Whether it’s biohacking podcasters, flashy social media ads, nutrition gurus, or eye-popping influencers, you’ve probably heard that well-managed blood sugar is the foundation of good health.
Managing your blood sugar is no longer considered just a concern for people with diabetes. It is now touted as the key to perfect nutrition, unlimited energy and reduced inflammation.
It’s no wonder that online searches for “blood sugar” have jumped more than 30% in the past five years, and the global market for continuous glucose monitors is expected to grow tenfold over the next decade.
However, despite the gargantuan hype, there’s something most doctors want you to know: Most of us really don’t need to worry about blood sugar at all. Health influencers are wrong.
In the words of Dr Nicola Guess, a clinical dietitian and academic at the University of Oxford: “These people don’t know what they’re talking about. »
You don’t need to be afraid of roller coasters
The main thing you’ve probably heard about blood sugar is to be wary of “highs and lows.” But what does this actually mean?
Well, imagine eating a slice of soft, chewy white bread. As you digest it, your body breaks down the carbohydrates into glucose – this simple sugar then enters your bloodstream.
If you’re metabolically healthy, your body responds by releasing insulin, a hormone that helps transport glucose from your blood to your cells, where it can be used for energy. As insulin does its job, your blood sugar levels begin to drop.
Since white bread is a refined carbohydrate, it quickly breaks down into glucose. This can cause a sharp rise in blood sugar, followed by a rapid insulin response to bring it down.
The result? A relatively high blood sugar peak leading to a low trough.
At first glance, this may seem alarming. Health influencers often claim that the blood sugar roller coaster leads to inflammation, energy crashes, cravings and, over time, poor metabolic health.
This is why they advise against foods that cause sharp spikes and drops in blood sugar, such as white bread, pasta, white rice, potatoes, cookies, cakes and pastries.
Instead, they recommend sticking to low-glycemic foods like vegetables, legumes, meat, fish, and healthy fats, which would keep blood sugar levels more stable.
And to be fair, this advice isn’t entirely wrong. It’s true that eating protein, fiber and fat as well as carbohydrates can dampen your blood sugar response.
Think again about that slice of white bread: brushing it with butter – which is high in fat – would slow the absorption of glucose, thus helping to alleviate the blood sugar spike.
Swap the bread for wholemeal bread, and the extra fiber would help stabilize the rise even more. Add a spread of oily peanut butter, and the fat and protein would help smooth things out even more.
However, you don’t need to meticulously balance the fats, proteins, carbs, and fiber in every bite to be healthy. Despite the bad press, most rises and falls in blood sugar are normal – and for most people, nothing to worry about.
“Your blood sugar should rise after a high-carb meal. This is a normal physiological response,” says Sarah Berry, professor of nutritional science at King’s College London and chief scientist at nutrition company ZOE.
“Blood sugar is supposed to rise and fall, and our bodies are really smart and capable of handling it.”
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Ups and downs are normal
One of the most persistent – and misleading – myths about blood sugar is that daily peaks and valleys trigger harmful inflammation in your body.
You may have seen this in TikTok videos with blood sugar monitoring charts or read it in captions under photos of avocado toast promising “anti-inflammatory” blood sugar hacks.
However, inflammation isn’t always a bad thing.
“Changes in glucose after a meal do cause inflammation, but that’s because inflammation is a normal response to eating,” says Guess.
Every time we eat, she explains, our immune system gets a slight boost to protect the body from potential threats, like bacteria or pathogens.
This mild, short-lived inflammation is not only expected: it is beneficial in most circumstances.
“Only if your blood sugar levels are excessively high, followed by small drops, is there a problem,” says Berry. “If this happens repeatedly over a long period of time, it could increase your risk of chronic disease.”
In other words, a long-term diet high in refined carbohydrates and sugary treats can lead to frequent blood sugar spikes, which over time can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
But for most people, occasional rises and falls in blood sugar after meals are completely normal and harmless.
“Spikes or drops in blood sugar will not cause you any harm, in moderation,” assures Berry.
The mystery of the afternoon slump
You’ve probably heard that fluctuations in blood sugar levels lead to fluctuations in energy – with spikes and drops blamed on mid-afternoon dips. While there is some truth to this warning, there is still much that researchers don’t completely understand.
The science in this area is still surprisingly new, but several recent studies, including the one led by Berry, suggest that some people do indeed experience fatigue and anxiety when their blood sugar drops. But blood sugar is probably only one factor causing this fatigue.
Other influences – such as sleep quality, stress levels and individual biological differences – may play an equal or greater role.
“There’s a lot we don’t know,” admits Guess. “It’s very difficult to study how people feel, because we can’t measure it objectively. »
Although the exact causes of fatigue or sudden changes in energy remain unclear, a slight drop in blood sugar is generally not dangerous — at least not for people without diabetes.
Your afternoon slump isn’t going to kill you, and it’s unlikely to harm your long-term health.
Indeed, your body does not rely solely on glucose for energy. You don’t run on just one type of fuel. If humans were cars, we would be hybrids: able to draw fuel from multiple sources to keep us running.
“Glucose serves as fuel – it’s a form of energy in the body,” says Guess. “Our body is able to switch between using the fat in it for energy, and then when we eat, we use the energy from the meal.”
A short-term drop in your blood sugar may make you feel a little under the weather, but it doesn’t mean you’re low on energy. Your body simply shifts gears, drawing on other energy reserves.
You’re not about to collapse, it’s just your system switching to another fuel source.
You don’t need blood sugar hacks
You may have heard of some blood sugar tips, tricks, and hacks to avoid those pesky spikes and dips (which, again, are usually okay).
Maybe you’ve heard, for example, that you should delicately dress your grapes with cheese, dip apple slices in peanut butter, and start your meals with vegetables, all in the name of calm blood sugar responses.
These tips may be helpful for people with prediabetes, diabetes, or insulin resistance, because—as we’ve discussed—adding fat, protein, and fiber to your carbs can help calm blood sugar reactions.
But for most of us, Guess says these tips are useless and useless.
Even for people with metabolic problems, she says, adding extra fat to your diet might just add unnecessary calories.
“It’s weight gain that primarily causes insulin resistance, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes, and it’s weight loss that improves all of these things,” she explains. “All you’re doing by adding fat to a carbohydrate is hindering the effectiveness of weight loss.”
Berry adds that the solution to improving blood sugar lies not in quick tricks, but rather in ensuring that the meals you eat are healthy and balanced, with a mix of protein, fat and fiber.
The problem with glucometers
Some people take their blood sugar worry to the next level. In recent years, non-diabetics have increasingly tended to use continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), medical devices originally designed for people with type 1 diabetes. Worn on the arm, these sensors track blood sugar levels in real time.
Dr David Unwin, a GP specializing in nutrition, says CGMs can be a useful tool for people with diabetes, prediabetes or junk food addiction, as they are “like having a policeman on your side”, giving patients immediate information about hidden sugar in their diet.
Many CGM providers encourage participants to wear the device for a short period of time, such as two weeks, to discover how their individual blood sugar responds to different meals.
But Berry says constant wearing of a CGM is neither “necessary nor helpful for healthy people.” Guess warns that this can cause “deep anxiety or mental health effects” around food.
In extreme cases, this worry can develop into dangerous eating behaviors, such as orthorexia: an eating disorder characterized by an obsession with achieving perfect health.
To be clear, there isn’t much empirical evidence demonstrating that CGM use deteriorates into full-blown orthorexia, and Unwin says none of his patients appear to have developed eating disorders as a result of having their blood monitored…
Gn Health
