Besides texting while driving (which hopefully, you never do), do you know the most dangerous activity? It’s eating. And the most dangerous time is two hours following a meal (also known as the post-prandial period). That’s when glucose and insulin flood your bloodstream during the digestion of your food.
Even if you are not diabetic or pre-diabetic (normal fasting glucose and insulin levels), if your levels of glucose and insulin spike too high after meals, over time, this can cause severe damage that can promote chronic inflammation, accelerate the aging process, and increase your risk of the following diseases:
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Metabolic syndrome
- Diabetes
- Cataracts
- Retinal damage leading to blindness
- Kidney failure
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cancer
Glucose and insulin can quickly rise in the bloodstream after a meal, especially a meal rich in carbohydrates and/or protein. The 2-hour post-prandial (post-mealtime) period is when glucose and insulin levels are at their maximum. During this critical time, tissues throughout the body are temporarily saturated in a high-glucose (hyperglycemia) and high-insulin (hyperinsulinemia) environment.
For reference, optimal fasting glucose and insulin levels are <85 mg/dL and <7.5 uIU/mL respectively. Optimal 2-hour post-prandial glucose and insulin levels are <140 mg/dL and <25 uIU/mL respectively.
Glucose and insulin are necessary for human life but, over time, if levels spike too high on a repeating basis, it poses a major threat to your health. When glucose and insulin levels rise too high following a meal, tissues and cells can be damaged. This will not be noticeable immediately, but the dangerous effects are cumulative (add-up over time). The net result is premature aging and conditions that lead to premature death.
Abnormally elevated glucose and insulin are understandable in people with diabetes, but anyone (even non-diabetics) will experience damage to their body if glucose and insulin rise too much after meals. Excessive post-prandial glucose and insulin levels are highly predictive of future disease risks, even in people whose fasting levels are completely normal. While most physicians check fasting glucose levels, rarely, if ever, do they check fasting insulin levels or 2-hour post-prandial glucose and insulin levels.
Comments: Combating excess fasting and/or post-prandial glucose and insulin levels are crucial for protecting your health and longevity. If either condition is found through blood testing, the necessary steps need to be taken to address it.
To lower fasting glucose and insulin levels, I recommend a combination of a low-lectin diet (click here), intermittent fasting (click here), and strength training (click here). To reduce post-prandial glucose and insulin, I recommend adding maqui berry and clove extracts (click here). These natural compounds work by different but complementary mechanisms to lower excessive surges of glucose and insulin following a meal.
