Table of Content
After eating, blood glucose levels tend to go up. However, the body typically responds by secreting insulin to help transport glucose out of the blood stream and into cells where it can provide energy. The issue arises when blood glucose levels stay elevated frequently or remain high for too long.
Persistently high glucose levels are not only "too much sugar in the blood." Long-term high levels of glucose may interact with proteins and fats, change cellular communication, cause oxidative stress and harm both small and large blood vessels that provide various organs with blood supply.
That is why the consequences of high blood glucose can be more serious than just being hungry or tired. Eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and blood vessels can be affected, sometimes even without obvious symptoms.
Having insight into what is happening in the body can shed light on the reasons why controlling blood glucose level goes beyond achieving occasionally healthy readings.
What Happens When Blood Sugar Remains High?
After a meal, carbohydrates are digested and converted to glucose and released into the bloodstream. Insulin facilitates the uptake of glucose and maintains the glucose level within a physiological range.
In the case when there is an inadequate production of insulin or when the function of insulin is ineffective, glucose stays in the bloodstream longer. This happens in the development of type 2 diabetes because, usually, the insulin resistance of muscle, liver, and fat cells occurs at the same time.Persistent hyperglycaemia can also occur in type 1 diabetes, in which the body produces little or no insulin, as well as in certain other medical conditions and during the use of some medications.
Glucose in excess in the bloodstream may lead to the development of a number of biochemical cascades. This includes the formation of advanced glycation end products, the induction of oxidative stress and inflammation.(1)
The main thing here is that it is not one single spike in glucose levels that causes the problem but the chronic exposure to excess glucose.
1. Blood Vessels Begin to Take the Strain
One of the key manifestations of high blood sugar is vascular problems.
Blood vessels have endothelial lining which regulates the blood flow, coagulation, inflammation, and vascular tone. Hyperglycemia may impair the functioning of endothelium and cause oxidative stress and inflammation.
All these factors may contribute to the vascular damage and atherosclerosis, which accounts for the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetic patients.
This is just one of the reasons why blood glucose should not be considered in isolation. Many other factors such as blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking, exercise, weight and kidney problems affect the risk of heart diseases.
2. Your Nerves Can Become Vulnerable
Continuous high levels of glucose can have an effect on the nerves, especially the peripheral nerves, which stretch out to the hands and feet.
The effects of diabetic neuropathy include pain, tingling, numbness, and even a change in sensation. Some patients become more sensitive, while others become less sensitive and unable to feel temperature, touch, or injuries.However, diabetic neuropathy does not always produce noticeable symptoms. Some people may develop nerve damage without experiencing pain, tingling or numbness.
The mechanisms are complicated. Continuous high glucose levels can contribute to oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, blood vessel changes, and metabolic disturbances in the nerves.
This could be especially important for the feet. If you become numb, a tiny blister, injury or pressure wound might go unnoticed.
That is why numbness, burning, or tingling should not be attributed only to aging. People with diabetes should have their feet examined regularly by a healthcare professional, even when they feel normal.
3. Your Kidneys Have to Work Under Increased Stress
The kidneys play a role in filtering wastes from the blood as well as in regulating fluid, electrolyte and acid/base balances.
Continuous high levels of blood glucose could harm the tiny blood vessels and filtration units in the kidneys, which might ultimately result in diabetic kidney disease. Early kidney damage is possible to occur without symptoms.
Only very small levels of albumin, which is a type of protein present in the blood, usually enter the urine. Abnormal increase in albumin excretion in the urine could indicate that the kidney's filtration system has been damaged.
There are two types of common assessments for kidney function in diabetic patients:
Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR): Tests the amount of albumin relative to creatinine in urine in order to test abnormal protein excretion.
Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): Based on the blood creatinine level, tests the effectiveness of waste filtering by the kidneys.
Both types of assessment provide different but related information about kidney functions. A patient might be showing signs of kidney damage while having a normal eGFR. High blood pressure could worsen the situation.
4. Your Eyes Can Be Affected Without Early Warning
The retina is highly supplied with blood vessels. The development of chronic hyperglycaemia can result in their impairment which leads to diabetic retinopathy.
The beginning of diabetic retinopathy does not show many symptoms at all. When there is an increasing vascular pathology, the emergence of such problems as abnormal blood vessels growth, hemorrhages, retinal edema and others can impair eyesight.
This case is one of the main reasons why it is necessary to wait until the symptoms of high blood sugar become obvious.
A patient feels absolutely fine although some diabetes-induced changes take place in his retina.
Therefore, eye check-ups are very important in order to diagnose diabetic retinopathy in time.
5. Your Heart and Brain Face Greater Vascular Risk
Individuals with diabetes face an increased risk of cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks, strokes and peripheral arterial disease. They arise because of prolonged metabolic disorders that affect blood vessels and cause accumulation of fats inside their walls.
Heart attacks are associated with limited or blocked blood flow to some parts of the heart muscles. Stroke happens as a result of blood supply interruption in the brain area or due to its rupture. With peripheral arterial disease, there is a lack of blood flow to some body parts like legs, which can cause pain when walking, poor wound healing and feet-related problems.
Apart from high blood glucose levels, there are other factors that can raise the cardiovascular risks for individuals. It can be high blood pressure, abnormalities in lipid profile, tobacco use, kidney disease and other metabolic risks.
That is why diabetes treatment includes more than control of blood glucose levels. Controlling glucose levels, blood pressure, lipids, giving up on tobacco and doing physical exercises can lower the risk of developing serious problems.
6. Wounds May Take Longer to Heal
The small cut might seem insignificant to you, but not if you have diabetes with nerve and circulatory damage.
The lack of sensation in that area might let the injury escape your attention. The change in the flow of blood might make it difficult for your body to provide proper oxygen and nutrients to the tissues, and the dysfunctional immunity caused by diabetes will make it hard to deal with any infections.
All these factors put together will result in delays in the healing process and will raise the risk of foot complications.
This becomes especially significant for those who have neuropathy or peripheral vascular disease already. Checking their feet regularly might help catch the problems early on.
7. Your Immune Response Can Be Altered
High glucose not only affects the arteries and nerves. Consistent hyperglycemia may also have an impact on the body's immune system.
Diabetes may affect many different facets of the defense mechanisms of the body, such as the ability of neutrophils and other inflammation signaling processes. Hyperglycemia may increase susceptibility to infections and poor infection outcomes.
It doesn't imply that all infections in diabetics are caused by high glucose levels. It means that uncontrolled high glucose levels may complicate infections.
It shows that keeping blood glucose within the recommendations of your doctors is important not only for diabetes.
8. Your Metabolism Can Become Increasingly Difficult to Regulate
It is important to distinguish between a transient increase in blood glucose level after eating and permanently high blood glucose.
If insulin resistance continues, the body can try to compensate for that by increasing the production of insulin. Eventually, the beta-cells in the pancreas will have a problem with sustaining this.
In other words, there is a vicious metabolic circle where insulin resistance makes the body need more insulin, but the beta-cells fail to compensate for that.
This is just one of the reasons why type 2 diabetes can continue to develop.
9. You May Develop Symptoms, But They Can Be Easy to Miss
Some people with high blood sugar do not necessarily experience any symptoms. There may be gradual development of type 2 diabetes and it could take some time for some people to realise that there is something wrong with them because their glucose levels have been high for a long period of time.
Symptoms associated with high blood glucose include:
- Feeling thirsty and needing to urinate frequently
- Feeling very tired or weak
- Blurred vision
- Hunger
- Unintended weight loss especially when the glucose level is very high
However, these symptoms do not necessarily point to high blood sugar and should not be taken as such. Glucose tests and HbA1c tests give you more reliable data than your symptoms can give you.
What makes high blood sugar a medical emergency?
Severe hyperglycaemia can sometimes become a medical emergency and cause some serious complications such as diabetic ketoacidosis and hyperglycaemic crises. These are some of the symptoms that need to be looked at immediately especially if you have diabetes or suspect having it:
Persistent vomiting
Abdominal pain
Confusion
Rapid or deep breathing
Difficulty breathing or extreme dehydration
These symptoms need immediate attention.
10. The Damage Can Accumulate Quietly Over Time
Probably the most important aspect in regard to the long term consequences of increased levels of blood glucose is that they are likely to be cumulative.
There might not be any significant differences from one month to another in terms of your health status. Nevertheless, continued exposure to increased levels of glucose can influence various systems of your body, such as the vascular, nervous, renal and retinal systems.
Thus, HbA1c can be a good measure for understanding the average level of glucose during the last two or three months.
For instance, the study conducted within the framework of the UK Prospective Diabetes Study demonstrated that better glucose control led to decreases in the number of microvascular complications in people who had recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.(2)
Why Can High Blood Sugar Damage Different Organs?
The explanation lies partly in the ways in which chronic hyperglycaemia affects cellular biology.
Glucose overload may lead to increased production of advanced glycation end products, activation of the polyol pathway, upregulation of protein kinase C and increased oxidative stress. All these factors can disrupt physiological functioning of the blood vessels and cellular metabolism.
Chronic hyperglycaemia induced generation of mitochondrial superoxide to explain the mechanisms of connections between increased glucose levels and different pathways involved in the development of diabetic complications.(3)
Diabetic complications do not develop due to "glucose adhering to organs," but through complicated biochemical processes within cells, vessels, inflammatory reactions and healing tissues.
Can You Have High Blood Sugar Without Knowing It?
Yes.
Type 2 diabetes can slowly develop, and some individuals may not exhibit any symptoms initially. Prediabetes is also possible without any symptoms.
This is the reason why screening becomes necessary for an individual who is having certain risk factors such as obesity, diabetes in the family, hypertension, abnormal cholesterol levels, and so forth.
Blood sugar test and HbA1C can give us information that cannot be obtained from symptoms.
What Can Help Protect the Body?
Blood glucose control is not about eliminating all carbohydrates from your diet and getting an ideal number every day.
A sustainable approach generally comprises appropriate nutrition, exercise, proper sleep, weight loss when necessary, medication when required and monitoring.
In case of diabetic patients, therapy should be personalized. Ideal glucose targets may vary based on age, length of time of having diabetes, medications taken, co-morbidities and hypoglycemia risk.
Supplements can never act as a substitute for prescription medications or any medical treatment program for diabetes.
Certain dietary components have still been examined with regard to their association with glucose metabolism. Some of these include components like mulberry, jamun and fenugreek, which have been researched in various scientific studies along with chromium that plays a role in normal macronutrient metabolism. Evidence quality varies widely depending upon component, formulation and dosage.
Conclusion
However, the consequences of excess blood glucose extend far beyond the immediate symptoms. Uncontrolled high blood glucose levels can lead to complications in the form of damages to the blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, eyes, cardiovascular system, and the body's ability to resist injuries and infections.
The critical thing to know here is that certain long-term effects of uncontrolled glucose levels occur in stealth. Therefore, you cannot use your daily feeling to gauge whether your blood glucose levels are under control.
Which means that consistent monitoring, HbA1c testing as prescribed, proper diet, exercise, sleep and other measures should be used for minimizing the exposure to prolonged high blood glucose levels. This is necessary to avoid harm to the organs and systems that rely on the proper blood flow and metabolism.
Before taking a supplement designed to support glucose levels in your blood, keep in mind that it is only meant to be used alongside other methods such as medication and proper medical care. One of such supplements is Health etc. Diabetes Gummy which combines mulberry, jamun, fenugreek, amla, chromium, and vitamin D3.
References:
Hyperglycemia and glycation in diabetic complications - 2009 dec - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19489690/
Intensive blood-glucose control with sulphonylureas or insulin compared with conventional treatment and risk of complications in patients with type 2 diabetes (UKPDS 33). UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Group - 1998 Sep - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9742976/
Mitochondrial ROS Formation in the Pathogenesis of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy - 2020 Feb - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7040199/
