The deadly effects of even slightly elevated glucose are fatally misunderstood.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One reason for this calamity is as medical professionals we continue to rely on obsolete blood glucose ranges. We fail to recognize that any excess glucose creates lethal metabolic pathologies that are underlying factors behind multiple age-related diseases.<\/p>\n

People today thus suffer and die from diabetic-like complications without knowing their blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high!<\/p>\n

For quite some time researchers have argued that most aging people have elevated blood glucose. This position has been vindicated as mainstream medicine consistently lowers the upper-level threshold of acceptable (safe) fasting blood glucose.<\/p>\n

As new evidence accumulates, it has become abundantly clear that maturing individuals need to take aggressive actions to ensure their fasting and after-meal glucose levels are kept in safe ranges.<\/p>\n

Glucose Is Like Gasoline<\/h3>\n

Our body\u2019s primary source of energy is glucose. All of our cells use it, and when there is not enough glucose available, our body shuts down in a similar way that a car engine stops when the gasoline tank is empty.<\/p>\n

When glucose is properly utilized, our cells produce energy efficiently. As cellular sensitivity to insulin diminishes, excess glucose accumulates in our bloodstream. Like spilled gasoline, excess blood glucose creates a highly combustible environment from which oxidative and inflammatory fires chronically erupt.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Excess glucose not used for energy production converts to triglycerides that are either stored as unwanted body fat or accumulate in the blood where they contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaque.<\/p>\n

If you were filling your automobile with gasoline and the tank reached full, you would not keep pumping in more gas. Yet most people keep fueling their bodies with excess energy (glucose) with little regard to the deadly consequences.<\/p>\n

As an aging human, you face a daily onslaught of excess glucose that poses a greater risk to your safety than overflowing gasoline. Surplus glucose relentlessly reacts with your body\u2019s proteins, causing damaging glycation reactions while fueling the fires of chronic inflammation and inciting the production of destructive free radicals.<\/p>\n

The Evolving Definition of Type 2 Diabetes<\/h3>\n

Medical dictionaries define diabetes as a condition whereby the body is not able to regulate blood glucose levels, resulting in too much glucose being present in the blood. The debate is over what level of blood glucose is considered \u201ctoo high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly four decades ago, many experts began emphatically stating that fasting blood glucose should be below 100 (mg\/dL). Yet from 1979 to 1997, the medical establishment dictated that one of the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes was fasting glucose readings of 140 mg\/dL or higher on two separate occasions.<\/p>\n

In 1997, the medical establishment revised the fasting glucose threshold for a diagnosis of diabetes to 126 mg\/dL. In addition, the medical establishment (American Diabetes Association), characterized the so-called impaired fasting glucose threshold level at 110 mg\/dL, which was subsequently lowered in 2003 to what was originally postulated, i.e. that no one should have fasting glucose 100 mg\/dL or higher.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The problem is that we now know that the optimal fasting glucose ranges are 70-85 mg\/dL based upon the totality of the scientific evidence.<\/p>\n

Those with glucose above 85 mg\/dL are at increased risk of heart attack. This was shown in a study of nearly 2,000 men where fasting blood glucose levels were measured over a 22-year period. The startling results showed that men with fasting glucose over 85 (mg\/dL) had a 40% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

The researchers who conducted this study stated \u201cfasting blood glucose values in the upper normal range appears to be an important independent predictor of cardiovascular death in non diabetic apparently healthy middle-aged men.\u201d<\/p>\n

So pull out your latest blood test result and see where you stand. At a minimum, you want to see your fasting glucose below 86 mg\/dL.<\/p>\n

WHERE DOES BLOOD GLUCOSE COME FROM?<\/h3>\n

Glucose accumulates in the blood primarily from carbohydrate foods we eat.<\/p>\n

Less understood is the role of saturated fats that impair insulin sensitivity. When cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, glucose levels increase because it is not able to be utilized by energy producing cells. When people take compounds that block fat absorption and carbohydrate breakdown, fasting glucose levels plummet, along with triglycerides and cholesterol.<\/p>\n

Digested carbohydrate foods are the primary source of blood glucose. We can control blood glucose by reducing calorie intake, blocking calorie absorption, and\/or enhancing the ability of our cells to efficiently utilize glucose for energy production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n WHERE DOES BLOOD GLUCOSE COME FROM?<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Glucose accumulates in the blood primarily from carbohydrate foods we eat.<\/p>\n Less understood is the role of saturated fats that impair\u00a0insulin sensitivity.\u00a0When cells lose their sensitivity to insulin, glucose levels increase because it is not able to be utilized by energy producing cells. When people take compounds that block fat absorption and carbohydrate breakdown, fasting glucose levels plummet, along with triglycerides and cholesterol.<\/p>\n Digested carbohydrate foods are the primary source of blood glucose. We can control blood glucose by reducing calorie intake,blocking calorie absorption,and\/or enhancing the ability of our cells to efficiently utilize glucose for energy production.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Why Any \u201cExcess\u201d Glucose is Dangerous<\/h3>\n Sugar damages cells via multiple mechanisms and is a causative factor in common diseases of aging.<\/p>\n In a group of humans who reduced their food intake to calorie restriction levels, fasting glucose declined to an average of 74 mg\/dL. This corresponds to animal studies in which caloric restriction induced significant reductions in blood glucose in conjunction with extension of life span.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is well established that cutting calorie intake reduces one\u2019s risk of age-related diseases and slows markers of aging<\/a>.\u00a0 One reason for this may be the reduction in blood glucose (and insulin) levels that occurs in response to ingesting fewer calories.<\/p>\n In a study of 33,230 men, high glucose was independently associated with a 38%increase in deaths from digestive tract cancers.\u00a0 Other studies show that diabetics have even greater increased cancer risks.<\/p>\n Diabetics suffer such horrific incidences of vascular disorders that some experts believe that coronary artery occlusion and diabetes should be classified as the same disease. In other words, if you are diabetic, you are almost certainly going to suffer coronary atherosclerosis.<\/p>\n In a recent study involving 1,800 people, coronary disease rates were the same over a 10-year period in pre-diabetics compared to those with full-blown diabetes. The authors of the study commented that impaired fasting glucose significantly increased risk in comparison with the normal glucose group and concluded:<\/p>\n \u201cEarly control of blood glucose is essential to prevention and control of coronary heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n As people age, their fasting glucose levels usually increase as their health declines.<\/p>\n Standard laboratory reference ranges allow an upper-limit of fasting glucose of 99 mg\/dL. Yet the most effective anti-aging therapy\u2014caloric restriction\u2014lowers fasting glucose levels to the 70-85 mg\/dL range.<\/p>\n Recent studies indicate that keeping fasting glucose levels in the range of 70-85 mg\/dL and not allowing after-meal glucose levels to spike higher than 40 mg\/dL over your fasting value, favorably influences our longevity genes.<\/p>\n The take-home lesson is that one can slash their risks of age-related diseases and possibly slow their rate of aging by tightly controlling blood glucose levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n DANGERS OF AFTER-MEAL GLUCOSE SPIKES<\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n When after-meal glucose levels surge above 140mg\/dL, risks of virtually all degenerative diseases increase.Remember that you should strive for fasting glucose levels of no greater than 85 mg\/dL (optimal range: 70-85 mg\/dL). In response to eating, your blood glucose reading should increase no more than 40 mg\/dL above your fasting value. This means if your fasting glucose is 80, your after-meal glucose should be no higher than 120 mg\/dL.The dangers of high glucose are so strongly evident that the International Diabetes Federation has warned that non-diabetics with postprandial glucose above 140mg\/dL (normally measured two hours after a meal) are at significant risk for many diseases including:<\/p>\n \n Retinal damage to the eye<\/li>\n Arterial blockage<\/li>\n Oxidative stress<\/li>\n Increased inflammation<\/li>\n Endothelial dysfunction<\/li>\n Reduced coronary blood flow<\/li>\n Increased cancer risk<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n There is a wide range of programs (beyond those mentioned in the 4-Hour Body) that enable people to take precautions before meals to protect against damaging surges of blood glucose.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n Shield Your Body From Excess Glucose Moving Beyond PAGG\/AGG<\/a><\/h3>\n I cannot emphasize the critical importance for those with glucose levels above 85 mg\/dL to develop a method to help shield one\u2019s bloodstream against dangerous glucose-insulin spikes.<\/p>\n There are several well documented ways that one can protect against postprandial (after meal glucose spikes) that go well beyond those mentioned by Tim Ferriss in the 4-Hour Body.<\/p>\n We will begin focusing on these in the next post. In the meantime call your doctor\u2019s office and get a copy of your last fasting glucose level. You may be surprised by what you see!<\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss a post! You can sign up to receive updates via RSS<\/a> or email<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the core of the Slow Carb Diet is a recipe for a better and longer life. Weather you believe in a cheat day or not there are some points here that are spot on when it comes to developing a diet plan that is congruent with longevity and better living. Tim attempts to hack […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[349,71,190,3],"tags":[5,366,231,368,371,367,372,370,369,23,46,373],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tiSR-OO","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3150"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3150"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3150\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.4hourlife.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}