It seems that the brain in Type II diabetes, just like the body, has difficulty using sugar for energy. And this can lead to slower processing when it comes to memory retrieval.<\/p>\n
Another way that high blood sugar can contribute to damaging the brain is by contributing to hardening of the arteries, which thereby leads to a decrease in blood flow to key areas of the brain. So, is sugar all bad? Of course not. We need sugar, or glucose, for energy\u2026<\/p>\n
What Is Glucose?<\/h4>\n
Glucose is the primary metabolic fuel in the body. It\u2019s formed when carbohydrates are broken down in the body. Insulin, which is created by your pancreas, helps to move the glucose from your blood into the cells where it\u2019s metabolized to create energy. An imbalance of blood sugar and insulin can cause hypoglycemia, blood sugar that\u2019s too low; hyperglycemia, blood sugar that is too high; or diabetes.<\/p>\n
What Is Hyperglycemia? (Too Much Blood Sugar)<\/h4>\n
Hyperglycemia occurs when the body loses the ability to regulate blood sugar and the glucose in the blood becomes too high. If the sugar in the blood remains high for an extended period of time, then that person can develop diabetes.<\/p>\n
There are two ways to measure glucose in the blood. One way is after fasting for a period of eight hours or more. And the other way is to measure the blood sugar after eating, which is referred to as postprandial blood sugar. More often than not, your doctor will measure your fasting blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n
What Is Hypoglycemia? (Not Enough Blood Sugar)<\/h4>\n
Hypoglycemia refers to the condition when there isn\u2019t enough sugar in the blood to maintain normal cellular function. The good news is that the body has several mechanisms in place to keep the blood glucose within normal range so we can continue to function normally in times of high stress.<\/p>\n
But there are times when these mechanisms aren\u2019t enough or are compromised. This can occur if there\u2019s a prolonged period of fasting, if you\u2019re taking certain medications such as insulin, or secondary to illness. Symptoms of hypoglycemia include confusion, foggy thinking, angry outbursts, perfused sweating, feelings of anxiety, shaky arms and legs, and fatigue. In extreme cases, individuals can lose consciousness because the brain is being deprived of its primary fuel source.<\/p>\n
Healthy Ways to Include Sugar in Your Diet<\/h4>\n
The following are healthy ways to ensure that your body has enough glucose to keep it functioning at peak efficiency\u2026<\/p>\n
Fruit<\/h5>\n
Fruits can provide natural forms of sugar that also contain nutrients, such as vitamin C and fiber, and are rich in antioxidants. Fruits like blueberries, blackberries, and purple grapes have all been shown to protect the brain from the damage caused by aging.<\/p>\n
Sweet<\/h5>\n
If you need a touch of sweet, avoid refined sugars that are stripped of any nutrients and instead opt for unfiltered honey or a touch of agave syrup. But these still contain higher amounts of sugar so moderation is key.<\/p>\n
As an idea for dessert, combine lemon zest, a little agave syrup, water, and a touch of vanilla. Warm the mixture in a saucepan until smooth. Pour it over your favorite berries. Want it a little creamier? Add some Greek yogurt.<\/p>\n
Glucose Tips<\/h5>\n
Remember, the body\u2019s need for glucose can be obtained from complex carbohydrates and whole-grain products that are high in fiber. These foods slowly release glucose into the blood so the body can use it at its own pace and avoid blood sugar swings.<\/p>\n
Try this simple recipe:<\/strong> bake or microwave a small- to medium-sized sweet potato, cut it open, mash the contents, pour a little honey over it, sprinkle a little cinnamon, top with a little Greek yogurt, and enjoy.<\/p>\n Avoid all products that contain high fructose corn syrup. This is a concentrated form of sugar that\u2019s been linked to fatty liver disease, obesity, and accelerating memory impairment.<\/p>\n If possible, avoid artificial sweeteners because they\u2019ve been linked to an increase risk of obesity.<\/p>\n The effects of sugar on the brain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8100,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,100],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2018","category-fall-2018-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7990"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8153,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7990\/revisions\/8153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8100"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Be-Iconic-Front-Cover.-650h.jpg\")
<\/a>Foods that fall into this category are whole-grain pasta, quinoa, beans, and whole-grain toast. Other foods to consider are sweet potatoes and butternut squashes.<\/p>\nDr. Eudene Harry is the medical director for Oasis Wellness and Rejuvenation Center<\/a>, a wellness practice devoted to integrative holistic care and is the author of\u00a0 Be Iconic, Healthy\u00a0 And Sexy at Any Age.\u00a0<\/em>She is a veteran physician with over 20 years of experience. Dr. Harry earned her medical degree and performed her residency at Thomas Jefferson University.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"