Blood Sugar Dysregulation: Our Country's Achilles' Heel During COVID-19
Despite my name’s very Irish association, I’m more Italian. My grandmother emigrated from Italy when she was 7, and the Italian culture heavily influenced my upbringing and, of course, my food preferences.
I’m also from New Jersey – born, raised, and quarantining here. No surprise to anyone who watched MTV in the late 2000s, there are a lot of Italians here, too.
Having been the butt of more than a few stereotypical jokes when venturing anywhere outside the Garden State, my standard reply is, “It’s not really like that!”
Well, I experienced the most “New Jersey” moment of my life during this pandemic.
When the shelter-in-place order was announced, I rushed to Whole Foods to stock up on essentials. I low-key sprinted to the toilet paper aisle first. To my surprise, there were a generous number of rolls available. I then walked over to the eggs and almond milk. No problem, those were in stock too. I relaxed my shoulders, exhaled, and thought, “What is everyone talking about? This is fine.”
Then, I rounded the corner of the Pasta & Sauce aisle and crossed over into the wake of a full-on riot. Shelves completely bare. Not a jar of Rao’s to be found. Price stickers scattered across the floor tiles like confetti. Even the chickpea pasta was gone – that’s when you know we’ve gotten desperate.
I laughed out loud. The first time I’d really laughed since this all began. The stereotypes I vehemently deny smacked me in my mask-clad face.
PASTA AND SAUCE WERE A HOTTER COMMODITY THAN TOILET PAPER IN A PANDEMIC!
Soon after, New Jersey was hit extremely hard by COVID-19. As the most densely populated state, exposure was surely a factor in the transmission.
However, it’s no coincidence that the pasta-laden diets of many NJ residents contributed to this surge and severity.
Why?
Blood sugar dysregulation.
We’ve learned that the underlying pandemic to this pandemic is metabolic disease and its inflammatory sequelae. And what influences metabolic disease, at its core, is blood sugar dysregulation.
Blood sugar dysregulation results when your cells become desensitized to insulin.
When you eat a meal, especially one that’s rich in carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes up. Your pancreas senses this increase and releases insulin. Insulin is like a little key fob that opens your cells so sugar (glucose) can exit your bloodstream, enter the cells to be stored, and your blood sugar returns to baseline.
The more insulin that's produced over time (as a result of lifelong diets rich in carbs, sugar, and processed foods), the more insulin receptors on your cells dull from overuse. They’re over it.
This is called insulin resistance.
Since your blood sugar must remain in a tight range for you to survive, your pancreas produces MORE insulin (yells louder) to get your cells’ attention. Anything to get the glucose into the cell and out of the blood stream.
Over time, more insulin is produced, your pancreas is exhausted, and your blood sugar remains high (since your cells are no longer responding to insulin).
If this process continues, you end up with Type 2 Diabetes.
Blood Sugar Dysregulation and COVID-19
Overwhelming data show that insulin resistance increases the risk of Coronavirus. Diabetics (both Type 1 and Type 2) are experiencing significantly worse outcomes (4X greater risk of death).
The most impactful thing you can do to protect yourself from the more severe effects of the virus is to get your blood sugar in check.
There’s a spectrum of blood sugar dysregulation. You don’t just wake up one day with Diabetes. Inflammatory changes are happening all over your body 10-15 years prior to getting diagnosed with Diabetes and/or Metabolic Syndrome while your blood sugar is dysregulated.
5 Ways to Tell If You Have Blood Sugar Dysregulation
The following are a few biomarkers and physical signs of insulin resistance or blood sugar dysregulation:
Waist circumference: > 40 inches in men, > 35 inches in women
Waist to hip ratio: Divide your waist circumference (inches) by your hip circumference. A ratio that’s bigger than 1.0 for men or 0.8 for women suggests insulin resistance.
Fasting insulin level > 8
Fasting blood sugar > 100
Hemoglobin A1C > 5.7
If you’re a female who has been diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Note: this condition is frequently misdiagnosed. Many women with irregular or absent periods are diagnosed with PCOS when they actually have Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea. One of the key differentiators between these two conditions is one’s metabolic health, specifically blood sugar regulation. The treatment for these two conditions are completely opposite, so it’s important to always get an accurate diagnosis.
Feeling zonked after meals, or irritable or lightheaded if you go a few hours without eating.
The good news is, it’s reversible – without medication – if you know what to do. And, it’s NEVER too late.
(Photo by Andy Hay on Unsplash)