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Glucose's chemical formula
A 6-carbon sugar
Primary fuel for your cells
Blood glucose (blood sugar) is the main sugar found in your bloodstream and your body's primary energy source. It comes from the food you eat, especially carbohydrates like sugars and starches.
Your body carefully regulates blood glucose levels to maintain them within a healthy range:
When glucose levels rise too high or fall too low, it can affect how you feel and potentially impact your health over time. High glucose typically causes increased thirst, frequent urination, and fatigue, while low glucose often leads to shakiness, sweating, and dizziness.
When you eat, especially foods containing carbohydrates, your blood glucose levels rise. This is called a "glucose spike" or "postprandial spike" (after meal spike).
The size and duration of glucose spikes depend on several factors:
Frequent, large glucose spikes followed by crashes can contribute to fatigue, hunger, cravings, and over time, may increase risk for conditions like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Not all foods affect your blood glucose the same way. Here's how different foods typically impact glucose levels:
White bread, rice, potatoes, sugary drinks
Whole fruit, oatmeal, sweet potatoes
Non-starchy vegetables, beans, nuts
Understanding how different foods affect your glucose can help you make informed choices for better health and energy levels throughout the day.
Understanding your glucose patterns can help you:
Did you know? Glucose responses can vary significantly between individuals, even when eating identical foods. This is due to differences in metabolism, gut microbiome, and other personal factors.
Ready to test your understanding? Click the "Start Prediction Game" button below to see if you can predict how different foods will affect glucose levels!
Sarah Johnson experienced a glucose spike of 152 mg/dL at 2:00 PM today. Sarah Johnson reported feeling fatigued, mildly thirsty, and had difficulty concentrating around this time.
Sarah Johnson is using continuous glucose monitoring to understand how different foods affect their levels, but doesn't remember exactly when they ate before this spike occurred.
Your Challenge: Look at Sarah Johnson's glucose spike at 2:00 PM. When do you think they ate something that caused this response?
Instructions: Drag a food from below and drop it on the clock to indicate when you think it was eaten.
Data Source: BIG IDEAs Lab Glycemic Variability and Wearable Device Data