Glycation: why excess sugar matters

Have you ever wondered what happens to the sugar circulating in your blood? Why is excessive blood sugar a problem?

The answer lies in something known as glycation.

Glycation occurs when glucose molecules attach themselves to proteins in your body. The process happens randomly with no trigger.

Think of it like caramel that sticks to your hands when you dip into the cookie jar. Over time, the sticky reaction forms something known as AGE.

AGE stands for advanced glycation end products. It damages your cells, makes tissue stiff and speeds up aging.

Glycation is happening to all of all the time. It becomes worrisome when your sugar levels are elevated for long periods of time.

When you have pre-diabetes or diabetes, for example.

One of the best-known examples of glycation is what happens to haemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in your red blood cells.

When glucose sticks to hemoglobin, it forms glycated hemoglobin, or HbA1c, a long term measure of blood sugar. The standard say that a number above 6.5 is concerning with 5.7 being pre-diabetic.

Why does this matter?

But diabetes or glycation is not the problem. It is what it does to your body. Your skin, arteries, eyes, and even your brain. It is how it affects the fat cells in your body.

Glycated collagen makes your skin lose elasticity and your arteries stiffen. Glycated lens proteins lead to cataracts. Glycated neurons impair brain function, sometimes referred to as Type III Diabetes.

Glycation is a quiet, relentless process. It reflects not just your diet, but your lifestyle. Your sleep, stress and movement. Controlling it is not only about reducing sugar; it’s about reducing the conditions that make sugar toxic.

Glycation then is how our lifestyle writes itself as a story onto our biology.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain