Weight loss has a significant impact on blood glucose control. Maintaining an ideal weight helps you manage your glucose level. It also prevents further complications associated with the condition. Glucose levels fluctuate all day long, providing valuable and actionable insights into metabolic health. When it comes to diabetes and weight management, one needs to understand how their food choices and physical activities affect their day-to-day blood sugar levels. Hence to become aware of where your level stands, you need to track your blood glucose levels around the clock.
When trying to lose weight, an individual should consider their eating habits and how their body processes food. Although that sounds tedious, Continuous Glucose Monitoring will not be the same (CGM). However, by helping you see beyond the numbers, CGM can help you comprehend how hormones, stress, hydration, sleep, and foods control blood sugar and enhance general well-being.
What is Blood Glucose?
Glucose is a simple sugar in the bloodstream required for energy. Insulin is critical in regulating glucose in terms of storage and energy, maintaining the optimal function of organs, muscles, and the nervous system. However, too much or too low blood glucose could affect the organs over time.
Observe the glucose level in the blood regularly to avoid unhealthy and severe consequences. Recognise the factors such as stress, illness, food choice, lifestyle, and exercise that affect the glucose level.
The PHH Note
An essential first step in avoiding issues later on, is to pay attention to everything you eat, how well you sleep, and how much stress you experience. You should also study how these factors affect your blood glucose and general health. It also helps you switch to lifestyle habits, modify your diet pattern, cope with times of stress or diseases, change the dose of medication, and more.
Healthy Weight: Critical Indicator of Overall Health
Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for those with diabetes. According to recent research, being obese or overweight can result in severe health complications such as heart diseases, chronic kidney diseases, type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation, and more.
A healthy weight is estimated either by BMI (Body Mass Index) or waist measurement. BMI measures body fat in the individual, depending on weight and height. In the case of BMI, the ideal number should fall between 18.5 and 24.9. Alternatively, a person with a BMI of 30 and more comes under the obese category.
The other way to detect a healthy weight is by measuring the waist size or circumference, which should be around 35 inches or less in women (except during pregnancy) and 40 inches or less in men. A high waist measurement indicates that the individual is at higher risk of high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hence, losing a small amount of weight will improve insulin sensitivity, aiding in better glucose control. Moreover, weight loss can also reduce the risk of related health issues and enable individuals to lower the dose of medications.
Insulin: The Notable Role in Glucose and Weight
Insulin is a crucial anabolic hormone that plays a significant role in fat storage and weight gain. Increases in hormone levels will make it harder to burn fat for energy. Although the hormone gets strongly linked to diabetes, it generally contributes considerably to weight gain for everyone, regardless of diabetes status.
Insulin signals the cells to take up glucose from the blood for energy or, if it is present in excess amount, for storage. Since the weight loss journey generally requires burning fat stored, it is vital to control the insulin level.
Monitoring glucose levels with the help of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) will provide real-time and practical information. This information is on how the body responds to the diet and lifestyle at an in-depth, actionable level. It will give a better understanding of the body’s predicted exposure to insulin. You can understand how the system functions optimally and generates glucose and insulin spikes. Using technology-enabled wearables like the BIOS from HealthifyPro, one may analyse their blood glucose levels throughout active and restive intervals. You may create a scientific, data-driven relationship between food and blood sugar levels with this proactive strategy.
The PHH Note
Insulin is a critical anabolic hormone that promotes fat accumulation and weight gain. When hormone levels rise, one’s capacity to burn fat for energy decreases. Although hormone (insulin) and diabetes are linked, it also contributes significantly to weight gain in everyone, diabetic or not.
Significance of Blood Glucose Monitoring
Monitoring glucose levels is essential to diabetic self-management in diabetic causes. A recent study has reported that reducing an individual’s weight by around 5% to 10% effectively decreases the chance of developing metabolic, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. It also helps to meet your glucose targets within the timeline and avoid the unpleasant symptoms of high and low blood sugar levels. Hence, it can help prevent long-term health complications.
In non-diabetic people, the average blood sugar range should be less than 100 mg/dL before consuming food, while it should be less than 140 mg/dL two hours after a meal. Therefore, people with diabetes should monitor their blood glucose levels at different times to closely monitor their blood sugar. Their target levels should be between 180-130 mg/dL before meals and less than 180 mg/dL two hours after meals.
Research indicates that regular blood glucose tracking helps keep your glucose levels within a target range. It is possible by eating healthy balanced meals. Whether a traditional tool such as a finger-stick glucometer or advanced equipment like a continuous glucose monitor, periodic glucose level tracking will deliver valuable insights. Including:
Aids in Weight Loss
Several studies show that weight loss is associated with various hormonal pathways. However, different individuals have variable glucose responses to similar food sources or calorie levels. Real-time glucose monitoring will help analyse how one eats, which could affect blood sugar levels. It also helps to understand better the physiological processes that cause glucose storage or weight loss.
Controls the Glycemic Index Variability
Glycemic variability refers to the spiking in the glucose level of an individual. Typically, the ideal glucose level stays stable but rises slightly after meals. However, according to a study, in the case of glycemic variability, the blood glucose level is in constant fluctuation mode – too high or too low. Research shows that such high spikes and dips in blood sugar will not only affect the mood and energy of the person but can also cause long-term health consequences.
Studies revealed that it would damage the tissues more than the increased blood sugar level. It is directly associated with heart disease and metabolic dysfunction. The condition also indicates that a person is becoming insulin resistant, where the body cannot use the insulin efficiently to maintain the glucose in a healthy range.
Enhances the Physical/ Athletic Performance
According to research, physical exercise positively influences metabolic fitness in an individual by increasing glucose transporters, enabling the body to adapt to metabolic flexibility. In addition, monitoring glucose and getting real-time and personalised feedback on blood sugar levels can motivate people. Therefore, athletes should be encouraged to control their metabolism better and enhance their metabolic performance.
The insights from glucose tracking reveal how the body uses energy from glucose before, during, and after intense physical exercise. It will then assist one in creating a strategy for the ideal mealtime and exercise intensity.
Encourages the Body to be Metabolically Flexible
The body’s functioning needs two primary sources of energy – glucose and fat. The fat produces ketones that have various health benefits. However, when the sugar level is too high in the blood, it stimulates insulin production, eventually preventing fat-burning. Regular glucose tracking will help the body train to switch between the sources seamlessly, whenever needed.
Metabolically flexible refers to the ability of the human body to switch between these fuel sources, ensuring healthy functioning. A study demonstrates that the absence of such flexibility results in unexplained weight loss, exhaustion, excessive appetite, and increased thirst. It is because the system is trained to rely on glucose energy and cannot tap into the stored fat for energy.
Early Detection of Metabolic Dysfunction
A study shows that people can develop insulin resistance before 10 years, even before the symptoms appear. Therefore, individuals who follow glucose tracking can gain more insight into the total postprandial blood sugar response and how the body handles the spike level. Moreover, it will determine any metabolic impairment in the early stage before it reaches the condition of pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Benefits of Maintaining an Ideal Weight for Diabetic People
Checking the blood glucose level is one of the most important things to manage diabetes and weight. Nevertheless, understanding the benefits of glucose level tracking will help you stay on track and accomplish your long-term health goals. Below are some potential benefits of maintaining a healthy weight range in diabetic people.
Enhances the Production of Insulin
A study shows that people with excess abdominal fat cells secrete specific molecules, which can negatively affect the function of the pancreas. It, in turn, will decrease the production of insulin levels. Nonetheless, aiming to reduce weight will eventually lower the harmful effect on the pancreas.
Improves Insulin Resistance
Research reveals that fat tissues in obese people increase the levels of non-esterified fatty acids, hormones, glycerol, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. As a result, it will lead to insulin resistance and high blood sugar. However, weight loss can increase insulin resistance and keep blood sugar levels below normal.
Promotes the Function of the Pancreas
Research shows that obese or overweight people need 2 or 3 times higher insulin levels than those in a healthy weight range. It will pressure the pancreas to keep up with the increased demand.
Ultimately, the tissues in the pancreas will be damaged, lowering the count of insulin-secreting cells and resulting in increased blood sugar levels. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight will help revive the pancreas’s function and take hold of the blood sugar level.
Reduces the Medication Level
Achieving a healthy weight will improve insulin resistance and regulate stable blood glucose levels. As a result, this will aid in lowering the dose level of diabetes medications.
Lowers the HbA1c Levels
Research indicated that maintaining a healthy weight range can improve insulin sensitivity, which is directly associated with decreasing HbA1c levels.
Prevents Cardiovascular Diseases, High Cholesterol, and Blood Pressure
A recent study has revealed that excess weight increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease by damaging the heart’s blood vessels. Moreover, in diabetic people, the enlarged fat cells in the body release molecules that cause chronic inflammation and accumulation of plaques in the arteries. Research has proved that losing weight by around 5 to 10% can drastically reduce LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides. In addition, increased physical activity reduces insulin resistance and prevents further complications.
Increases Mobility Level
Diabetic people usually suffer from bone and joint pain, making it difficult to carry out their simple day-to-day activities. Research shows that a 1% reduction in weight loss will effectively decrease mobility issues by 7%.
Tips to Maintain a Healthy Weight and Normal Blood Glucose Level
It is vital to incorporate some precautionary measures in your daily life and consult the health care team.
- Build an individualised diet plan with a specific amount of carbs, healthy fats, and protein. It includes brown rice, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, milk, and more.
- Control the size of every meal portion since it will lower the intake of calories and raise blood glucose slowly and steadily.
- Maintaining a good sleep pattern will manage glucose regulation and positively affect the metabolic process, aiding in weight loss.
- Avoid skipping meals to reduce the calorie level, as it will lead to poor food choices for the next meal, resulting in abnormal blood glucose levels.
- Stay active physically with moderate-intensity physical exercises, including endurance or resistance workouts.
- Follow regular yoga or medication to reduce stress levels and aid in regulating blood sugar levels.
Conclusion
The first step in taking control of our health is to get educated and be aware of what is happening within the human system. By harnessing the power of trackable metrics with scientific proof, glucose monitoring can make life easier and healthier for diabetic people.
Diabetes and obesity have a link with each other. Consuming a nutritious diet, watching the portion size, and being physically active can help maintain an ideal weight and glucose level. While you are working towards your ambitious goals for weight loss, you are also striving to accomplish your huge gains for overall health. Whether you have diabetes or not, regularly measuring your blood sugar levels will ultimately improve your quality of life.