When it comes to\u00a0blood sugar, the closer you can keep it to the normal range of 80 to 89 mg\/dL the better.\u00a0 For years I have been warning that blood sugars even in the 90 to 100 range show that you are becoming insulin resistant and on your way to diabetes.\u00a0 A recent study done on 47,000 Kaiser Permanente patients validated this observation.<\/p>\n
The study, published in the\u00a0American Journal of Medicine<\/em>\u00a0found that blood sugar, blood glucose (BG) levels in the 95-99 range more than doubled a person\u2019s risk of becoming diabetic.\u00a0 In fact, for every point over 85 mg\/dL the risk of becoming diabetic increased 6%, even when they controlled for other factors.1<\/sup><\/p>\n Accordingly, the study noted that there was more incidence of cardiovascular disease and hypertension in those with higher BG.\u00a0 Why is this research so important?\u00a0 It flies in the face of currently accepted medical guidelines that for years have used 100 as the magic number for diagnosing \u201cpre-diabetes.\u201d<\/p>\n At LMI, I\u2019ve been seeing red flags for years when patients come in with BG levels even in the 90\u2019s, because these levels are often accompanied by being somewhat overweight or over fat, having a thick waist, or the spare tire of dangerous belly fat. These are signs that the body can no longer efficiently process the sugars that come from complex carbohydrates in whole grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and simple sugars.<\/p>\n In other words, they are signs of insulin resistance. Insulin is the \u201ckey\u201d that unlocks the door to each cell in the body, letting glucose into the cell to be processed for energy.\u00a0 If the insulin key is faulty, the glucose remains in circulation, raising triglycerides, lowering HDL, and usually ending up at the waistline.<\/p>\n Anytime you see your doctor for a routine physical, fasting blood glucose is tested along with other blood labs.\u00a0 If your blood sugar comes in less than 100 mg\/dL, you will likely get an \u201call clear,\u201d when it comes to diabetes risk.\u00a0 If you\u2019re overweight, have elevated blood pressure and are sedentary \u2014 other risk factors for insulin resistance \u2014 your doctor may suggest you lose a few pounds and add a few days of walking to your weekly routine.<\/p>\n But typically that won\u2019t happen unless your blood sugar levels come in greater than 100 mg\/dL, but less than 126 mg\/dL \u2014 the pre-diabetes range \u2014 then you will get a more stern warning regarding diet and exercise.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s not until your fasting blood sugar levels reach over 126 mg\/dL that you are diagnosed with type II diabetes or non-insulin dependent diabetes.<\/p>\n By the time you get the \u201ctrue diabetes\u201d diagnosis \u2014 your body is so insulin resistant that it may need much more than the \u201cdiabetic diet\u201d and a walking routine to get your blood sugar levels under control.\u00a0 This is when you may need an oral hypoglycemic medicine, which comes with a nice little set of nutrient-depleting side effects.<\/p>\n Wouldn\u2019t it be nice if your doctor had warned you of your increased risk way before you even reached the 100 mark for blood glucose?\u00a0 For years, I have been warning my patients that a blood sugar of over 90 is a sign they are becoming insulin resistant.\u00a0 But because medical guidelines give an \u201call clear\u201d at anything under 100, too many patients don\u2019t want to believe they could be at risk \u2014 even with fasting BG\u2019s of 98 and showing every sign of insulin resistance.<\/p>\n At LMI, we go to work on the insulin resistance by giving our patients blood sugar support nutrients like chromium and having our dietitians provide instruction on a lower carb diet.\u00a0 Ironically, we sometimes receive calls from their primary care physicians questioning our course of action because they think these patients \u201care fine.\u201d But our philosophy is, don\u2019t wait to become diabetic \u2014 take action well ahead of time.<\/p>\n