October 2017Launch Interactive Issue
Not So Sweet: Deadly Impact of After-Meal Blood Glucose Spikes
Suppress Post-Meal Insulin SurgesThe most dangerous time of day is after a meal, when insulin and glucose can spike too high in the bloodstream. Two plant extracts have been shown to slash after-meal insulin by as much as 56% along with reductions in after-meal glucose, and a 0.3% drop in hemoglobin A1c.
After-Meal Glucose and Insulin Accelerate AgingGlucose and insulin in the bloodstream can rapidly climb after any meal, especially a large meal with concentrated carbohydrates. This after-meal surge in glucose and insulin spreads throughout the body several hours following a meal. That means for several hours each day, our tissues are soaked in a high-glucose/high-insulin environment. During the critical two-hour period following a meal, most experts agree that maximum damage can occur due to the surge in glucose and insulin.6 Even if you are not diabetic, these after-meal surges in glucose and insulin create damage. Over time, this leads to a downward spiral that harms every organ in the body and accelerates aging processes. In fact, glucose levels during the after-meal period are typically so high that glucose chemically bonds to proteins and fats throughout the body. This process is called glycation. To reduce glycation-induced aging, we need to find ways to minimize our exposure to excessive blood glucose and insulin.
ELEVATED AFTER-MEAL GLUCOSE AND INSULIN WREAKS SYSTEMIC HAVOC
- Cloudiness of the lens with cataracts
- Degeneration of retinas, which leads to potential blindness
- Decline in brain function that opens the door to dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
- Decline in kidney function, leading to renal failure
- Stiffening of heart muscle and arteries, creating the opportunity for stroke, heart attacks and heart failure – all processes that, given enough time, will occur in any of us
Maqui-Berry Extract Slows Glucose AbsorptionMaqui berries have demonstrated many health benefits. In a new discovery, maqui-berry extract has been shown tolower after-meal rises in both glucose and insulin. Research suggests that a standardized extract of maqui berries contains compounds known as delphinidins. These fruit-based compounds stimulate a peptide that lowers postprandial (after-meal) blood glucose and can have a moderating influence on insulin spikes.11 The name of this peptide naturally secreted by the body is glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). In the stomach, GLP-1 has the effect of slowing and delaying emptying. This means that glucose from the meal reaches the absorptive tissue in the small intestine later, and in lower quantities, than it would otherwise do. GLP-1thus helps limit after-meal glucose spikes.12,13 Maqui-berry extract has also been shown to slow the rise of after-meal insulin levels.4
FIGURE 1: STANDARDIZED MAQUI-BERRY EXTRACT INHIBITS POSTPRANDIAL GLUCOSE AND INSULIN ELEVATIONS
Damaging Effects of Excess InsulinInsulin is a crucial hormone for the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. In a perfect scenario, after ingestion of foods, insulin is released in moderated amounts to help shuttle glucose into the cells for energy production or storage and then should drop back to pre-meal levels.14,15 But for many individuals this is not the case, and the decreased ability of the body’s cells to respond to insulin creates a condition known as insulin resistance. As a result, the pancreas produces more insulin than normal, creating a state of hyperinsulinemia that sets the path for multiple age-related diseases, like atherosclerosis, hypertension, lipid abnormalities, chronic inflammation, type II diabetes, obesity, and cancer.16-27 Once insulin levels begin to rise, it is difficult to control and can lead to multiple degenerative disorders. Over time, the body becomes insulin resistant and needs more and more insulin to process a normal meal. Excess insulin is one of the quickest routes to accelerated aging, thus making insulin control a key factor in any longevity program. This is where the benefits of maqui berry are of key importance.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Control Postprandial Blood-Glucose Levels
- While glucose is an absolute necessity to fuel human life, if elevated it poses a long-term threat to the integrity of our tissues, organs, and systems.
- Postprandial (after-meal) elevations in blood glucose and insulin are increasingly recognized as major threats to metabolic health.
- Both type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease risks are sharply elevated in people whose postprandial glucose levels are high, but physicians rarely bother to measure postprandial glucose, and even fewer still measure after-meal insulin.
- Most physicians, at present, will not prescribe prescription drugs until diabetes is fully-developed—long after the window of opportunity for prevention has closed.
- But control of postprandial glucose and insulin is indeed possible, with the introduction of standardized maqui-berry and water-soluble clove extracts.
- These natural compounds work by complementary mechanisms to suppress after-meal metabolic derangements, thereby reducing the risk of tissue and cellular damage.
Maqui Berry Reduces Glucose and Insulin Spikes
GLUCOSE INCREASES CANCER MORTALITY
Maqui Berry Lowers HbA1c Levels
FIGURE 2: STANDARDIZED MAQUI-BERRY EXTRACT LOWERS GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN LEVELS
Clove Extract Prevents Postprandial Glucose Spikes
FIGURE 3: CLOVE EXTRACT REDUCES AFTER-MEAL BLOOD GLUCOSE IN HUMANS
FASTING VS. POSTPRANDIAL (AFTER-MEAL) GLUCOSE ELEVATIONS
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