Your body pain might be due to blood sugar imbalance
In my last newsletter, I talked about how blood sugar imbalance contributes to inflammation and it got so many of you thinking and asking more questions (which I appreciate!). So for the second of this three-part series, we will be discussing this much requested topic---blood sugar imbalance connection to muscle and joint pain.
In case you missed the first one, read about it here and stay tuned for the third newsletter in this series as well.
Is blood sugar imbalance really associated with pain?
There are several ways in which blood sugar imbalance (dysglycemia) contributes to pain.
Here's what we know so far:
- Rapid rise or fall in blood sugar levels causes painful headaches, affects mood, and leads to further sugar cravings. This loop then becomes not just about physical pain, but emotional pain as well. Additionally, sugar high produces a biological response similar to stress wherein the body pumps out adrenaline and epinephrine, which can make the body feel anxious, irritable and agitated.
- Researchers have found that diets high in sugar may increase the risk for heart disease (Yang, Zhang & Gregg, 2014). The heart gets stressed out by high blood sugar, making it function less effectively.
- Impaired glucose tolerance is associated with reports of daily chronic pain.
- Increased inflammation is one of the negative effects of a high sugar diet. Inflammation causes liver issues, joint pain, and stiffness, especially during the process of glycation in aging. Want to learn more about inflammation and pain?
- High blood sugar has been directly linked to diabetes and musculoskeletal pain. Some examples of musculoskeletal effects and acute and chronic pain related to diabetes are:
- Muscle cramps
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Back pain
- Arthritis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Stiff hands syndrome
- Limited joint mobility
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Adhesive capsulitis or Frozen shoulder
- Trigger finger
- Osteoporosis
- Excessive sugar intake drives to fat storage and obesity. A study published in the Journal of Pain Research found that obesity is related to chronic pain, particularly for diagnoses of lower back pain, fibromyalgia, abdominal pain, and headaches.
Hidden sugars: The silent culprit of chronic pain?
The average American consumes about 47 pounds of cane sugar and 35 pounds of high fructose corn syrup per year according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). And while it is obvious that sugary drinks (cola and energy drinks), candy, ice cream and many desserts are high in sugar, there are also sugars hidden in plain sight that we need to be more aware of.
First off, while high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) considered to be the villain out of all sugars, fructose in its natural form is actually good for the body because it has vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and more. The laboratory version HFCS is made of genetically modified corn and abundance of sweetness and no nutritional content.
And did you know there are actually about 60 other names for sugar? This is important information especially if you are the type who read the ingredient list (and you should!). Here are some of the other names of sugar that we all need to be aware of:
Agave nectar
Barley malt
Dextrin (and Dextrose)
Malt syrup
Treacle
Saccharine
Mannose
Muscovado
Dehydrated cane juice
Second, there are hidden sugars in most processed foods. Yes, even the ones we might consider “healthy” might have lots of HFCS that could cause blood sugar imbalance. Some examples of food items that have hidden sugars are:
Whole grain breakfast bars
Cereals
Granola bars
Sports drinks
Yogurt
Tonic water
Flavored coffee drinks
Juice drinks
Flavored milk drinks
Download a list of Hidden Sugars
So is sugar ultimately bad?
Sugar on its own is not ‘bad’. As I have mentioned here, fructose (which is in many of the fruits we consume) is fine. It is the added sugar, most especially the hidden ones that we need to avoid as much as possible. In addition to the calories that these artificial sugars have, they also offer no nutritional value.
Also remember that sugar can be addictive sometimes so putting a limit on it is really for the better.
How do we do it exactly?
Here are a few tips for you to consider
Look at the labels carefully and scrutinize the ingredient list. IMPORTANT: pay attention to serving size.
I remember this one time a friend of mine got a bottle of juice and right away looked at its sugar content. He was so proud that it stated only 8 grams of sugar until I pointed out that 1 bottle had 3 servings & that 8 grams of sugar was in each serving.
As a general rule, the suggested daily sugar limit is as follows:
Remember that one teaspoon of sugar is around 4 grams, so keep that in mind as you add sugar to drinks or desserts.
Some sugars might be under the carbohydrate in nutrition labels so check it carefully.
Try to get your sugars from fruits instead of processed food. Having a diet what is composed of whole foods helps you avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners.
Men - 36 grams per day (9 teaspoon)
Women - 24 grams per day (6 teaspoon)
Added tip, some pain medications can cause blood sugar imbalance. So it is important to let your attending physician, pharmacist or healthcare worker know if you’re already suffering from blood sugar imbalance or pain so this can be considered. It might also be helpful to address the root of your pain rather than be dependent on pain medication.
Blood sugar imbalance, particularly high blood sugar, contributes to inflammation and chronic pain. Oftentimes these two conditions are comorbid and affect a great number of our population. Making better lifestyle choices, especially with nutrition and fitness can help.
And as I have mentioned at the top of this blog post, this is the second installment in a series on blood sugar imbalance. Stay tuned for the last one on blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
So I have had RA for 20 years. A couple years ago I took one injection, just one, of a semaglutide for weight loss. It threw me into a year-long flare, the worst ever. High Rheumatoid factor, high anti-CCP and I could barely walk. I finally got better and I decided to take some Berberine, instead, for weight loss. Again, I started having joint pain after taking only 2 tablets. There is some connection with LOW blood sugar and joint pain. Can you explain?
Hi Karin, thanks for your comment. I would like to highlight that I’m not a Dr. and can’t give medical advice. Please keep in mind that RA is an autoimmune condition and anything you take and do will react very differently on your body compared to someone that doesn’t have autoimmune condition, so you have to be very careful of that.
In this study article I found explains how you may get pain from low blood sugar: “Studies have suggested that hypoglycemia-induced neuropathy may not simply be the result of glucose deprivation but rather a result of a multifactorial process involving oxidative stress and stress-sensitive factors [6]. The results of the present study demonstrate that insulin-induced hypoglycemia may result in acute neuropathic pain and the increased mechanical sensitivity noted is the result of decreased glycemic levels rather than insulin itself. The immunohistological and RT-PCR results suggest that insulin-induced hypoglycemia results in an increased expression of the stress-sensitive and pain-related factor c-Fos in nerve tissues. This in turn may be the mechanism by which acute pain is induced in the body. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that pretreatment with CoQ10 can prevent hypoglycemia-induced mechanical hypersensitivity and decrease the expression of c-Fos. Results further suggest that the protective effects of CoQ10 on pain sensitivity may be related to a decrease in activation of spinal pathways mediated by the inhibition of oxidative stress and intracellular signaling, preventing neuronal injury.” Here’s the article, scroll down to section 4 Discussion: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4707338/#:~:text=The%20immunohistological%20and%20RT%2DPCR,is%20induced%20in%20the%20body. Hope this helps, please consult with a Dr that specializes in autoimmune conditions.