How fixing my blood sugar changed my life
I’ve got 99 problems but fixing my blood sugar solved like 88 of them.
Funny, right? Well, I'm serious.
Diabetes runs in my family and, at a young age, I found myself struggling with extreme blood sugar roller coasters and carb intolerance. I was told to continue consuming a diet according to government guidelines. By the time I finished uni (which wasn't the healthiest period of my life - I'm sure I'm not alone in this ha), this had developed into pre-diabetes. There were clear signs of insulin resistance but, at the time, this wasn't considered a problem though since I had a healthy BMI and was relatively healthy, young and very active. However, I was struggling with energy and gut issues that were so severe, it felt like they were taking over my life. I was desperate and tried everything.
Blood sugar was the last piece of the puzzle I looked at to improve my gut issues. Little did I know it would do so much more and improve my quality of life.
Where do I even begin? Maybe with a list of things that improved for me when I fixed my blood sugar.
IBS improved and SIBO did not come back after treatment
Skin cleared up - no more bad skin, not even around my period
PMS symptoms got better and most disappeared completely (bye sore boobs!)
Sleep improved which, in turn, helped me stabilize my blood sugar (it's a bi-directional relationship)
Energy levels improved (less blood sugar roller coasters means more stable energy)
Brain fog cleared up
Productivity increased (more stable energy and less brain fog = better productivity)
Gym output improved (+ quicker recovery)
Gum inflammation disappeared
Rhinitis and allergies improved
And a surprising one: eyesight got better (I had to change my glasses and contacts!)
Most importantly though, I'm learning from the mistakes my parents' generation made and reducing my risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
In the UK alone, 5 million people have diabetes (diagnosed) and an estimated 1 million are yet to be diagnosed. 13.6 million are at increased risk of type 2. Here's the thing: around 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes - this is the type of diabetes that can be caused and reversed through lifestyle factors!
Many more people have insulin resistance without knowing (you could be IR for years without knowing - doctors rarely test for it because it is difficult to test for). This is scary because we often only realise something's wrong once we're diagnosed with (pre-)diabetes but even without developing into diabetes, insulin resistance is harmful: it doubles risk for heart attack and stroke. It's also linked with higher risk for various cancers, memory function decline, and Alzheimer’s.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you only do one thing for your health today, improve your blood sugar and maintain healthy blood sugar. Your body will thank you.
Sources:
https://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/type-2-diabetes/insulin-resistance-causes-symptoms
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/statistics
