Mastering Nutrition

Why Should Postprandial Glucose Be Kept Under 140 mg/dL? | Masterjohn Q&A Files #323

Sep 11, 2023

The podcast discusses the importance of keeping post-prandial blood glucose levels under 140 mg/dL to avoid negative effects on metabolism. It explores the relationship between sorbitol and plasma glucose levels, the significance of adaptation to postprandial glucose levels, and the importance of glycemic load adaptation for overall health.

10:21

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Quick takeaways

Postprandial blood glucose above 140 mg/dL triggers the polyol pathway, compromising antioxidant status and recycling of important vitamins.

Reaching blood glucose levels above 140 mg/dL occasionally should not cause concern, but repeated spikes with consistent consumption may indicate suboptimal metabolic state.

Deep dives

The Importance of Keeping Post-Prandial Blood Glucose below 140 mg/dL

Confusion about the significance of post-prandial blood glucose levels above 140 mg/dL is addressed. The speaker explains that exceeding this threshold is associated with the activation of the polyol pathway, which negatively affects the supply of NADPH and reduces the recycling of glutathione and vitamin C. While going above 140 mg/dL does not necessarily cause metabolic deterioration, it indicates the beginning of a suboptimal metabolic state. Evidence from studies shows that a linear relation between plasma glucose and sorbitol levels exists up to 6 millimolar, but a gap occurs between 6-8 millimolar, corresponding roughly to the 140 mg/dL mark. The speaker emphasizes that maintaining sorbitol levels within the normal range is important for optimal health.

Introduction

4min

Exploring the Relationship Between Sorbitol and Plasma Glucose Levels

2min

The Importance of Adaptation to Postprandial Glucose Levels

3min

Understanding the Importance of Postprandial Glucose

1min

Question: Why should postprandial blood glucose be kept under 140 milligrams per deciliter? Short Answer: When blood glucose rises above 140 mg/dL, this is the approximate point at which it spills into the polyol pathway at a greater-than-normal rate, which represents a suboptimal state of metabolism that is likely to hurt antioxidant status and compromise detoxification pathways as well as the recycling of vitamin K and folate. It must be kept in mind that a healthy person will adapt to glycemic loads they consume regularly. Thus, a one-time spike above 140 mg/dL should never be used to conclude anything whatsoever. Only repeated spikes above this level with repeated consumption of the same glycemic load over several days to several weeks should be used as a cause for concern.

This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:

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In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:

How can I protect against oxalates?

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This snippet is from the April 12, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:

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