Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is a very important part of avoiding long-term health issues, managing your weight and just feeling good. Health problems related to blood sugar imbalances are a rapidly growing burden that is reaching epidemic proportions.

The American Diabetes Association estimates that well over 100 million people in the U.S. alone have health problems related to blood sugar imbalances, and staggeringly, that over 80% of these people don’t know it. The health costs of conditions related to blood sugar imbalance are estimated to be over $250 billion per year in medical costs and reduced productivity. These worrying numbers are also reflected in an ever-growing number of countries around the world, making this one of the biggest issues facing public health today.

Blood sugar levels measure the amount of glucose present in your blood stream. Glucose is the building block of the carbohydrates you eat and is your body’s primary source of energy. It is absorbed by almost every cell in your body and combined with oxygen in the tiny power plants inside your cells called mitochondria to create a special molecule called “ATP”. ATP powers your cellular machinery and fuels cell growth and function. When you eat carbohydrates, glucose enters your blood stream and a special hormone called “insulin” is released which encourages your cells to absorb the glucose as fuel. However, when your diet is consistently high in carbs and sugars, your body can become insensitive to insulin, the glucose is not properly absorbed anymore and it remains circulating in your blood stream.

This persistently high blood sugar level is a condition known as “hyperglycemia”; and it can develop into a whole host of health issues if not properly controlled. At first it can leave you feeling hungry because your cells aren’t getting the energy they need to function properly. And what do we do when we feel hungry? We eat more. However, when your insulin isn’t working as it should, the calories you consume can’t be properly utilized for energy, and a significant proportion end up getting stored as fat.

Hyperglycemia can also make you very thirsty as your kidneys try to flush the excess sugar out of your blood, taking a lot of bodily fluid with it. The resulting dehydration can adversely affect your concentration, blood pressure and kidneys and leave you feeling lethargic and unwell.

The most important symptom however is a severe lack of energy. When your mitochondria are starved of glucose, they cannot produce enough ATP to properly power your cells and all of their functions. Your mitochondria can stop working properly and may become unable to effectively neutralize the free radicals that they produce when making ATP. When this happens, your cells can go into a state called “oxidative stress” where the excess free radicals can damage your mitochondria and other cellular components, including your DNA. Oxidative stress has been identified as a significant contributor to hundreds of different diseases affecting every organ and bodily system, including decreased insulin sensitivity.

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