Blood Sugar Control: Maintaining Normal Blood Sugar Levels
Blood sugar refers to the glucose present in your blood. Glucose is the main sugar found in your blood and is the body’s primary source of energy. You receive glucose from the food you eat, specifically carbohydrates.
Blood sugar levels represent the amount of glucose being carried through the bloodstream at the time the measurement is taken, and are an indication of how efficiently your body metabolizes glucose. Blood sugar levels may fluctuate throughout the day, though they typically rise following a meal. Because glucose is such a vital source of energy, maintaining levels that are neither too low nor too high is important to supporting the optimal functions of the body. So, how are we able to maintain normal blood glucose levels, and what are the potential effects of high blood sugar on the body?
From Carbohydrates to Sugar: How Your Body Obtains Glucose
Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients (which include protein and fat) that the body requires in sufficient amounts to promote optimal nutrition. Carbs are part of a well-balanced diet and include starches, fiber, and sugars. While many people who are looking to eat healthy or manage their weight may initially think that carbs are unhealthy, the truth is that your body needs carbs--what matters is ensuring you eat the right carbs.
Moderate amounts of simple carbohydrates from the sugar found in fruits, as well as the complex carbohydrates in whole grains, raw vegetables, beans, and lentils, are generally considered healthy. On the other hand, it may be best to limit your intake of refined sugars added to baked goods, candy, and artificial sweeteners. To learn more about the differences between simple and complex carbs, check out our macronutrients guide on carbohydrates.
When you eat foods containing carbohydrates, your digestive system breaks them down into their smaller components, which are known as monosaccharides. Monosaccharides are converted into glucose by the liver, and glucose is released into the bloodstream to supply every cell in the body with the energy they need to carry out their various metabolic functions. Excess glucose is stored in the liver and the muscles as a sugar called glycogen. When we are sleeping, or between meals, the body uses glycogen as a source of energy.
Insulin & Glucagon: The Body’s Form of Blood Sugar Control
Your body is able to regulate blood sugar levels through the release of two hormones that are secreted by the pancreas: insulin and glucagon. Insulin and glucagon work together to maintain normal blood sugar levels. When glucose levels are high, insulin is released to bring those blood sugar levels back down. When blood sugar is low, glucagon is released to raise those levels.
What Does Insulin Do?
Insulin allows your body to utilize the glucose you derive from carbohydrates. It supports the absorption of glucose by your muscles, liver, and fatty tissue. Most of the body’s cells cannot use glucose directly, but insulin attaches to special insulin receptors on the cellular membrane, essentially “unlocking” the cell and allowing it to absorb glucose. Without the normal release of insulin, blood sugar levels remain high.
There are always low levels of insulin circulating in the blood, but those levels rise in response to a spike in blood sugar, most typically after eating. When blood sugar is high, the excess is absorbed by the liver and converted into glycogen.
What Does Glucagon Do?
The storage of glucose as glycogen is necessary to fuel the body when blood sugar is low; it allows the body to maintain normal blood sugar levels. When blood sugar drops, the pancreas secretes glucagon. Glucagon signals the liver to convert glycogen into glucose, thus raising blood sugar levels and signaling the secretion of insulin to ensure that glucose is properly absorbed by the body’s cells.
Insulin and glucagon work together in a cycle to maintain a sense of homeostasis in the body as far as blood sugar is concerned. Optimal bodily function depends, in part, on a balance of these two hormones. When one is too low or too high, this can lead to greater fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which may potentially result in various health concerns.
How to Maintain Normal Blood Sugar Levels
Blood sugar levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), and 99 mg/DL is generally considered a normal fasting blood sugar level--that is, your blood sugar measurement between meals, when food hasn’t increased the amount of glucose in your bloodstream. However, everybody is different, so it is important to consult with your physician to determine whether your blood sugar falls into a healthy range given your individual circumstances.
For some people, some of the factors impacting blood sugar are beyond their control, such as heredity. Some people experience abnormal blood sugar levels due to a disease or serious health condition. Those individuals fall outside the scope of this article, and should follow the advice of their health care providers in managing their health. However, many people may be able to help promote their body’s normal maintenance of blood glucose through healthy lifestyle choices. Exercise, for example, helps your body burn excess sugar, and may also promote insulin sensitivity.
One of the most important ways to manage blood sugar is through a healthy, well-rounded diet that contains adequate amounts of the right carbohydrates, and avoids unhealthy refined sugars and saturated fats.
When deciding on the right foods to incorporate into your diet, you may consider a low glycemic diet. Low glycemic foods are those which have a minimal impact on your blood sugar levels, which may help to support normal insulin production. The goal of a low glycemic diet is to incorporate foods that do not significantly raise your blood sugar levels.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly foods may raise your blood sugar levels on a scale of 0 to 100:
0 to 55 are low glycemic foods
56 to 69 are medium glycemic foods
70 to 100 are high glycemic foods
Low glycemic foods cause minimal fluctuations in blood sugar levels, meaning they do not significantly increase insulin production. High glycemic foods, on the other hand, may raise blood sugar levels and increase insulin production.
A food’s glycemic load (GL) measures how much of the carbohydrates in a serving size of any given food are actually digestible. This provides some context to that food’s score on the glycemic index, and is a more accurate indication of how a meal might impact your blood sugar levels. As with the glycemic index, the lower the glycemic load, the less of an impact it will have.
Glycemic load is measured as:
0 to 10 indicates a low glycemic load
11 to 19 indicates a medium glycemic load
20 and above indicates a high glycemic load
Each number of a food’s glycemic load equals approximately 1 gram of carbohydrates.
Remember, the goal of low glycemic eating is to promote normal blood sugar levels, and in turn, normal insulin levels. When insulin production increases in response to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels, this signals your body to store fat. If your diet includes an overwhelming proportion of high glycemic foods, it may lead to your body storing more fat. This makes low glycemic eating an important component in weight management.
For a more thorough understanding of the glycemic index and glycemic load, we recommend checking out the TLS® Health Guide & Journal. TLS® Weight Loss Solutions is an innovative program that seeks to change the way you think about weight management and health living. The program goes far beyond weight loss, fostering an overall, well-rounded lifestyle change that includes healthy eating, exercise, developing a positive mindset, and reinforcing positive habits--all to help you achieve your health and nutrition goals.
TLS® uses a four-pronged approach to transition to a healthier lifestyle:
Low-Glycemic Eating to incorporate healthy foods into your diet that support your metabolism, help you lose fat, and help maintain normal blood sugar levels.
Body Composition focuses on exercise that not only burns fat but promotes an optimal muscle-to-fat ratio.
Education, because knowledge is power, and TLS® seeks to empower you with insight into the most important aspects of healthy living so you can make informed decisions about your new lifestyle.
Science-Based Supplementation to support your other efforts to eat right, support your metabolism, and boost energy.*
The TLS® program features several dietary supplements that can be used short-term or long-term, depending on your individual needs and goals. The following supplements may help to help maintain normal blood sugar levels in people who have normal blood sugar levels.*
TLS® CORE Fat & Carb Inhibitor works to promote leptin sensitivity. Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat that contributes to the feeling of hunger. It signals to the brain when to eat, how much to eat, and when to stop eating. TLS® CORE Fat & Carb Inhibitor may help to manage hunger and suppress appetite by promoting a feeling of fullness.*
TLS® CORE Fat & Carb Inhibitor contains chromium, which supports normal insulin activity.*
Stress of most kinds, either mental, emotional, or physical, may trigger a “fight or flight” response that stimulates the adrenal gland to release hormones like cortisol, to give your body a burst of energy in order to deal with the stress. Sustained or excessive states of stress may result in continuous cortisol production. TLS® ACTS may help promote normal adrenal gland function, which may support normal cortisol levels.*
TLS® Trim Tea is a gluten-free, thermogenic tea that is formulated to help curb your appetite, support metabolic balance, and help maintain normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Trim Tea contains a blend black tea extract and WellTrim® iG, or African mango seed extract, to moderate enzyme activity that may reduce the amount of starch you ingest that is stored in the body as fats. It may also help support normal insulin activity.*
TLS® Green Coffee Plus Garcinia Cambogia is formulated to help burn fat and inhibit the conversion of excess sugar into fat in the body. It contains Svetol®, a clinically tested green coffee bean extract.*
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product(s) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
†Svetol® is a registered trademark of Naturex, Inc.
Sources
“8 Principles of Low Glycemic Eating.” Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School. Web. 10 Jan. 2018.
“Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar”. The Nutrition Source, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Web. 10 Jan. 2018.
“Blood Sugar”. MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Web. 10 Jan. 2018.
Palermo, Elizabeth. “What Is Normal Blood Sugar?”. Live Science. 31 Mar. 2014. Web. 10 Jan. 2018. Nordqvist, Christian.
“Blood Sugar or Blood Glucose: What Does It Do?”. Medical News Today. 08 Feb. 2017. Web. 10 Jan. 2018. Semeco, Arlene, MS, RD.
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