We discussed the difference between glycemic response & glycemic index in our earlier blog wherein we shed light on why we are all going wrong in decoding the root cause of diabetes. Let us discuss glycemic response in detail today.
Recently discussions about glycemic response have been picking specifically when we are trying to figure out a solution for the most dreaded metabolic disease-Diabetes.
Glycemic response is a standard process which impacts everyone. You can feel it either when you are experiencing high sugar levels or when you have eaten all day. Glycemic response is used to communicate glucose levels in your blood. You may not be aware, but glycemic response plays a pivotal role in your health & decodes a lot about your metabolic health.
Our body is really dynamic & has established balancing techniques for every biological process taking place inside our body. This is also referred to as ‘homeostasis’ or the ability to maintain a relatively stable internal state that persists despite changes in the world outside
Our glycemic response is a perfect example of how our body maintains homeostasis. To keep our body balanced, we have a very closely monitored blood glucose system that is maintained at a specific level. When we eat this level spike & when we do not eat or are at fasting, this level drops. Our body adapts its own checks & balances to bring this level to normal.
Whenever we eat, an ecosystem of signals is produced throughout the body. Some of these signals are meant to kickstart the digestion process while others are used to communicate that energy is on the way. When we eat a carb rich meal, it is broken down into glucose which is transported to different tissues & muscles in the body for energy.
To keep our glucose level normal, the pancreas releases a transport hormone- insulin that communicates with our cells to take in circulating glucose. This is a very important part of the balancing equation. Dysregulation of insulin is the best explanation of diabetes. With high circulating glucose, our body can experience negative consequences- chronic issues with insulin production can result in compromised immune system, heart diseases & even death.
On the flip side, when we have not eaten anything, our blood sugar level drops. We experience fatigue, loss of energy & irritability. These are all signs of hypoglycemia. Over time, this can even have negative consequences. To balance this part, our pancreas secretes glucagon (counterpart of insulin) to raise our blood sugar level when we are in a fasting state.
Together insulin & glucagon plays a pull push game to keep our blood sugar level in a state of balance.
When our blood sugar level is continuously high, you are flooding your body with quite frequent sugar intake which increases the risk of hyperglycemia. Irregular heartbeat, frequent urination & thirst are symptoms of hyperglycemia as well as risk of attracting diabetes. This condition of pre-diabetes is a stepping stone for the advent of type 2 diabetes. This occurs not due to glycemic index but imbalance glycemic response.
Glycemic response is all about what bacteria living in our gut does with the food we eat. In other words, it is the blood sugar response of our gut bacteria when we eat something. An imbalance in glycemic response is also connected with imbalance in gut bacteria composition or gut dysbiosis. The spike in sugar level depends upon this glycemic response. So it is necessary to learn which category/species of bacteria are the culprit for spike in sugar level & what should be in our meal plate that feeds the bacteria which can help in stabilizing our blood sugar level. On the flip side, what should not be in our meal plate that can prevent these sugar feeding bacteria from causing sugar spike.
Over time, this effect of spike in sugar level can support the internal environment to drive up the inflammation. You could visualize that your immune cells have a bit of sweet tooth. This high level of circulating glucose as a result of our glycemic response to food we eat, may be leading to transition from low grade inflammation to chronic inflammation/condition.
The fact of the matter is, the more we prefer evaluating the glycemic index instead of glycemic response, the more we are getting trapped in the storm of insulin resistance & chronic inflammation. This storm is referred to as cytokines storm which are specialized proteins produced by immune cells- cytokines. These chemical messengers perform a number of task that promotes recruitment of more immune cells.
The damage caused by illnesses including diabetes does not comes from specific pathogens, but our defense response of our immune system.
Cytokine storms are said to be involved in many infectious pathogens & non-infectious diseases. These storms can have a disastrous impact on our body. The defense response of immune system due to this storm can destroy our own tissues.
High circulating blood glucose levels were shown to promote cytokine storms. If a patient’s blood sugar was running high, they were more likely to have a higher level of inflammation.
This justifies monitoring your blood glucose levels even more. It may prove to be another opportunity for you to learn about activities of microbes living in our gut.
You can now determine glycemic response of your body to different foods & what your inflammation levels are just by signing up for our UP THE GUT Intelligence solution. With a quick and easy stool sample, we can help you assess your glycemic response & provide your dietary recommendations that can drive better glycemic control. For more details, sign up here.
