One of the most effective ways to optimize your health – that you’ve probably never heard of – is blood glucose monitoring. While most of us know that diabetics need to monitor their blood glucose levels to treat their disease, many of us may not be aware of its potentially life-changing role in both prevention and health optimization.

We talked to Marie Agnew, the founder of SHIFT Functional Medicine, to see why blood glucose monitoring may be just the right tool for your health toolkit.

How does what I eat affect my blood sugar?

When you eat carbs and sugar, glucose enters your bloodstream and insulin is released. This encourages your cells to absorb glucose as fuel. However, if a diet is consistently high in carbs and sugar causing higher levels of insulin, the body can become less sensitive to insulin resulting in glucose not being properly used in cellular metabolism.

Continuously high levels of glucose circulating in the bloodstream – rather than being used for energy – can result in a cascade of potentially deleterious reactions in the body, including:

• Greater hunger and fatigue because cells aren’t getting the energy they need. 

• Calories consumed can’t be properly used for energy and a significant proportion are stored as fat. 

• When the mitochondria (powerhouse of our cells) are starved of glucose, they cannot produce enough ATP to properly power cells and all of their functions. 

• Another big function of the mitochondria is to neutralize free radicals. If the mitochondria isn’t properly functioning, oxidative stress can result which can further damage DNA and cellular components.

In short, uncontrolled blood sugar can lead to a vicious cycle that influences many key functions in our body.

Does blood sugar impact hormones other than insulin?

Yes! High insulin levels (tied to blood sugar levels as described above) can inhibit the production of human growth hormone, which is responsible for optimal muscle mass, body fat and bone structure.

Higher insulin levels can also lead to lower sex hormone-binding globulin. This can increase estrogen, potentially leading to symptoms of estrogen excess such as sore breasts, fibroids, and heavy menses. High levels of insulin can also affect ovaries, resulting in more testosterone production. In women, higher levels of testosterone can cause PMS, raise the likelihood of PCOS, affect follicular development, and affect the regularity of periods. 

While excess sugar can raise testosterone levels in women, contradictorily it may lower testosterone levels in men. This can lead to lower libido and erectile dysfunction as well as obesity and decreased muscle mass.

What symptoms suggest that someone might benefit from blood glucose monitoring?

We honestly think a shorter trial of blood glucose monitoring can benefit anyone looking to optimize their health. Even 2 weeks of data can give someone a lot of useful information about food combinations and how different foods affect them individually. 

At SHIFT we like to be proactive with health and not wait to act when symptoms arise. We like to think about where we can look more upstream and change health trajectory for the positive to keep symptoms from happening in the first place!

That being said, if one is experiencing:

• afternoon energy crash, 

• energy crash after eating, 

• waking in the early morning hours, or feeling they 

• need to constantly snack to maintain energy and focus, those would all be good reasons to look at continuous blood glucose monitoring. 

We will often have a conversation about blood glucose when we are working with clients on hormone optimization and circadian rhythm optimization as well. 

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