High Blood Sugar- Background info

Optimal fasting blood sugar is defined as between 70-85mg/dL. You might be thinking right now, "but my blood sugar is 100, and my doctor told me it is okay as long as it doesn't exceed 125mg/dL." It is important to note here that 70-85mg/dL is the OPTIMAL level, as in the level which inflicts little to no damage to the blood vessels and tissue, which we will discuss more about later. If your blood sugar is 110-125mg/dL, you are in what is considered to be the prediabetic, or "at risk" group. When your fasting blood sugar exceeds 125mg/dL for two consecutive readings, you are then labeled as a diabetic individual, and could therefore be at risk for diabetic complications due to continual high blood sugar values.

There are two types of diabetes. In type one, gestational diabetes (usually diagnosed at birth), the individual is unable to produce their own insulin, the body's natural transporter of glucose. In type two diabetes, individuals have a reduced ability to intake and/or bind insulin into the cells of the body. In both cases, this leads to higher amounts of glucose in the bloodstream; which in turn causes a variety of side effects and symptoms that the individual experiences. Type two diabetes is normally acquired later in life, and through lifestyle and supplement choices we are able to protect ourselves from developing such disorders, or if necessary, protect ourselves from their damaging side effects.

When eating, one should not experience a greater spike in blood sugar than 40mg/dL, for a spike greater than this value will inflict exponentially greater amounts of damage to the blood vessels in particular.There are several tests and ways to monitor your blood sugar levels, which are all great tools to protect yourself from long standing damage which can easy be avoided. As a basic precaution, fasting blood sugar should be measured annually with every checkup, and is a great quick and easy indicator. It is also a good idea to have a hemoglobin a1c and fasting glucose/insulin test every 3-5 years to keep an eye on blood sugar values.

Causes:

-Genetics -Diet -Lack of exercise -Obesity -High Blood Pressure -Stress/ Autoimmune attack -Inflammation -Hormones

Symptoms: -Frequent thirst -Frequent urination -Extreme hunger -Rapid weight gain/loss -Blurred vision -Slow healing -Frequent infections (gum, bladder, skin)

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Causes:

High blood sugar can have a genetic influence, but for most individuals, lifestyle factors play a very heavy influence on blood sugar levels. Our bodies are built with amazing mechanisms to control blood sugar levels and properly manage glucose levels throughout the body. If we take advantage of these systems, or don't protect them properly, they start to degrade, and this can lead to having even further issues with blood sugar levels. This in turn, would lead to more damage.. and well, you get the point.

In today's world, it is very easy for our bodies to become degraded by high blood sugar levels. The foods that we eat are of a very high sugar content, and in many times are void of any other substance like fiber or fat which would slow the digestion of these sugars. This high sugar to low substance ratio leads to a very rapid spike in blood sugar levels, which can very quickly damage the blood vessels and tissues.

As we mentioned earlier, a spike greater than 40mg/dL can greatly damage the body. This is why having a good diet can be so important: in order to maintain the integrity of your ability to digest and use sugars.What is insulin? Insulin is a hormone, or chemical messenger. It is insulin's job to deliver glucose (sugar) from the blood stream into the cells. In order to do this, insulin has to interact or communicate with a unit called a "receptor" on the cell. Insulin is produced in one of our organs called the pancreas. When insulin production is limited (type I diabetics) or insulin cannot communicate with the receptors on the cell (type II), high levels of sugars are left in the bloodstream.

As we have mentioned before, veins are lined with very delicate cells called the endothelial cells. This endothelial lining can be very easily damage and is the most susceptible tissue to a process called "glycation," which is a side effect of having high blood sugar levels. Glycation is the cross linking of sugar molecules to cells or tissues where it shouldn't be. This glycation causes this tissue not to work properly. In the case of your veins, this can damage the flexibility of the vein, leading to vessel breakage, or can limit the flow of nutrients (like oxygen). Glycation can also very easily damage the kidneys and the nerves, two other very commonly afflicted tissues of individuals who have issues with blood sugar. Fortunately, by controlling blood sugar we can limit the actions of glycation.

There are also several agents which have anti-glycating properties, which we will discuss later. As the body seeks to repair this damage, it is important to determine what the causative factor was that led to the initial damage. Ask yourself, due to your lifestyle choices, are any of the following probable causes of your high blood sugar?

Genetics: As we mentioned earlier, genetics is the primary factor behind having type I diabetes. Certain races and regions have been correlated with a higher instance of type 2 diabetes.

Diet: Diet plays a very large role in having issues with managing blood sugar. When we consistently eat foods that are high in sugar, while low in fiber or fat, we easily damage our bodies and our metabolism of sugar.

Lack of exercise: When we do not exercise, our metabolism is often slower, and not as much glucose is burned for energy. This leads to issues with obesity. In addition, exercise dilates our blood vessels which seems to protect and maintain blood vessel integrity. Exercise further can help our bodies to build more muscles, which would lead to an increase in metabolism.

Obesity: Obesity puts a lot of stress on our bodies in the form of inflammation. It also very negatively affects our hormone levels and our metabolism. While most don't recognize it as such, fat is a living endocrine tissue which produces hormones such as estrogens!

High Blood Pressure: High blood sugar can damage blood vessels and the kidneys, leading to issues with high blood pressure. This of course can cause further harm to these systems if left untreated.

Stress/Auto-Immune attack: Stress can have a very negative effect on our adrenal glands, and subsequently can have a very negative affect on the amount of inflammation in our bodies! Stress can also lead to autoimmune attack, which of course can lead to direct damage to the pancreas or other tissues, affecting insulin production or binding.

Inflammation: As we have mentioned, inflammation is a very detrimental process to the body which can directly damage cells and tissues. Inflammation can even influence auto-immune attack. It is important to protect ourselves from inflammation in order to protect our sugar metabolism.

Hormones: Hormones, specifically testosterone, is heavily linked to issues with sugar metabolism. As individuals age, their hormone levels are tremendously impacted, especially when we pass age 40. Males are particularly prone to this decrease in testosterone as they age, and are therefore more susceptible to this low testosterone, high blood sugar link.

Symptoms: -Frequent thirst -Frequent urination -Extreme hunger -Rapid weight gain/loss -Blurred vision -Slow healing -Frequent infections (gum, bladder, skin)

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