The Hidden Danger Behind ‘Normal’ Blood Sugar Levels
- Alison Aldred
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
'My doctor tells me my blood sugar is fine.'
If I had a penny for every time I've heard this, I'd be rich.
Did your doctor tell you, that an HbA1c above 38 mmol/mol indicates permanent blood vessel damage? And if unchecked leads to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases? No? I thought not.
What is HbA1c?
In simple terms the Glycated Haemoglobin blood test (HbA1c) checks the average 'sugariness' of your blood glucose over a 3-month period.
Why does it matter?
Because chronically high blood glucose, usually from too many carbohydrates and sugars, makes blood vessels stiff and narrow.
This raises your risk of:
High blood pressure
Stroke
Heart attack
Diabetes
Dementia
Kidney disease
Other metabolic diseases
Why would your GP say 'You're fine'?
It's not your doctors fault. They are overworked, tied to guidelines and working in a system that is more reactive than preventative. They care immensely, want to make a difference and are doing the best they can, in an inefficient system.
UK culture is “a pill for an ill.” Instead of empowering patients to prevent illness through diet and lifestyle, advice often comes from shoddy initiatives such as 'The Eatwell Guide', or 'Better Health'. Instead of patients being empowered to make positive changes, they feel subservient, and expect their GP to 'fix them', even for lifestyle driven diseases, which most chronic disease is.
However, improving or even reversing chronic disease is absolutely possible, and it doesn't have to be difficult or overwhelming...but it does mean that you have to take responsibility for your health with consistent action, however small that action is.
The role of carbohydrates
All carbs are broken down into glucose in the body. Some more quickly than others, but the end point is still sugar, whether that comes from 'healthy' wholegrains or refined white bread. Some people can tolerate carbs well. Others (the majority of the population) don't.
And while we all know cakes, biscuits and processed junk are sugary, mainstream advice tells us to eat more foods like bread, pasta, cereals, rice and potatoes. In other words, foods that also raise blood sugar.
How do you know if your blood sugar is a problem?
Step 1: Know your numbers
If you have online access to your medical records, check them.
Otherwise, ask your GP directly. Don't be shy! You are entitled to know.
Here's the problem:
Your GP works within strict reference ranges, that state that if your HbA1c is below 42 mmol/mol, then your blood sugar is classed as ‘normal’. You will likely be sent away with 'you're fine', and in real-life terms this means that you carry on with the same diet and lifestyle that you have always done, until more obvious high blood glucose symptoms appear.
However, there is evidence of blood vessel damage above 33 mmol/mol and risk curves rise significantly over 38mmol/mol, raising the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease if left unchecked. At this stage, you are probably unaware of any symptoms, but tiny blood vessels to eyes, heart, kidneys and nerves are gradually being damaged.
That means waiting until someone hits 42mmol/mol before flagging a problem, is far too late. Early action is essential.
To my mind, setting the bar at 42mmol/mol for prediabetes is like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Absolutely, mind bogglingly stupid!
The problems don't stop there
Prediabetes should really be called end-stage insulin resistance. By the time it’s diagnosed (42-46 HbA1c), much of your beta cell function may already be lost. Beta cells in the pancreas are responsible for producing insulin, the hormone that shuttles sugar out of your blood and into your cells. Elevated blood sugar is a code-red emergency for the body because it’s so toxic. To protect you, the pancreas pumps out more and more insulin. But after years, often a decade or more, of a high-carb, high-sugar diet driving this response, the system begins to fail.
Chronic high insulin comes with it's own problems. Constantly elevated insulin levels (known as hyperinsulinemia) don’t just push sugar into cells, they also promote fat storage, drive inflammation, raise blood pressure, and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Overtime high insulin itself becomes just as damaging as high blood sugar.
The good news
The good news is, that Insulin Resistance, and high blood glucose, can be tackled very effectively with diet and lifestyle, and you don’t need to feel ravenously hungry and deprived whilst doing so.
We can get your cravings and food noise under control!
If you've been newly diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, then now is the time to make a proactive decision. Click on the link below and book a Clarity Call with me. This is a FREE 15-min consult to talk about your needs in more detail.
Sending love and healing,
Alison x
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