Understanding Blood Sugar and Insulin Relationship

Insulin and glucagon are both secreted in pancreas. Insulin encourages to store the energy and nutrients. Glucagon on the other hand want to spend and waste energy. Depending on what we eat, pancreas secrets one more than the other. If the food consumption is higher in carbohydrates, then the insulin will be the dominant, which means body wants to store more than using. If the food consumption is low in carbohydrates, then the glucagon will be dominant which promotes the body to use more energy. Therefore, depending on insulin to glucagon ratio, what your body wants to accomplish will be different.

Insulin plays important role in our body of regulating blood sugar level. If the body receive more sugar or carbohydrates, then insulin will be secreted more. This is also true when we eat more frequent basis. When consuming 6 times a day, regardless of what you eat, insulin will be release at least 6 times. If you are fit and has relatively lower body fat (m<10%; f<20%) this may work towards building muscles and giving us proper energy to be physically active. However, if you are looking to lose weight, consuming food or beverages more frequently will cause more weight gain because of frequent secretion of insulin.

When insulin is secreted too much too frequent, our cells, mainly skeletal muscle cells, resist of binding with insulin to receive more energy. This condition is called insulin resistance. Because insulin is resisted by the cells, naturally blood sugar level remain elevated. And when the blood sugar level is remaining high, the body will be secreting more insulin. This is a typical reason for obesity rate is increasing and a reason why most people cannot lose weight and maintain lean body.

In the U.S. healthy blood sugar range is 65-99mg/dL. However, according to the study, for every one-point rise in fasting blood sugar over 84mg.dL, an individual’s risk of diabetes increases by 6%. Which means, when the blood sugar level is at 99mg/dL, which is still consider normal, the risk of becoming diabetes increase by 90%.

Problem that we do not consider is the insulin level or in our blood test it is known as HbA1c. HbA1c is measure of how the body was able to control the blood sugar in past 3 month. Ideally, we would like to keep this measurement below 5.6. Anything between 5.7 to 6.4 is considered prediabetes and 6.5 and above is considered diabetic.

If the blood sugar and insulin are high, it indicates an insulin resistance. When the blood sugar is high and insulin is low (lower than 5.6 for example), the body is in the process of developing diabetes, even when fasting blood sugar level is normal. And if the blood sugar level is somewhere between low and normal, and insulin level is high, then the body is in the process of becoming insulin resistant.

Rise of blood sugar level and insulin level is related with diet high in carbohydrate and refined sugar, chronic stress, lack of physical activity, medications, and some type of diseases. If you are struggling with weight loss or not sure of what to check on your blood test results, check your fasting glucose and HbA1c and see where you are.

Kota Shimada