammation in the body. Inflammation can also be boosted by alcohol, smoking, stress, leaky gut syndrome, and substances released by body fat. Chronic inflammation leads to chronic illnesses, such as stroke, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, etc. Three out of 5 people will die of an inflammation-based disease.

3) Causes Insulin Spikes and Fat Gain. When glucose levels increase, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin throughout the bloodstream. Insulin’s job is to store glucose in your cells, your liver, and your muscles.

• Our liver turns glucose into glycogen so that glucose cannot cause oxidative stress and glycation. The liver can hold about 100 grams of glucose in glycogen form (half of the 200 grams of glucose your body needs for energy per day).

• Our muscles are efficient storage units and hold about 400 grams of glucose or glycogen.

• Once insulin has stored all the glucose it can in the liver and muscles, any excess glucose gets stored as fat.

Fructose cannot be turned into glycogen and stored in the liver and muscles; it only can be stored as fat. First it accumulates in the liver and drives NAFLD, and then it fills up fat cells. Finally, it enters the bloodstream and contributes to an increased risk of heart disease—another reason why you should choose savory foods before sweet foods (that contain fructose).

• Ironically, “fat free” foods often contain a lot of sucrose, which is a combination of glucose and fructose, so the fructose gets turned into fat anyway.

The more glucose spikes we get, the more insulin is released in our bodies to try to manage the glucose. Chronically elevated levels of insulin are the root cause of obesity, type 2 diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and many other chronic diseases.

• When we flatten our glucose curves, we flatten our insulin curves as well. If there is insulin present in the body, our body is prevented from burning fat. We are not able to burn any existing fat reserves until our insulin levels come back down about 2 hours later. When our glucose and insulin levels drop, we can more easily lose weight and stave off disease.

**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from information from Jessie Inchauspe’s Glucose Revolution book. It is not to be considered medical advice.**