Thread by @davidasinclair

Reducing spikes in blood glucose is considered healthy in the long run. In mice, the drug Acarbose blunts the spike & they live 4-17% longer 🐭 Consider eating some protein before carbs, reduce sugar and avoid high “GI” foods like rice and bread. Refs + more info👇

Mouse study: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

Original 2003 Hypothesis: sciencedirect.com/science/articl…. 2/n

Seek whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetables without starch. Avoid high glycemic index (GI) foods, like potatoes, white rice, white bread, and eat fewer sugary foods, including candy, cookies, cakes, and regular sodas. I gave up dessert at 40, though I do steal tastes 🍰 👅 3/n

Regular sugar, or sucrose, is made of glucose + fructose. It passes into the gut where it is hydrolyzed by the enzyme sucrase… 4/n

…glucose is then transported across the gut then into veins that take it to the liver via the hepatic portal system 5/n

Some glucose is converted to glycogen, some is carried through the bloodstream to fuel energy production around the body. (Btw, Fructose metabolism occurs entirely in the liver, where, in excess, it can cause fatty liver disease, so avoid foods with high fructose syrup, too) 6/n

Your doc can measure how well you’re doing. The % of glucose bound to hemoglobin is called HbA1c 7/n

You want HbA1c <5.6% while >6.5% is an indicator of Type 2 diabetes. 1/2 of Americans are in the pre-diabetic zone 8/n

Losing excess weight, eating low carb, being plant-focused and moving/exercising are ways to lower HbA1c. Some take metformin and/or berberine, as I discuss on the lifespanpodcast.com 9/n

Because I skip 1-2 meals most days, and eat a mainly sugar-free diet, my liver is trained and easily and steadily takes care of my glucose needs, in a process called gluconeogenesis. It’s way smarter than my eyes and mouth 😉 10/n

I’m asked where I get my glucose tested: HbA1c and fasting glucose @InsideTracker & continuous glucose monitor (CHM) @Levels. Links in bio “IG LIVE” 11/n