Introduction
Most people know that prediabetes and diabetes is having “high blood sugar,” but just how much sugar is actually in the human body? And how does “grazing” all day long, rather than eating set meals, affect this?
An adult has 5 liters of blood circulating in their body at any one time. A healthy person’s body keeps the range of sugar in the blood (called blood glucose) tightly-controlled between 3.3-5.5 mmol/L (60-100 mg/dl). When they eat food with carbohydrates, the body breaks it down to sugar, and insulin takes the extra sugar out of the blood and moves it into cells.
Where Does the Sugar Go?
First, the body makes sure that glycogen stores are sufficient—this is the body’s “emergency supply of energy.” There is about a day’s worth of energy (2000 calories) in our muscle and liver glycogen. Once the liver and muscle glycogen is full, the rest of the blood sugar is moved to the liver where it is converted into LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and then the rest is stored in fat cells. Fat is storage for later.
So, how much sugar is there in the blood of a healthy adult? Doing the math, there are only 5 grams of sugar in the entire adult human body, which is just over one teaspoon of sugar [1].
The amount of sugar in the blood of a healthy adult
Understanding Diabetes in Terms of Blood Sugar
How much sugar does someone with diabetes have in their blood compared to a healthy person? Someone with a fasting plasma glucose level of 7 mmol/L (126 mg/dL) meets the diagnostic criteria for type 2 diabetes, which is just 6.25 grams of sugar, or 1-1/4 teaspoons. The difference between a healthy person and someone with Diabetes is just a quarter of a teaspoon of sugar.
In a person with type 2 diabetes, the once tightly-controlled system is “broken.” This often happens by “grazing” all day long or eating more carbohydrates than the body can handle. When someone with diabetes eats carbohydrates, their insulin is unable to take the sugar out of their blood fast enough. The sugar stays in the blood longer than it should.
Subcutaneous vs. Visceral vs. Ectopic Fat
Some people can store most of the excess carbohydrates they eat as subcutaneous fat (under the skin). While it may seem counterintuitive, subcutaneous obesity may be protective against sugar overflow. For most people, the ability to store fat under the skin is limited, and when the fat threshold is exceeded, visceral fat (which is around the organs) increases [2]. Eventually, if a person exceeds the capacity to store excess fat around their organs, the fat will be stored in their organs. This is called ectopic fat. When this occurs in a duck for making Fois Gras it is intentional; in humans, this is called fatty liver disease.
The Impact of Constant Grazing
The problem is that we often never access our fat stores because we are grazing on carbohydrates every few hours. A typical day—cereal for breakfast, an apple for a snack, a sandwich for lunch, and an orange mid-afternoon—can equal 24 teaspoons of sugar! A single fast-food meal can contain the equivalent of 43 teaspoons of sugar.
High carbohydrate intake is reflected in cholesterol tests. The liver converts excess sugar into triglycerides and ships them out as VLDL. As these shrink, they become small, dense LDL, which increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.
The “Hoarding” Effect
Imagine your doorbell rings every few minutes with a new package. Before you can open one, another arrives. Soon, your house will be full of unopened boxes. This is what grazing on carbohydrates is like. We overwhelm our tightly-regulated system. Eventually, the system gets “broken,” resulting in Metabolic Syndrome or type 2 diabetes.
The solution? We stop the constant delivery of carbohydrate packages. We feed our body protein and nutrients with enough fat to use as fuel, allowing it to finally take our stored fat out of storage. This is easiest addressed by following a diet lower in carbs.
More Info
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To your good health!
Joy
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References
- Michigan State University Extension. How to convert grams of sugars into teaspoons. MSU Extension News. 2014 Dec 18. [https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/how_to_convert_grams_of_sugars_into_teaspoons]
- Klöting N, Fasshauer M, Dietrich A, et al. Insulin-sensitive obesity. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Sep;299(3):E506-15. [https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00586.2009]
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Joy is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of BetterByDesign Nutrition Ltd. She has a postgraduate degree in Human Nutrition, is a published mental health nutrition researcher, and has been supporting clients’ needs since 2008. Joy is licensed in BC, Alberta, and Ontario, and her areas of expertise range from routine health, chronic disease management, and digestive health to therapeutic diets. Joy is passionate about helping people feel better and believes that Nutrition is BetterByDesign©.