Sugar and Diabetes: What Do You Need to Know?

When discussing diabetes, it is often difficult to avoid the topic of sugar. But what exactly do sugar and diabetes have to do with each other? Unfortunately, the answer to that question can be complicated, since it depends heavily on other factors of your health.

To start the sugar and diabetes discussion, it's first important to understand the role that sugar plays in your body. Especially when referring to diabetes, the sugar often referenced is your blood sugar, also known as glucose. If blood sugar gets too high, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to bring the levels back down to normal. If it gets too low, the pancreas releases a hormone called glucagon, which tells the liver to release more glucose into the blood.

Generally, our bodies maintain a blood sugar level between 70 mg/dl and 110 mg/dl. Factors such as alcohol consumption, physical activity, and other foods can all have an influence on your blood sugar. If it falls below 70, a condition called hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar) is often diagnosed. Between 180 and 200 is often called hyperglycemia or pre-diabetes, and if it reaches above 200 after a glucose tolerance test, you may be told that you have dangerously high blood sugar and diabetes due to insufficient insulin production (Type 1) or a developed insulin resistance (Type 2).

Your doctor will be able to help provide you more information about the complex relationship between sugar and diabetes, what diabetes signs you should look out for, help you create a meal plan to either manage the condition or hopefully help prevent it from developing, and educate you about what diabetes management options are available for diabetes sufferers.