April 2024 Newsletter | Blood Sugar and Brain Body Heath
My mission is to be the first woman in 4 generations to not develop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). On my journey of discovering ways to mitigate my risk, I pass this information on to you in this Brain-Body-Health (BBH) Newsletter.
Hello BBH Citizen Scientists!
I am worried about OUR BLOOD SUGAR!
Maintaining healthy blood sugar levels is key to vitality, energy, and well-being. It has far-reaching effects on our health, emotions, mental stability, and ability to heal. Blood sugar is greatly affected by the foods you eat and the carbohydrates they contain. But keeping a proper blood sugar balance is a constant challenge in this culture of carb-laden convenience foods, fast food, and addictive foods. We all need carbohydrates, but most of us eat far more than the body can cope with efficiently. This can put us on the path to weight gain, diabetes, and dementia. We don’t have control over our genes, and have limited control over our environment. But we do have control over our daily food choices.
Did you know some people have called Alzheimer’s Disease diabetes type 3 because of the strong relationship between elevated blood sugar and dementia risk? It has indeed been estimated that if we reduce diabetes in our country by 50% we could cut the AD risk by the same amount.
According to Cleveland Clinic, one in 3 people have pre-diabetes diagnosed by a simple blood test called a HgbA1C. Diminishing insulin sensitivity also known as insulin resistance develops years before prediabetes. Knowing if you are at risk for diabetes is important. A fasting insulin and glucose provide a tool called the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance-HOMA-IR. With this easy calculation, we can see if you are insulin resistant and therefore at risk for diabetes type 2.
You are at risk for type 2 diabetes if you:
Have prediabetes.
Are overweight.
Are 45 years or older.
Have a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes.
Are physically active less than 3 times a week.
Had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or given birth to a baby who weighed over 9 pounds.
Have a certifiable “sweet tooth”. 🤗
Signs of Insulin Resistance:
Carrying more fat around the belly.
Feeling tired, especially after eating.
Craving sweets/simple carbs.
Hunger, lack of satiety, or frequent snacking.
Body type more like an apple than a pear.
It’s a vicious cycle depending on the food you eat and the amount of exercise you do.
Being sedentary, overweight, or obese increases the risk for insulin resistance. Why? It's not clear, but some researchers theorize that extra fat tissue may cause inflammation, physiological stress or other changes in the cells that contribute to insulin resistance.
How is blood sugar tweaking our brains and leading to Alzheimer’s Disease?
Our brains are energy hogs and need lots of it to keep functioning properly. We get energy from the food we eat or drink. Food is then metabolized in the intestine which produces 3 essential macronutrients: Fat, provides the most energy at 9 calories/gm, Protein, and Carbohydrates are both 4 calories/ gm.
Part of the problem is the energy produced by carbs (4 calories) is half as much as fat (9 calories). This means our body needs to keep taking in more carbs to keep up with the energy demands of the brain and body. That is unless we add healthy fat or protein. AND I’m not talking about a hamburger, french fries, and ice cream. ;)))
Remember: Healthy fat is an excellent resource for reducing cravings and increasing your satiety as is protein.
So, what’s up with our carb-craving culture? If carbs give us the lowest amount of bang (energy) for our buck (body) why do we love them so much? It’s because they provide the fastest source of energy to our body. Anybody who has ever felt low blood sugar knows a quick cup of orange juice is one of the ways to raise blood sugar quickly. Bottom line: Carbs are necessary for our health, however, too many carbs raise our blood sugar faster than a speeding bullet. As we age, we become more prone to diabetes because we develop less insulin sensitivity aka insulin resistance.
After a meal or snack insulin, made by the pancreas, answers a call from our blood glucose: "Hello, it says, I need you." However, if you’ve had a carbalicious meal it says “Get your butt down here and help me NOW." The pancreas responds by sending insulin to help glucose get into all of our tissues. After so many years of cake, Butter Fingers (my fave), popcorn ( hubby’s fave), highly processed foods, sodas, and pixie sticks (my 10-year-old’s love) the pancreas says, “I’m not sending any more insulin, I have nothing left to give”, think “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstone. Without its companion insulin, glucose is like a runaway dog looking for a home lurking about in our bloodstream causing inflammation, especially in the susceptible organs like the eyes, brain, kidneys, joints, and blood vessels. Diabetes type 2 and its precursor Insulin Resistance is linked to all of what Peter Attia calls the “4 Horsemen of Chronic Disease.”
Our blood sugar is one of the simplest tests you can look at to determine your risk for metabolic health problems. Poor metabolic health is linked to ASCVD, Cancer, and Dementia, and insulin resistance co-contributes to all of these diseases.
WORST HABITS THAT INCREASE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR:
Lay down and/or nap after you eat.
Eat processed food (white flour, added ingredients with chemical names).
Eat within 3 hours of bedtime.
Drink juices and sodas (diet or regular).
Sleep poorly.
Lead a stressful life.
LESSONS FROM COACHING:
A client recently asked about a friend who “ate well and exercised but could not get rid of belly fat." Here’s my response: Carrying weight in the belly ie., belly fat is a sign of insulin resistance. One can assess this by a simple inexpensive blood tests for a fasting insulin level. Add in a fasting blood sugar (FBG) and you can actually measure the Insulin resistance (IR) by plugging it into a simple math formula. If Insulin, IR or FBG are high it means your friend is insulin resistant which is a precursor to diabetes. Exercise is great for reducing belly fat but if you are taking in too many dietary carbohydrates it will not be enough. This is where using diet in combination with exercise is the real medicine. Strength training is also super important because muscle mass can sync glucose into the muscle so it is not running about the body causing inflammation. Insulin resistance and diabetes are both risk factors for dementia and atherosclerosis. You can do direct-to-consumer blood tests without a physician's orders now through Empower Dx. These are important tests that help direct individualized health care that fits your body. Unfortunately, healthcare is still not getting this important information out to health care providers. We’re still in the penicillin era of treating an ill with a pill and clinical is ten to twenty years behind research.
Grab your measuring tape:
A Waist/Hip ratio is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease than simple waist circumference and body-mass index. Measure your waist close to the level of the belly button (smallest area) and your hips (at their widest part)
Some studies still support a waist-only measurement. What should your waist measurement be? For men, a waist circumference below 94cm (37in) is 'low risk', 94–102cm (37-40in) is 'high risk' and more than 102cm (40in) is 'very high'. For women, below 80cm (31.5in) is low risk, 80–88cm (31.5-34.6in) is high risk and more than 88cm (34.6in) is very high.
Whether you do a Waist/Hip measurement or only a waist these are measurements that determine how much extra fat you are carrying around your waist which predisposes you to insulin resistance, elevated triglycerides and cholesterol, and dementia and a host of other health problems.
LESSONS FROM SCIENCE:
Metabolic consequences of insulin resistance can result in hyperglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hyperuricemia, elevated inflammatory markers, endothelial dysfunction, and a prothrombotic state. The predominant consequence of insulin resistance is type 2 diabetes(T2D). Insulin resistance is thought to precede the development of T2D by 10 to 15 years.
Bring on the ginger-cinnamon-cumin to improve better glycemic control
Since our metabolism of glucose is partly genetic, and partly lifestyle controlled, there is a new device that measures your blood sugar and shows you how your body is metabolizing glucose in real-time. It is called a CGM or continuous glucose device. It has a readout app for the iPhone or Android. I just tried one for 2 weeks with a friend. Stay tuned, I will be writing more about blood sugar and CGM’s next month. Until then add a fasting insulin and fasting blood sugar to your next blood panel.
To our optimized health!
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“If you want to go FAST, go alone. If you want to go FAR, go together."
- African proverb
To our optimized health!