How It’s Made, How It’s Used, Healthy Levels

Written by Stephanie Watson

• How Your Body Makes Glucose
• Energy and Storage
• Blood Glucose Levels and Diabetes

Glucose comes from the Greek word for “sweet.” It’s a type of sugar you get from foods you eat, and your body uses it for energy. As it travels through your bloodstream to your cells, it’s called blood glucose or blood sugar.

Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into the cells for energy and storage. People with diabetes have higher-than-normal levels of glucose in their blood. Either they don’t have enough insulin to move it through or their cells don’t respond to insulin as well as they should.

High blood glucose for a long period of time can damage your kidneys, eyes, and other organs.

It mainly comes from foods rich in carbohydrates, like bread, potatoes, and fruit. As you eat, food travels down your esophagus to your stomach. There, acids and enzymes break it down into tiny pieces. During that process, glucose is released.

It goes into your intestines where it’s absorbed. From there, it passes into your bloodstream. Once in the blood, insulin helps glucose get to your cells.

Your body is designed to keep the level of glucose in your blood constant. Beta cells in your pancreas monitor your blood sugar level every few seconds. When your blood glucose rises after you eat, the beta cells release insulin into your bloodstream. Insulin acts like a key, unlocking muscle, fat, and liver cells so glucose can get inside them.

Most of the cells in your body use glucose along with amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and fats for energy. But it’s the main source of fuel for your brain. Nerve cells and chemical messengers there need it to help them process information. Without it, your brain wouldn’t be able to work well.

After your body has used the energy it needs, the leftover glucose is stored in little bundles called glycogen in the liver and muscles. Your body can store enough to fuel you for about a day.

After you haven’t eaten for a few hours, your blood glucose level drops. Your pancreas stops churning out insulin. Alpha cells in the pancreas begin to produce a different hormone called glucagon. It signals the liver to break down stored glycogen and turn it back into glucose.

That travels to your bloodstream to replenish your supply until you’re able to eat again. Your liver can also make its own glucose using a combination of waste products, amino acids, and fats.

Your blood sugar level normally rises after you eat. Then it dips a few hours later as insulin moves glucose into your cells. Between meals, your blood sugar should be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). This is called your fasting blood sugar level.

There are two types of diabetes:

• In type 1 diabetes, your body doesn’t have enough insulin. The immune system attacks and destroys cells of the pancreas, where insulin is made.
• In type 2 diabetes, the cells don’t respond to insulin like they should. So the pancreas needs to make more and more insulin to move glucose into the cells. Eventually, the pancreas is damaged and can’t make enough insulin to meet the body’s needs.

Without enough insulin, glucose can’t move into the cells. The blood glucose level stays high. A level over 200 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal or over 125 mg/dl fasting is high blood glucose, called hyperglycemia.

Too much glucose in your bloodstream for a long period of time can damage the vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your organs. High blood sugar can increase your risk for:

• Heart disease, heart attack, and stroke
• Kidney disease
• Nerve damage
• Eye disease called retinopathy

People with diabetes need to test their blood sugar often. Exercise, diet, and medicine can help keep blood glucose in a healthy range and prevent these complications.

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What Is Glucose and What Does It Do?

You may know glucose by another name: blood sugar. Glucose is key to keeping your body in top working order.

When your glucose levels are well managed, they often go unnoticed. Yet when they dip too low or grow too high, they can affect your body’s everyday functioning.

So what is glucose, exactly?

It’s the simplest type of carbohydrate (carb), making it a monosaccharide, meaning “one sugar.”

Other monosaccharides include fructose, galactose, and ribose. In this form, dietary glucose and other carbohydrates eventually convert to blood glucose in the body.

Along with fat and protein, glucose is one of the body’s primary fuel sources.

People can get glucose from complex and simple carb sources. Below are some examples of each:

Carbs are considered either simple or complex based on how fast the body digests the sugar.

According to the American Heart Association, the body digests complex carbs more slowly, and they supply a more steady energy source. This makes them the healthier option.

Unmanaged glucose levels may have permanent and severe effects.

Your body ideally uses glucose multiple times a day.

When you eat, it quickly starts working to process glucose and other carbohydrates. Then, enzymes begin to break them down with help from the pancreas.

The pancreas, which produces hormones like insulin, is essential to how your body deals with glucose, per 2021 research. When you eat, your body tells the pancreas to release insulin to manage the rising blood sugar level.

Muscle, fat, and other cells then use glucose for energy or store it as fat for later use.

Diabetes might happen when the pancreas doesn’t produce insulin the way it should. In this case, you may need outside help (insulin injections) to process and regulate glucose in the body.

A 2018 review suggests that diabetes may also occur from insulin resistance. This is when the body’s cells do not sense insulin, and too much sugar remains in the bloodstream.

When the body does not respond to insulin the way it should, it stops glucose from entering your cells and being used for energy. Your cells respond by signaling the creation of ketones, which occurs at night and during fasting or dieting.

Over time, with insulin resistance, your insulin levels may become low, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Your body may also release fat from fat cells. In addition, the liver keeps releasing more ketones, lowering your blood pH to an acidic level.

When your body cannot use glucose like it needs to, the buildup of ketones and change in blood pH may become dangerous, per the ADA. This event is known as ketoacidosis. It is a severe, life threatening complication of diabetes that requires immediate medical treatment.

Ketogenic diet and diabetes

The keto diet has gained popularity, but it’s a medical diet with risks. According to a 2019 study, a low carb or keto diet may reduce body weight, but people with diabetes and taking certain medications may have an increased risk of developing ketoacidosis.

Everyone may experience other adverse effects, such as high cholesterol, which is associated with cardiovascular disease. It’s best to speak with your doctor before starting any diet plan in order to help prevent complications.

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According to the ADA, monitoring glucose levels is important for people with diabetes. The needs and goals of each person with diabetes should dictate how often and when they check their blood sugar level.

To stay on top of your glucose levels, talk with your doctor about when and how frequently you should check your levels. Your doctor may suggest checking the levels:

• before and after meals
• before and after exercise
• during long or intense exercise
• before bedtime
• when starting new medications or a new insulin schedule
• when starting a new work schedule
• when traveling across time zones

Speaking with your doctor helps set glucose level goals since they depend on your condition and other factors like age and health history.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says a simple blood test is one of the most common ways to test glucose at home when living with diabetes. You use a blood glucose meter by:

1. Using a small lancet needle, prick the side of your fingertip to produce a drop of blood.
2. Apply the blood to a testing strip.
3. Place the strip into a meter.
4. The meter shows how much glucose is in your blood at that moment.

Continuous glucose monitoring

When managing diabetes, you may want to consider speaking with your doctor about using a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system. The device automatically tracks your glucose 24 hours per day.

It uses a tiny sensor placed just under the skin, usually on the stomach or arm, and transmits readings to a monitor. A CGM constantly checks and records your glucose levels and alerts you when it gets too high or low.

Per to the NIDDK, the benefits of the device include:

• needs fewer finger pricks
• helps better manage glucose
• leads to fewer emergencies

According to the NIDDK, most people using a CGM are living with type 1 diabetes. But experts are working on how it might help others, such as those with type 2 diabetes.

Maintaining glucose levels near the expected range is vital to keeping your body running its best. People living with diabetes may need to be even more diligent.

A 2021 review suggests a blood glucose level of less than 100 mg/dL on an empty stomach for people without diabetes. It should be less than 140 mg/dL 2 hours after a meal.

As mentioned, the target glucose levels are different for people with diabetes since they are adjusted for a person’s individual situation. Your doctor will work with you to come up with treatment goals.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests several reasons blood sugar levels may rise. Some triggers include:

• Sunburn: The pain from sunburn causes stress, which might increase blood glucose levels.
• Coffee: Even black coffee may cause you to become extra sensitive to caffeine increasing blood glucose.
• Skipping breakfast: Missing your morning meal might raise your blood sugar after lunch and dinner.
• Time of day: As your day goes on, your body’s ability to manage glucose becomes more difficult. Early in the morning, the surge of hormones might cause a spike in blood sugar, called the dawn phenomenon.
• Medications: Certain medications and nose sprays may trigger your liver to create more glucose or prevent insulin production.
• Stress: Excessive worrying and pressure might increase blood glucose levels.

These are just a few possible triggers. Illness and activity are two others. If you feel your blood glucose is not well-managed, try speaking with your doctor for help.

Blood sugar that is too low is called hypoglycemia, and blood sugar that is too high is called hyperglycemia.

Hypoglycemia

A glucose level is too low when it dips under 70 mg/dL. This condition is also known as hypoglycemia, and it has the potential to be very serious.

There are signs to look for when your blood sugar falls. These include:

• tremors
• fatigue
• confusion
• anxiety
• sweating

Hypoglycemia may occur as a result of taking more than your prescribed dose of certain diabetes medications. It might also happen when you eat fewer calories than your daily requirement or exercise for longer or more intensely than usual.

In some instances, it may also occur in people without diabetes.

Eating a meal or drinking juice may help increase glucose levels. Your doctor may help develop a plan for when your glucose level drops too low (and high), including having glucose supplements on hand.

If left untreated, hypoglycemia may be fatal. You may need emergency treatment when it occurs.

Hyperglycemia

High blood glucose is also known as hyperglycemia. This may happen when your body lacks enough insulin or cannot use it properly.

The ADA considers blood glucose greater than 130 mg/dL before a meal to be higher than the target range. The ADA also suggests a target range of 180 mg/dL about 1–2 hours after you eat. You should talk with your doctor about target ranges specific to you.

Some symptoms of hyperglycemia to look out for include:

• high levels of glucose in the urine
• frequent urination
• increased thirst

Your regular blood glucose range depends on many factors. Speaking with your doctor is best to ensure you’re within a healthy range for you.

Besides unmanaged diabetes, other causes exist for hyperglycemia. For example, stress and anxiety might lead to inconsistent management of diabetes, according to 2019 research. This can lead to more glucose in the blood.

Physical activity and diet might also help keep your blood sugar within the target range. But in certain situations, exercise is not appropriate and insulin may be needed. Talk with your doctor about how to best manage your blood sugar.

Over time, poorly managed glucose negatively affects your body. With frequently high blood glucose levels, you may start to experience the following:

• numbness and tingling of hands and feet
• heart disease
• blindness
• skin infections
• joint and extremity pain
• severe dehydration
• coma

Other severe complications include diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycemic hyperosmolar syndrome. Both are conditions related to diabetes.

A condition known as hypoglycemia unawareness may occur with repeated episodes of low blood glucose. It causes you to stop noticing the signs of low blood glucose until it drops very low.

When it gets too low, you could experience:

• loss of consciousness
• coma
• death

If you suspect you have diabetes, speak with your healthcare professional about your symptoms.

As with many medical conditions, it’s easier to deal with glucose issues before they get too much headway. Plus, healthy glucose levels are essential to keeping your body working at its best.

A nutritious, well-rounded diet, supplemented with exercise, is part of prevention and treatment plans when available. For some people, though, this isn’t enough.

People with diabetes may have trouble maintaining healthy and consistent glucose levels. If you’re living with diabetes, closely monitoring your glucose levels is an effective way to help avoid complications.

Managing your diabetes may be challenging but worth the effort.

Harm and benefit of glucose! Or careless handling of fire…

The role of the liver in the body

The liver is at the center of the entire metabolism of the human body. She herself performs about 500 chemical reactions. The well-being of the liver ensures the normal functioning of almost all other organs and systems. The ancient Greeks rightly considered the liver to be the dwelling place of the human soul. In a healthy body healthy mind.
It is for this reason that our medical center is called the Institute of Elastography. In recent years, elastography, as part of ultrasound diagnostics, has become an innovative method for accurate, objective, evidence-based assessment of the degree of damage and prognosis of the course of many chronic diffuse liver diseases (CDLD). All damage to the liver leads to inflammation (hepatitis), fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. The destiny of the liver is to neutralize all external (exotoxins) and internal (endotoxins) poisons. She is doomed to be the first to be hit by poisons. This, of course, destroys her. But dialectics works everywhere. Daily destruction of the liver (apoptosis) leads to the launch of the mechanism of its restoration – regeneration. The liver is an eternally new organ. The cycle of complete renewal of liver cells (hepatocytes) is 200-300 days. Remember the ancient Greek legend of Prometheus. As a punishment from Zeus, the eagle pecked the liver of Prometheus every day, and it stubbornly grew back every night. The ancient Greeks knew something about the secrets of the liver!

Enemies of the liver

Poisons are the source of trouble. A capacious definition of the concept of “poison” was given by the medieval physician Paracelsus: “Everything that exists is poison. And only the dose makes it a medicine.

One of the most insidious poisons for the liver is glucose. Glucose in particular and carbohydrates in general is the greatest achievement of the evolution of life on planet Earth. The advent of photosynthesis in green plants led to the accumulation of glucose on a gigantic / planetary scale in the form of simple carbohydrates and glucose polymers – starch and fiber (cellulose, wood). Glucose is a combustible substance in an oxygen atmosphere. It, like a chemical compound, retains a huge amount of solar energy. All living beings use the energy of plant carbohydrates. And man is no exception. But any energy is fraught with great danger if it gets out of control. An example is a fire.

To live and survive the body needs to expend energy. So, the body must constantly produce it. The food behavior of the body is the production of energy. We have to live, and therefore we are motivated and enjoy eating carbohydrates (sweets, buns, etc.). Since ancient times, mankind has ingeniously invented carbohydrate energy sources: bread, cereals, pasta, potatoes. Each continent has its own grains: Europe – wheat, rye, barley, oats; Asia – rice; America – corn (maize), potatoes.

“Bread and circuses!”

The main vector of human search has always been the extraction of bread. History is replete with sharp examples: bread riots, Khlebushka!, Bread and circuses! The whole history of mankind is wars for hydrocarbon resources. But since the second half of the twentieth century, there has been an overproduction of carbohydrate food resources. The pendulum, imperceptibly for Western civilization, and in the 21st century for the Eastern one, has swung in the opposite direction. Glucose has gone from being a savior to a poison for billions of people. The food culture of all continents suggests an abundance of carbohydrates in food. And modern civilization has further aggravated the catastrophe with widespread hypodynamia. Mechanisms and “gadgets” immobilized billions of people. Energy in the form of carbohydrates comes in catastrophically excessive amounts to each person with food. And there is no way to spend it. Chinese wisdom says: “Eat a handful of rice – take 100 steps.” The main slogan of our institute of elastography is more general: “Eat – burn!”.

No pill or dropper will stop a spoonful of porridge or a sandwich with a bun. The new paradigm for saving humanity is to stop the flow of carbohydrates (glucose) into the body on the one hand and make the human body move on the other. The capacious phrase from the Soviet cartoon is also immortal: “To lose weight: you need to eat less and move more. Medicine knows no other methods.” If the moment is missed, unspent glucose in the liver is converted chemically into fat – triglycerides. Liver cells – hepatocytes accumulate drops of fat and some of them are thrown into the blood for distribution to other fat depots (in the subcutaneous tissue and around the internal organs – visceral fat). General and visceral obesity develops, as well as fatty liver disease – non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) or, in other words, fatty hepatosis / steatosis of the liver. If the matter is not corrected, fat damages cells and triggers an inflammation scenario – hepatitis. And hepatitis inevitably leads to fibrosis and cirrhosis, as well as viral and other toxic damage. The result of liver suffering is one – cirrhosis.

Our strong team of doctors

It is the innovative ultrasound technologies of elastography and steatometry that allow non-invasively, similar to a simple ultrasound procedure, to determine the stage of fibrosis / cirrhosis and steatosis, as well as to predict the course and outcome of the disease.

Specialists of the Institute of Elastography are recognized experts in ultrasound elastography and steatometry, became the initiators and co-authors of the Ukrainian development of an ultrasound device with a steatometry module, have publications in the world scientific literature (see the section – scientific publications) and, most importantly, can assess the risk of complications and damage to other organs and systems. “Fatty liver disease is essentially an endocrine disease.” Well-known Ukrainian endocrinologist – Professor Bodnar P.N., Head of the Department of Endocrinology of the National Medical University (1994-2016) named after A. A. Bogomolets brought up a whole galaxy of well-known specialists on this paradigm: scientists and practitioners. We have such specialists in our team.

How can we help you?

According to WHO experts, up to 30-40% of the adult population of Western countries suffer from fatty liver disease. And this disease is a trigger for the development of such formidable and life-threatening diseases as heart attack, stroke, tumors and cirrhosis of the liver. Modern science is actively and so far in vain looking (see EASL Guidelines, 2016) for drugs for fatty liver disease. But, in our opinion: “Not a single tablet will stop a spoon. And the sofa, slippers and TV (if you want – a computer) killed more people than all the world wars combined … “!

We know the way to salvation. We have developed the following strategy for managing patients: initial examination by an endocrinologist → determination of the list of necessary laboratory tests and multiparametric ultrasound diagnostics (MP-US) of the state of the abdominal organs using steatometry / elastography → repeated consultation with an endocrinologist, as well as related specialists (gastroenterologist and cardiologist ).

The purpose of a multidisciplinary approach is to identify, treat the disease and, accordingly, prevent complications such as stroke, heart attack, liver cirrhosis. The result is health (physical and mental) and active longevity.

Accompanying the patient through a healthy life by our specialists.

The main diet for recovery is the “Mediterranean”, which is recognized by evidence-based medicine. Scientific research and implementation of the principles of the “Mediterranean diet” is a priority in the work of the Institute of Elastography.

And we are ready to be there and help you along the way!

Glucose, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia benefits of glucose, harms of glucose

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