Sweet Nothings
Do you know that the human body maintains only about 5g of glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream at any given period of time, that is within the range of ~ 70 - 100 mg/dl in the fasting stage?
The bloodstream is like a tightly regulated “balance tank” which plays a critical role in supplying energy to the brain and the red blood cells that depend heavily on glucose for energy.
And when the demand increases, the liver releases stored glucose (glycogen) in the bloodstream for energy. Muscles also store glycogen that releases during physical activity.
So why only 5g of sugar - why not more? The reason is, although glucose is vital for energy, anything excess of that in your blood can be toxic.
For example, excess sugar in the blood leads to glycation - a chemical reaction where glucose binds to proteins and fat, damaging cells, blood vessels, and organs. This leads to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, inflammation, neuropathy, blindness and whatnot.
Even though the blood carries only 5 g of glucose, it backs it up in the liver as liver glycogen (100g), in the muscles as muscle glycogen ~ 300 - 400g, and even fat stores can generate glucose when needed (gluconeogenesis).
So the body isn’t under-supplied. It just keeps the circulating levels minimal for optimal balance and safety.
So next time you take a sugary snack or drink that contains 20 to 50 grams or more of sugar - 10X more than what’s needed in the blood at any time - you can well imagine what will happen to you in the long run!
Zareer Patell
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