Blood sugar management is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle. A modern health crisis is unfolding, and high blood sugar levels are a root cause of concern. Increasingly inactive lifestyles and a modern diet of high calories, refined sugars, and saturated and trans fats are threatening people worldwide with obesity, diabetes and other debilitating illnesses.
Benefits:
*Regulates blood sugar & insulin levels
*Supports cardiovascular health
*Combats diabetes and obesity
*Assists anabolic functions
Cholesterol and saturated fat are regularly blamed as the cause of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks, but high blood sugar and insulin have been shown to considerably impact the risk of developing heart disease. Diabetics understand their increased risk, but long-term elevated blood sugar has equally significant effect on non-diabetics as well. Many people think they are not diabetics and therefore don’t have to concern themselves with blood sugar and insulin levels. But long-term high blood sugar nearly doubles the risk of heart trouble even when there hasn’t been a diagnosis of diabetes.
Blood sugar levels also play a central role in weight management. As we eat, our body converts digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar (glucose). Glucose is the body’s main source of energy, and our blood sugar level can affect how much hunger we feel and how much energy we have. But more importantly, it also determines whether we burn fat or store it.
The pancreas is the area of the body that creates insulin, a hormone that transports blood sugar into our body’s cells where it is used for energy. Eating refined grains that have most of their fibre taken away, sugar, or other carbohydrate-rich foods that are processed quickly into blood sugar forces the pancreas to work extra hard to produce the insulin necessary for all the blood sugar to be used as energy. This insulin boost tells the body that there is plenty available energy, leading the body to stop burning fat and start storing it.
Although maintaining healthy blood sugar and insulin levels is essential for a healthy body, both can play functional roles in muscle growth and bodybuilding. As was already said, the body releases insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. The glucose (blood sugar) is transported to muscle tissue and fat cells, which lowers blood sugar. Insulin is very anabolic because it increases the body’s ability to intake amino acids, replenishes glycogen stores, and stops protein breakdown during workouts. But the downside is that when insulin is released, it causes the liver to store glucose as glycogen, which is not a problem if the liver requires replenishing. But if the liver is full of glycogen, any extra glucose will be transported to fat cells, thereby inhibiting unfavourable growth. It is then important to stay up to speed on your body’s blood sugar and insulin levels to maximize muscle growing potential.