eFFECT OF SUGAR ON BRAIN HEALTH
For your brain to work properly, it is important that the blood sugar level (glucose level) remains fairly constant. Large fluctuations impede brain function and affect memory, learning, mood and susceptibility to diseases such as diabetes, stroke and dementia.
Sufficient glucose is important for the brain's ability to store and retrieve information. When the blood sugar level is too low, the activity of the neurons is too low and the memory and learning ability (and also school performance) are reduced. The glucose level in the blood rises through food and also through stress. Moderately high blood sugar ensures that more acethylcholine * is made. This improves memory.
However, chronically high blood sugar levels lead to insulin * resistance and diabetes (diabetes), an increased risk of heart disease and a greater risk of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, but how does this work?
High blood sugar levels require the pancreas to make a lot of the hormone insulin * to get the glucose into the cells. Insulin levels are also increased in this way. As a result, the cells can become insensitive to insulin and therefore no longer let the glucose into the cell. Both the glucose and insulin levels in the blood remain elevated. This is called insulin resistance. If the pancreas becomes completely exhausted and it no longer produces insulin at all, then there is diabetes.
High insulin levels are detrimental to the activity of the synapses, disrupting the transmission of messages between cells and thus affecting brain function and memory. High blood sugar levels increase the risk of blocked veins and strokes. If there is too much glucose in the blood, it will make connections with proteins. These so-called glycated proteins (AGEs; advanced glycolysis end products *) accumulate in cells and interfere with their functioning. They are responsible for, among other things, hardening and clogging of blood vessels. They also damage nerve cells in the brain, destroying them, resulting in mental deterioration.
Risks of high blood sugar and high insulin levels
A high insulin level is a precursor to high blood pressure and is a major risk factor for intellectual decline in later life.
Too high blood sugar and insulin levels harden the arteries and make them less elastic, limiting blood flow to the brain.
Too high blood sugar and insulin levels promote thickening of carotid walls, which plays an important role in the loss of cognitive abilities.
Not all foods that contain carbohydrates cause our blood sugar level to rise sharply. Some foods - especially the non-refined products such as vegetables, fruit, legumes - counteract fluctuations in blood sugar. They supposedly have a low glycemic index. They keep glucose levels fairly constant and this creates greater mental evenness. Moreover, these products have an appetite suppressant and stimulate fat burning. Refined foods and lots of sugar have a high glycemic index: they cause rapid rises and falls in glucose levels. A diet rich in foods with a high GI increases the risk of diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease and obesity. It makes the body and brain age faster.
Tips for keeping blood sugar constant:
- pay attention to the type of starchy products;
- eat legumes;
- combine foods with a high and low glycemic index;
- eat lots of vegetables and nuts because they hardly raise blood glucose;
- limit consumption of processed foods;
- add vinegar or lemon juice, this lowers the glycemic index;
- often eat small amounts and not many at once;
- have a good breakfast that does not only contain carbohydrates;
- take alpha-lipoic acid as a supplement: it lowers blood sugar and prevents protein glycation;
- take chromium as a supplement: this normalizes blood sugar levels;