

This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Glucose Revolution" by Jessie Inchauspé. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Are glucose spikes dangerous? How do frequent glucose spikes wreak havoc on your overall health?
In the short-term, glucose spikes can cause lethargy and brain fog. In the long term, they can contribute to many acute and chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, as well as mental health problems.
Here’s a look at the health problems associated with frequent glucose spikes.
Glucose Spikes and Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the condition that’s most commonly associated with increased glucose levels. It results from the relationship between glucose and insulin: First, when we experience glucose spikes, the pancreas releases insulin to store away the excess glucose as glycogen in the liver, muscles, and fat. The more glucose there is, the more insulin is released, and the more glucose has to be stored as fat.
Second, as the pancreas releases more and more insulin, our cells become resistant to the hormone. Because of this resistance, larger quantities of insulin are needed to store the same amount of glucose as glycogen.
Eventually, the storage system fails—the body can’t store glucose as glycogen anymore. With nowhere and no way to store glucose molecules, their concentration in our bodies increases permanently.
Here are the four biggest risks associated with frequent glucose spikes.
1. Heart Disease
Inchauspé states that elevated glucose levels and frequent glucose spikes can also lead to heart disease in the long term. This is because glucose spikes contribute to cholesterol accumulation beneath the lining of our blood vessels, which sets off heart disease.
(Shortform note: In addition to damaging blood vessels by causing cholesterol accumulation, persistently high glucose levels damage the nerves that control the heart and blood vessels. This nerve damage further contributes to heart disease and increases your chance of having a stroke. People with high glucose levels from diabetes are almost twice as likely to experience heart disease or stroke.)
How do glucose spikes lead to cholesterol accumulation? The cells lining our blood vessels are highly susceptible to mitochondrial stress, which glucose spikes directly contribute to. When experiencing mitochondrial stress, the blood vessel lining’s cells go from even to irregular in shape, making it easy for cholesterol to get caught in the grooves of the lining.
(Shortform note: Research has increasingly focused on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development and progression of vascular diseases (diseases relating to the body’s vessels, especially blood vessels), particularly atherosclerosis, or the buildup of fat on the inner walls of arteries. High glucose levels exacerbate oxidative stress and inflammation, two conditions linked to atherosclerosis. There’s ongoing research into potential therapeutic interventions targeting mitochondrial damage and dysfunction for the treatment of vascular diseases, including treatments that suppress mitochondrial production of free radicals called reactive oxygen species.)
Additionally, when our glucose levels make our insulin levels too high, our liver begins producing a small type of cholesterol called LDL pattern B that gets stuck more easily on the edges of blood vessels than other types of cholesterol. High levels of glucose, fructose, and insulin contribute to the oxidization of LDL pattern B, making it even more likely to stick under the lining of our blood vessels. Finally, we experience heart disease when enough cholesterol accumulates to start hindering our blood flow.
(Shortform note: Cholesterol is a type of fat, and it must be connected to a protein to travel through the body. LDL cholesterol is a type of lipoprotein—a particle made of fat and protein. Specifically, it’s a low-density lipoprotein, meaning it contains more fat than protein. LDL cholesterol delivers fat to the cells as needed. In contrast, HDL cholesterol (or high-density lipoproteins) brings cholesterol to the liver, which eliminates the cholesterol from the body. Though research supports Inchauspé’s idea that the prevalence of small, sticky LDL pattern B cholesterol is connected to external factors such as glucose levels, there’s also a genetic component to the size of our LDL cholesterol.)
2. Cancer
According to the author, glucose spikes can increase our risk of cancer in three ways:
First, the increased number of free radicals that result from glucose spikes can increase our risk of dangerous DNA mutations. Studies suggest that this may be how cancer begins.
(Shortform note: Other factors beyond glucose spikes can lead to the proliferation of cancer-causing, DNA-altering free radicals, including tobacco smoke, UV radiation, environmental and occupational chemicals, air pollution, medical radiation, and certain viruses. Free radicals are most likely to cause cancer when they alter tumor suppressor genes that direct repairs of damaged DNA. Mutations in these genes are the primary reason cancer cells form.)
Additionally, high glucose levels lead to chronic inflammation, which encourages the rapid increase of cancer cells. Generally, inflammation is one way for the body to defend against harmful intruders, such as viruses and bacteria. However, the body attacks itself when it’s chronically inflamed, leading to tissue and organ damage.

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Here's what you'll find in our full Glucose Revolution summary:
- Why you feel hungry soon after you eat and get tired throughout the day
- The role glucose plays in your body, both positive and negative
- Strategies for taking control of your health and glucose levels