How your blood sugar levels can affect your health, and how to regulate your blood sugar levels using glucose hacks
Glucose levels (or blood sugar levels) can affect your health in many ways -- regardless whether you have diabetes. Glucose levels can be affected by what you eat, how you eat, how you move, your stress levels, and more [1]. Thankfully, there are ways to control your blood sugar levels (explained further below), such as stacking your foods in the correct order, having a savory breakfast, eating your vegetables first, drinking diluted apple cider vinegar, moving after you eat, "clothing" your carbohydrates, eating the whole fruit, choosing your alcohols wisely, and eating your sweets wisely. Using these hacks can benefit your health in many ways. The most surprising benefit may be the reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
*The terms blood sugar and blood glucose can be used interchangeably.
Stanford's Shocking Study:
Hall et al. studied the glucose levels of healthy and diabetic individuals over a two-week time period [16]. They then looked at their rising and falling blood sugar levels.
Synder described how “some folks who think they’re healthy actually are mis-regulating glucose — sometimes at the same severity of people with diabetes — and they have no idea,” [2].
Hall et al. performed an additional study comparing an individual's blood sugar levels over time, after eating three different breakfasts (cornflakes with milk, a peanut butter sandwich and a protein bar) [16]. The results were shocking.
"After eating one or more of the meals, more than half of the group — whose prior blood sugar tests showed that they were “healthy” — spiked at the same levels as those of people who were prediabetic or diabetic [2]".
Effects of Blood Glucose/Sugar Spikes:
When blood glucose spikes, the mitochondria become overwhelmed, which can lead to oxidative stress and inflammation, which are at the root of many diseases [1]. Every time glucose spikes, glycation (the process of aging) occurs in the body. Reducing glycation in the body can lead to an increased lifespan [3]. Managing blood glucose levels is one practice that can decrease glycation in the body [4]. Thankfully, there are easy ways to reduce blood glucose spikes.
The Glucose Hacks:
Jessie Inchauspé, or "The Glucose Goddess," is a biochemist who shares research studies about blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, and more in easy-to-understand ways. She has been endorsed by other well-known individuals in the wellness world such as David Sinclair, Mark Hyman, Will Cole, and more. The graphs below were created by Jessie as a visual representation of how glucose hacks can affect your blood sugar spikes.
*All of the graphs were taken from Jessie's instagram.
Stack Your Meal
Eating vegetables, proteins, and fats BEFORE eating carbohydrates is one way to reduce blood glucose spikes [5]. The same three items, when eaten in a different order, affect blood glucose spikes as shown below.
Have A Savory Breakfast
A savory breakfast, as opposed to a sweet one, decreases blood glucose spikes after breakfast and can reduce cravings throughout the day [6].
Start Your Meal With Some Veggies
Increased fiber consumption can improve insulin sensitivity [7]. The fiber in vegetables is ideal for reducing a glucose spike [1].
Drink Diluted Apple Cider Vinegar
Drinking one diluted tablespoon of apple cider vinegar about 20-30 minutes before a meal reduces glucose spikes and increases the amount of excess glucose sent to your muscles (instead of being stored in your liver or converted to fat). It is important to dilute the apple cider vinegar so your teeth can stay healthy. If you don't have apple cider vinegar, other vinegar or acidic liquids (lemon juice) also work well! Eating a salad with a vinegar-based dressing before a meal or incorporating vinegar into the meal is a great way to use this hack. Apple cider vinegar gummies can still make a slight difference but don't have nearly the same impact as diluted apple cider vinegar [1].
Walk or Move After Eating
Walking after a meal or using your muscles has been shown to lower glucose spikes [8]. Some other ways to use your muscles after a meal are working out, doing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen.
Clothe Your Carbs
"Clothing" carbohydrates with protein or fat is a great way to reduce glucose spikes. For example, eating no-sugar nut butter with a pear [1].
Eat The Whole Fruit
When fruit juices are made, the fruit is typically stripped from its fiber, making it much more likely to spike your blood glucose levels. When you eat whole fruit with the skin, the fiber acts as an extra protectant from blood glucose spikes [1].
Choose Your Alcohol Wisely
The alcohol you drink will affect blood glucose spikes. However, for the most part, the glucose spikes are caused by the mixer, not the alcohol itself. The next time you order a drink, think about the glucose hacks and consider using one [1].
Eat Your Desserts/Sweets Wisely
When eating dessert, all of the glucose hacks can be used to help reduce glucose spikes! For example, having some diluted apple cider vinegar before, moving after the dessert, adding some protein/fat/fiber, eating after a meal, and so on [1].
Benefits of flattening glucose curves:
Using the glucose hacks can make glucose spikes less harmful to your health. Some of the benefits are reduced cravings, menopause symptoms, and cancer risk [9, 20, 11]. Improved energy, sleep, mental health, gut health, and heart health can also be seen [12, 13, 14, 6]. Flattening glucose curves can also slower aging and lead to fewer wrinkles [1].
One of the most surprising benefits of flattening your glucose curves is a reduced risk of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). This is because, the brain can become insulin resistant, similar to how individuals with diabetes become insulin resistant. This is a common early feature of AD. Essentially this means that their brain has a decreased ability to use and respond to insulin effectively in the brain [15]. Thankfully, this more recent finding has also lead scientists to explore new ways of treating AD.
As you can see from the graphs Jessie created, it isn't necessary to use all of the hacks all the time. Pick a hack that is easiest and most realistic for you. I have been using these hacks for some time with very positive results. I have found that, for me, the easiest to incorporate are clothing your carbs, moving after eating (I usually wash my dish and clean up), drinking diluted apple cider vinegar, and eating carbs last. I notice that when I don't use the hacks, I feel groggy.
With these hacks, you can still enjoy the same foods you love! It's not a diet telling you what you can and can't eat. Try them out and see how you feel. It is also important to note that everyone will have different glucose levels (and therefore spikes) based on their own individual differences.
Resources:
I highly recommend looking at Jessie's instagram @glucosegoddess or her website. The information she posts is made easy to understand and apply to your own life.
1
Inchauspé, J. (2023, April 4). The science behind glucose goddess. Glucose goddess.
2
Armitage, H. (2018, July 24). Diabetic-level glucose spikes seen in healthy people. Stanford Medicine News
3
Kim, C. S., Park, S., & Kim, J. (2017). The role of glycation in the pathogenesis of
aging and its prevention through herbal products and physical exercise. Journal of exercise nutrition & biochemistry, 21(3), 55–61. https://doi.org/10.20463/jenb.2017.0027
4
Ichihashi, M., Yagi, M., Nomoto, K., & Yonei, Y. (2011). Glycation Stress and Photo-Aging in Skin. Anti-aging
Medicine, 8, 23-29.
5
Nishino, K., Sakurai, M., Takeshita, Y., & Takamura, T. (2018). Consuming Carbohydrates after Meat or
Vegetables Lowers Postprandial Excursions of Glucose and Insulin in Nondiabetic Subjects. Journal of nutritional science and vitaminology, 64(5), 316–320. https://doi.org/10.3177/jnsv.64.316
6
Flynn, M. C., Kraakman, M. J., Tikellis, C., Lee, M. K. S., Hanssen, N. M. J., Kammoun, H. L., Pickering, R. J.,
Dragoljevic, D., Al-Sharea, A., Barrett, T. J., Hortle, F., Byrne, F. L., Olzomer, E., McCarthy, D. A., Schalkwijk, C. G., Forbes, J. M., Hoehn, K., Makowski, L., Lancaster, G. I., El-Osta, A., … Murphy, A. J. (2020). Transient Intermittent Hyperglycemia Accelerates Atherosclerosis by Promoting Myelopoiesis. Circulation research, 127(7), 877–892. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.120.316653
7
Weickert, M. O., & Pfeiffer, A. F. (2008). Metabolic effects of dietary fiber consumption and prevention of
diabetes. The Journal of nutrition, 138(3), 439–442. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/138.3.439
8
Colberg, S. R., Zarrabi, L., Bennington, L., Nakave, A., Thomas Somma, C., Swain, D. P., & Sechrist, S. R.
(2009). Postprandial walking is better for lowering the glycemic effect of dinner than pre-dinner exercise in type 2 diabetic individuals. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 10(6), 394–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2009.03.015
9
Wyatt, P., Berry, S. E., Finlayson, G., O'Driscoll, R., Hadjigeorgiou, G., Drew, D. A., Khatib, H. A., Nguyen, L.
H., Linenberg, I., Chan, A. T., Spector, T. D., Franks, P. W., Wolf, J., Blundell, J., & Valdes, A. M. (2021). Postprandial glycaemic dips predict appetite and energy intake in healthy individuals. Nature metabolism, 3(4), 523–529. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-021-00383-x
10
Jafar, N., Edriss, H., & Nugent, K. (2016). The Effect of Short-Term Hyperglycemia on the Innate Immune
System. The American journal of the medical sciences, 351(2), 201–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjms.2015.11.011
11
Tsujimoto, T., Kajio, H., & Sugiyama, T. (2017). Association between hyperinsulinemia and increased risk of
cancer death in nonobese and obese people: A population-based observational study. International journal of cancer, 141(1), 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.30729
12
Breymeyer, K. L., Lampe, J. W., McGregor, B. A., & Neuhouser, M. L. (2016). Subjective mood and energy
levels of healthy weight and overweight/obese healthy adults on high-and low-glycemic load experimental diets. Appetite, 107, 253–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.08.008
13
Penckofer, S., Quinn, L., Byrn, M., Ferrans, C., Miller, M., & Strange, P. (2012). Does glycemic variability
impact mood and quality of life?. Diabetes technology & therapeutics, 14(4), 303–310. https://doi.org/10.1089/dia.2011.0191
14
Anhê, F. F., Barra, N. G., & Schertzer, J. D. (2020). Glucose alters the symbiotic relationships between gut
microbiota and host physiology. American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism, 318(2), E111–E116. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00485.2019
15
Talbot K. (2014). Brain insulin resistance in Alzheimer's disease and its potential treatment with GLP-1
analogs. Neurodegenerative disease management, 4(1), 31–40. https://doi.org/10.2217/nmt.13.73
16
Hall, H., Perelman, D., Breschi, A., Limcaoco, P., Kellogg, R., McLaughlin, T., & Snyder, M. (2018).
Glucotypes reveal new patterns of glucose dysregulation. PLoS biology, 16(7), e2005143. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005143
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