Was I Headed For Diabetes
As a health coach who prioritizes staying healthy, it’s hard to get lab results that are anything less than stellar. About six years ago, my Hemoglobin A1C was 5.5. HA1C which means I was about to fall off a proverbial pre-diabetes cliff!
Unlike fasting blood sugar which is a marker for what’s happening now with your blood sugar, HA1C is a blood marker showing how your body is handling blood sugar over the course of three months and is commonly used to diagnose diabetes and pre-diabetes. Pre-diabetes range is 5.6-6.5. and we’re considered to be in full-blown Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) when HA1C exceeds 6.5.
This result was a surprise, since I eat healthy food 90% of the time, exercise regularly, prioritize good sleep, manage stress the best way I can, and am not overweight. Then again, 1 in every 3 people in the USA is afflicted with either pre-diabetes or Type-2 Diabetes. Many of them don’t even know it! Why? Perhaps because HA1C is typically not included in a routine lab unless the patient is overweight or has a family history of diabetes. The truth is, pre-diabetes is absolutely happening in normal and underweight people too. By 2030, it is estimated this number will be 1 in every 2 people!
T2D is the 8th leading cause of death in the USA, and even pre-diabetes (AKA insulin resistance) can light a fire by magnifying other dis-ease processes in the body – think inflammation, hypertension, fatty liver disease, cognitive decline, thyroid imbalance, kidney disease, sex hormone imbalance, heart disease and, of course, obesity.
Naturally, I was determined to use my functional medicine investigative skills to get to the root of why my HA1C and blood sugar had risen. I thought, this could potentially provide an explanation for some unexplained fatigue I had been experiencing too.
The insulin resistance dynamic impairs the cell’s ability to take in glucose from the bloodstream. This can leave our body’s cells craving more energy, leading to fatigue and a subsequent desire to eat more. As the dynamic progresses, the pancreas excretes more and more insulin in an effort to push the cells to receive the glucose.
And this is where we can easily start getting stuck in a cycle of overeating and putting on extra weight. Eventually, the pancreas gives up its insulin production, and medications (often insulin injections) become necessary to prevent out-of-control glucose spikes, which can result in coma and death. Sadly, insulin is known as the fat-storage hormone so while insulin injections can be a life-saving medication for T2D patients, they often lead to further weight gain and don’t resolve the root cause.
Thankfully, after digging into my own case, doing experiments with my diet, and tracking my blood sugar with a continuous glucose monitor, I brought my HA1C down to 5.0 and had, and continue to have, a lot more energy. Here are four key things I learned:
#1. Stress – stress all by itself can raise blood sugar levels. Under stress, cortisol is released from the adrenals telling the liver to release glucose into your body. It’s the ‘run from the saber tooth tiger’ scenario. While we can’t remove all sources of stress from our lives, there is a lot we can do via self-care that will fortify us as we navigate those stressors. I now prioritize meditation, time in nature, and dancing.
#2. Mind the Carbs – according to the continuous glucose monitor, I am very carbohydrate sensitive. I must eat a lower carbohydrate diet in order to balance my blood sugar and energy. And I’m not talking about just removing bread, baked goods and sweets, but about being careful with the quantity of whole grains, high-sugar fruits, and starchy vegetables. I now eat a keto bread with nearly zero net carbs.
#3. The Anemia Factor – I’d had low iron stores for many years. I learned that my anemia was affecting the lifecycle of my red blood cells and therefore slightly skewing the Hemoglobin A1C upward. I was able to address my anemia by balancing my sex hormones for lighter flow as well as finding some hidden low-grade infections (H-pylori overgrowth and an infected root canal), so my energy levels have increased!
#4. Track Macronutrients – tracking my macronutrient balance was also key. Macronutrients are protein, fat and carbohydrates, the essential nutrients the body needs in large quantities to remain healthy. I learned that I wasn’t getting nearly enough protein in relation to the other macronutrients. This is true for people my age and older. I now aim to get 30% of my calories from protein. And that is harder than I realized but such a worthy effort.
Bottom line, even though you think you are doing all the right things, you can be missing something critical. I recommend you get comprehensive annual lab work and make sure it includes HA1C. And remember, it’s a lot easier to back off the edge of a cliff than to recover once you’ve fallen off that cliff.
Do you struggle with low energy, inflammation and or endless cravings? Let me help you! My upcoming 21-Day Reset will cover all the foundational pieces you need to have in place to increase energy, crush cravings and reduce aches and pains. I hope you join me. Find out when our next group starts right here.
Yours in health,
Linda