Why should you not let glucose spikes become a daily cycle? Cardiologist Dr Alok Chopra explains

Regular glucose spikes leads to excess production of insulin, which has both short and long-term effects on our health, cautions Dr Alok Chopra.

A glucose spike is a sharp increase in blood glucose levels that usually takes place after eating foods loaded with carbohydrates. It is something that doctors often suggests us to avoid to maintain good metabolic health.

Taking to Instagram on September 4, Dr Chopra explained what happens when glucose spikes become regular, and what can be done to keep it in check.

The effect of regular glucose spikes

"The sugar goes up, and insulin, the hormone which brings down the sugar, acts up and brings the sugar down," explained Dr Chopra. "But when the sugar comes down, you feel hungry again, you want to eat again, so you eat again, then the insulin does that again."

If this cycle goes on for a long time, the body will keep producing more and more insulin to digest the same amount of sugary food, pointed out the cardiologist. This has both short-term and long-term impacts on our health.

Sharing the short-term health impact, Dr Chopra noted, “You feel extreme hunger, you feel craving to eat more, fatigue, sleepiness. Some people get even urinary infection, feeling hot flushes, night sweats.”

Of the long-term effects, the cardiologist noted, “Ultimately, you may become a total diabetic because you've already run out of insulin. And as time passes, fast ageing, arthritis, Alzheimer's, cancer, depression."

How to reduce glucose spikes

To lower the glucose spikes, and the following insulin spikes in the body, it is important to reduce the consumption of sugary foods. However, the order of the foods that we do eat matters as well, noted Dr Chopra.

"First is fibre, of any sort, starting with say leafy fibre that is the best thing because it lines your intestine and prevents any sugar from,” he stated. “Then there is protein and fat. Finally, if needed, some starch and sugar.”

For people who are not fully diabetic or pre-diabetic, following this order in their diet is equivalent to taking even glucose medications, noted Dr Chopra.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

Dr Alok Chopra is a renowned Delhi-based cardiologist with 40 years of experience. He completed his MBBS and postgraduate studies at Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi. He is also a member of the Royal College of Physicians, London. After completing his residency at GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, he served as a lecturer in the Department of Cardiology at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London. Dr Chopra specialises in diseases of the heart and circulatory system.