Blood sugar spikes after meals are normal in healthy people and do not necessarily indicate that something is wrong, say experts. In recent years, concerns about hyperglycaemia have driven many apparently healthy people to take daily glucose tests.
Meanwhile, others have cut back on refined carbs such as white bread and pasta, as recommended by certain lifestyle gurus, influencers, and wellbeing bloggers. They believe that high blood sugar may be the root cause of hormonal imbalance, acne, mood swings and other ailments.
However, experts have warned that such fears are exaggerated. After you eat something sweet or containing carbohydrates, the digestion process breaks them down into glucose. Glucose then enters your blood, causing the blood sugar level to rise.
Insulin then starts working to ensure that the sugar gets absorbed into the body to be used as energy. Physical activity may also raise blood sugar levels. According to Jennifer Sherr, a paediatric endocrinologist at Yale School of Medicine, adrenaline dumps more sugar into the circulation during intense workouts.
For healthy people, a post-meal glucose increase is normal and expected. Adrian Brown, associate professor in nutrition and dietetics at University College London, says the biggest misconception about blood sugar is that any increases in it are bad.
A blood sugar spike is normal after eating, with the level peaking in 1 hour and returning to normal in the next 2 hours. “People who have a normal metabolism should not worry about occasional high blood sugar,” he added.
The situation is significantly different for diabetics. People with diabetes cannot use or store glucose in the usual way due to high insulin resistance or inadequate insulin production. As a result, their blood sugar level can rise dangerously high after meals.
Consequently, diabetics have to monitor their blood sugar and possibly take drugs or undergo other treatments. These include insulin injections or metformin a medication that lowers blood sugar. That is why experts advise against automatically considering any blood sugar spike as dangerous and pathological.
For healthy people, it is a normal process that fuels life.
