Blood sugar is an essential part of our overall well-being, but when it’s out of balance you could face serious health risks including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Having too much sugar in the blood, known as hyperglycemia or high blood glucose, is a health risk often associated with diabetes. It occurs when your body has too little insulin (the hormone that transports glucose into the blood), or if your body can’t use insulin properly. A fasting blood sugar level (glucose) greater than or equal to 126 is considered too high, but not everyone will recognize the warning signs, which could damage blood vessels that are responsible for delivering blood to vital organs such as your heart, kidneys and eyes.
Talking Points:
Dr. Redcross shares four easily missed warning signs that your blood sugar may be dangerously high:
• Feeling Tired
• Extra sugar (glucose) does not mean more energy.
• The body is not able to use the excess sugar to fuel what your body needs for extra activity.
• Increased Thirst
• The kidneys are unable to filter excess sugar in your blood and respond by attempting to remove it — which increases the amount of time/frequency you urinate and puts you at risk for dehydration.
• Trips to the bathroom may not be related to prostate health
• Extra Trips to the Bathroom
• Trips to the bathroom may not be related to prostate health
• Changes in Vision
• Elevated glucose levels can lead to damage and blockage of the blood vessels that form behind the eye (retina).
• The eye tries to create new blood vessels, but they don’t develop properly and can lead to a risk of becoming blind.
Dr. Redcross also shares three moves you can make to get high blood sugar under control including:
• Taking 2-min. stroll after dinner
• Walking as little as two to five minutes after a meal can lower your blood sugar, according to a 2022 study in the journal Sports Medicine.
• The study found standing after a meal can help, too, but not as much as putting one foot in front of the other.
• Consuming certain herbs and spices
• Traditional herbs and spices are commonly used for control of glucose.
• Cinnamon is a spice that consists of the dried inner bark, and is brown in color and has a delicately fragrant aroma and a warm sweet flavor.
• Research has shown that adding the spice cinnamon to the diet can help to lower the glucose level.
• Berberine is an herbal supplement made from a chemical compound that naturally occurs in the roots and bark of a wide variety of plants such as Goldenseal, European barberry, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric. It is a bitter-tasting and yellow-colored chemical and used to kill bacteria, help regulate how the body uses sugar in the blood, and reduce swelling.
• Ditching artificial sweeteners
• Recent studies suggest that consuming too many artificial sweeteners could elevate blood sugar levels and raise one’s risk of heart disease or stroke.
• A published study found that consuming non-nutritive sweetener — sugar substitutes that contain few calories or nutrients — could alter a person’s gut microbes and potentially elevate blood sugar levels.
For additional information visit: healthydirections.com
Watch Dr. Redcross and Mark here:
