The Sugar/Hormone Connection
The Sugar/Hormone Connection
Sugar and refined carbohydrates are best known for their effects on weight gain, but these foods are frequently at the root of PMS and menopause symptoms too.
Sugar not only provides major highs and lows in mood and energy, it can also disrupt one of the most powerful hormones in the body: Insulin. And insulin is closely connected to all of the other hormones in the body, including estrogen and testosterone.
When insulin spikes, typically after a meal high in sugar and carbs, this can lead to lower levels of an important protein known as Sex Hormone Binding Globulin or SHBG. SHBG binds excess estrogen and testosterone in the blood, but when it’s low these hormone levels increase. Insulin also increases the production of testosterone, which is then converted into even more estrogen by fat tissue in the belly.
These effects mean the ratio of estrogen to progesterone is way too high leading to irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and more.
As a side note PCOS is believed to be caused from too high testosterone and that is why lowering sugars and carbs has been shown to be extremely effective for PCOS reduction.
Instead of thinking NO sugar, think glycemic control. Glycemic load is an estimate of how much the carbs and sugars in a certain food will raise a person’s blood sugar after eating it. You want to gradually increase your blood sugar and insulin as opposed to causing spikes and dramatic drops.
Simple, refined sugars cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin. However, complex carbs, fiber, protein, and healthy fats promote more gradual increases and decreases in blood sugar and insulin. This lowers your glycemic load and lifts the burden on your hormones.
It’s easy to check the glycemic load of different foods. Just go to GlycemicIndex.com.
A low glycemic food will have a value of 0-55. Low glycemic foods cause small sustainable rises in blood glucose.
Medium glycemic foods have a value between 56 and 69.
High glycemic foods are 70 or higher and cause a rollercoaster effect on your glycemic index.
Ready to get your hormones balanced? Where do you start? Start with getting liquid sugars out of your diet. Sodas are at least a 90 on the glycemic index. And sodas have no protein or fiber to help level out that burst of sugar. Sweetened coffee and tea fall into this category as well.
Another simple tip is to keep nuts as a snack. When you get hungry, choose protein-packed nuts instead of a sugar-filled option. Nuts keep the glycemic levels balanced.
Research has shown by eating protein with “breakfast” (whatever time of day that is for you) “sets” your insulin levels for the day. So even if you do eat something higher on the glycemic index later in the day; that protein you ate in the morning still helps keeps the insulin levels even.
Take some time to go through your cabinets and refrigerator and see what the glycemic level is on your favorite foods. You may find replacing the higher glycemic foods help with your hormonal imbalances.
Source: GlycemicIndex.com
Photo: Arminas Raudys @pexels
Angel Hill-Reynolds, DNM, M.Ed., offers Natural Health Assessments, using the art of iridology with science-based solutions. She offers telehealth and in-store appointments. Visit AlternativeHealthFoodStore.com/services for details.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.