Blood Sugar + Joint Pain:
Here’s the deal: insulin leads to cartilage degradation. We do NOT want to get to the point of insulin resistance, let alone full on type 2 diabetes - and this is something I’m starting to see more and more with my ACTIVE patients.
But if they are active, why do they have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes?
Many reasons but here are the main ones I see in my practice:
- distance athletes overdoing it on carb supplements and gels
- athletes thinking they can eat what they want as long as they train hard
- eating processed junk because it “fits your macros”
- hormones tanking (menopause or andropause)
- high stress
- statin medication
What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin resistance is an impaired response of the body to insulin, resulting in elevated levels of glucose in the blood (a key component of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome).
Carb supplements and Gels
If you are an ultramarathon runner or Ironman athlete, or participating in a sport that expands beyond the 90 minute mark, you’ve likely been recommended a carb supplement to prevent the dreaded ‘bonk’.
And while these carb supplements are often needed, we need to caution their overuse, and their use in general with perimenopausal patients as well as patients who are taking a statin medication.
We can get into a lot of nerdy detail about the use of carb supplements and gels, but that is not the main topic of this blog post, so stay tuned for an upcoming blog where we dive into more details on this specific topic.
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros)
I’m actually a big fan of macro counting. It’s very eye opening to see how LITTLE protein you’re eating (despite thinking you’re eating a lot), and how much fat you’re consuming (despite thinking you’re eating very little).
But when it comes to IIFYM and high level athletes, they often sneak in a LOT of processed junk, in the name of “fuelling”. While there are a lot of factors at play as to whether or not consuming highly processed food will have a negative impact on your health or not, and typically we can get away with doing this when we’re younger and making a healthy amount of hormones, as we age and hormones start to drop off, these choices start to affect us in negative ways, starting with insulin resistance.
Tanking Hormones
As estrogen and testosterone start to decline with age and are no longer around in the quantities they once were, our blood sugar and insulin become affected.
When it comes to joint health and cartilage degradation, what research shows us, is that insulin is the real problem (as opposed to the glucose).
When insulin resistance starts to develop, glucose has a difficult time getting out of the blood and into the tissues where it is needed. With higher blood sugar levels, more insulin is secreted, eventually leading to insulin resistance.
High Stress
High cortisol leads to higher blood sugar levels (we need sugar in our blood to fuel our brain and body to flee or fight!). Quick spikes in blood sugar once in a while are no big deal, but chronically high blood sugar is an issue, as we have been discussing.
Statin Medication Use
Statin medications are probably the most common pharmaceutical medications I see used by my patients in my practice.
They are touted as being very safe and effective, and one cannot argue that they are in fact very effective at lowering LDL cholesterol levels. However, recent research performed in the past decade is converging on the fact that statin medications are strongly associated with diabetes progression and insulin resistance.
Conclusion
The degradation of our joints with age does not have to be our destiny. However, we need to keep our blood sugar level and insulin responses in check. This often requires gradual dietary changes as we get older. We cannot keep doing the exact same thing as we age, and expect the exact same results. When I hear patients say, I’m doing what I’ve always done but I’m gaining weight - that is precisely the problem, they are doing the same thing.
If you are seeking help with solving your joint pain, regulating your hormones, and going deep with your health, book a free 20-minute strategy session to discuss whether or not you would be a good fit for our Active For Life program.