11 ms·

The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Blood Glucose to Self-Control

80 points by asciilifeform 17y ago

embeddedradical 17y ago
Professor Martin Wiseman, Medical and Scientific Advisor for World Cancer Research Fund, gives his top five tips on How To Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/67006.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/67006.php
- jackchristopher 17y ago
  1. Lift. Muscle suck up glucose, improve (long term) sensitivity. 2. Eat fat/protein with sugary foods. Helps blunt the effect. [1] 3. Don't eat too many carbs. Even the AHA recommends below 60% because of other negatives. [2] 4. Eat the right carb sources. Starchy tubers are best: potatoes, yam/sweet potatoes, cassava and rice. And fruits like bananas, plantains and grapefruit. 5. Eat high GI foods unless your blood sugar is chronically elevated. The body likes glucose, particularly the brain. If your active and sensitive, you'll quickly use it for energy. When you're insensitive you need to cut back. [1] Protein/Fat/Fiber and Glucose Sensitivity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988118?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988118?dopt=Abstract [2] AHA Recommneds Less that 60% carbs a day: Search "carbs": http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180 http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180
  - WilliamLP 17y ago
    Isn't the claim of the parent article that _lower_ blood glucose and insulin levels decrease self control? So wouldn't all of those work in the wrong direction?
    - peregrine 17y ago
      He did offer solutions to lower blood sugar, but he also provided solutions to increase blood sugar sensitivity and told you to eat much better carbs. Tubers, Rice, etc etc.
    - enra 17y ago
      Eating too much or only carbs will spike your blood glucose and insulin production. After the carbs are gone your glucose level starts to decline pretty fast since there is too much insulin. It's better to eat more fat/protein and keep the glucose levels more stable than ride a rollercoaster.
    - jackchristopher 17y ago
      Yes it's counterintuitive. Chronically high insulin (insensitivity) is bad. But chronically low is bad also. Many (probably most) people have the former. So in the blood they have free floating insulin chasing nonexistent glucose, screwing their metabolism. I recommended fewer carbs (and other measures) would lead to higher sensitivity; better blood glucose control. EDIT: I second enra's comment.
  - menloparkbum 17y ago
    The carb sources you mention have very different GI loads. Potatoes are very high, Grapefruit is low. The rest are in between.
    - jackchristopher 17y ago
      The GI is narrow we need a holistic view of food. What we're really after is long term glucose/insulin sensitivity. The GI too focused on one aspect of food. We know of cultures (e.g Chinese, Kitavans) who thrive on high GI foods [1]. I don't follow the glycemic index much. That said, it is relevant. Eating low GI and low carb generally is good for the obese and overweight. It'll do wonders against prediabetes and metabolic syndrome because they're insulin insensitive. [1] Against the GI: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=glycemic http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=glycemic
jasongullickson 17y ago
I haven't read the entire paper yet, but the summary has me downloading the PDF. I've definitely noticed a relationship like this in my own behavior, and desired ways to manage it effectively. It will be interesting to see if the complete text sheds light on this and provides tools to do so.
- Luc 17y ago
  I can hardly believe it, but it's free to download! A pleasant surprise.
  - ovi256 17y ago
    Free access to tax funded research ? Is that not socialism ? So good to see open scientific journals getting popular!
    - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
      Socialism is where you take my work whether you pay me or not and give it freely to everybody else.
      - rw 17y ago
        Correction: Intellectual property theft is where you take my work whether you pay me or not and give it freely to everybody else.
      - sho 17y ago
        I am not sure if that is the most wildly inaccurate description of socialism I have ever read, but if not, it is certainly up there.
seanstickle 17y ago
This doesn't bode well for me trying to use self-control to kick my sugar habit.
- diN0bot 17y ago
  true, though there's a difference between candy sugar and whole wheat sugar. eating a slice of whole wheat bread versus a lollipop will probably provide the same benefit (if not better, being more sustained) without the desire to consume more and convert the sucrose directly to fat. (afaik. i'm kind of speaking off of intuition here.)
  - deleted 17y ago
    [deleted]
- billswift 17y ago
  You might try caffeine as a replacement for sugar. Some of my reading claims that part of the effect of caffeine is from its boosting blood sugar levels.
  - euccastro 17y ago
    Somewhere I read that around the beginning of last century they used to prescribe heroin to get people off morphin addiction. Sure it works, but it defeats the purpose. Caffeine has most averse effects of sugar, plus increased rebound effect, tolerance, and addiction. Also, if you had a sugar crave to start with, caffeine will only augment it. I suggest first introducing high fiber foods in your diet (mainly vegetables), and start using fruit to get your sugar fixes. Fiber will help stabilize your sugar levels, taking you out of the glucose roller coaster and the insulin/glucose vicious cycle. Then it will be easier to gradually reduce your intake of sweets. I've read Chromium supplements help with this stabilization, but I've tried it and I couldn't tell for sure.
cgs 17y ago
What's kind of a catch 22 is when you are too tired (glucose levels are low) to prepare a healthy meal and end up eating out.
- decode 17y ago
  Of course, that depends on what you eat when you eat out. If you eat a bunch of noodles, rice, or potatoes, the starches will give you a solid boost of blood glucose over a number of hours.
sharpn 17y ago
I think 'ramen profitable' is a great pithy phrase, but to work long hours effectively (and stay healthy) it always struck me as a false economy to live on rice & beans. Good to see some data on the topic.
- decode 17y ago
  I can't figure out if you're saying your expectations were confirmed or undermined. I don't know much about nutrition, but I was under the impression that noodles, rice, and beans are all high in starch, which the body turns into significant amounts of glucose in a healthy way (sustained blood glucose over time, instead of short spikes like with simple sugars). I'm sure surviving on Ramen is bad for you, but as far as this article is concerned, it will help you have self-control.
  - overman 17y ago
    Noodles and rice are pretty "spikey", beans are better though.
    - decode 17y ago
      I always thought the long-term blood glucose levels were the reason that runners traditionally have a spaghetti dinner the night before a big race. Am I confused, or is there just bad science behind this practice?
      - jackchristopher 17y ago
        I'm unsure of what you mean with "long term glucose levels". But runners carb-load. And bodybuilders eat "spikey" carbs after lifting to get the best recovery. While not the greatest thing to do (carbo-load), they burn it off so it doesn't matter much.
      - pygy 17y ago
        Muscles have their own glycogen (polymerized glucose) reserves, independant of blood glucose, and impossible to mobilize directly for anything but muscular activity. I'm not sure, but I think that's the point of these high carb meals. If I'not mistaken, they also eat pasta for breakfast, delaying the use of these reserves. Pasta are easy to eat in large quantities, and require little energy to digest.
dtf 17y ago
There used to be a scheme in towns in the UK whereby police would hand out lollipops to people leaving clubs. Many clubs kick out at the same time (2am), mixing large numbers of drunken people in a small area. Drinking means blood sugar levels drop, which means people get hungry and competitive, and the end result is more often than not a large and violent brawl in the nearest kebab shop. The reasons given for the lollipops were threefold: 1) it helps to return their blood sugar levels, reducing stress; 2) it gives them something to do with their hands (unwrap the lollipop, hold it), other than smashing them into the nearest face; 3) it keeps the noise levels down for the sake of the residents in the area, as your are less likely to yak incessantly at high volume with a delicious ball of sugar in your gob. I'm not sure whether they still have this scheme (maybe there are legal risks? choking? diabetes?) but for a while it existed in several trouble spots in the country.
- nunb 17y ago
  http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/28/police-binge-drinkers-flip-flops http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/28/police-binge-d... From Rule Brittania to risible nanny-state, a sorry 77 years.
  - andyn 17y ago
    Perhaps by giving people flip-flops it may have saved money overall - less stitching up feet or fixing broken ankles? On top of that, that's a Tax Payers Alliance article. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.
    - nunb 17y ago
      Well I didn't know the provenance of the writers, but I'd consider the lollipop article mention as some form of corroboration. I don't care if it saves a thousand drunk/not-drunk women or Eddie Izzard breaking their ankles, it simply is not the job of the police. I much prefer the way things are done in the States, for example in Des Moines, Iowa there's the party bus that takes pub-goers bar-hopping. It's not a cop-initiative. Oh, hang on, I do care about Eddie Izzard after all!
EricDZ 17y ago
I had previously posted skepticism at the article. I have reread it more thoroughly and thought about it at length, and now I feel that it could be highly accurate and applicable. The research is important.
awolf 17y ago
I'm a type 1 diabetic. My when my glueclose levels are low from taking too much insulin and/or not eating enough I can certainly feel the effects in not being able to concentrate, being iritable, and often confused. But when my blood gluclose levels are elevated it does not necessarily mean there is an abundance of sugar to serve as fuel for my mind. It just means I have eaten too much food for my injected insulin to counteract. My body will not automatically respond by producing more insulin and a subsequent dip in blood sugar. If I do nothing, my blood sugars will stay higher than is healthy for the rest of my bodily functions but as far as self control is concerned my blood gluclose will stay in a range that is constantly providing enough fuel for optimal self control. From the perspective of self control, I can have higher blood gluclose levels without the negative lash-back normal insulin producing people get when their bodies react by producing more insulin. So... In this case... Being diabetic is an advantage? I'm just trying to find a silver lining.
- nunb 17y ago
  > So... In this case... Being diabetic is an advantage? I take it this is a rhetorical question? Out of interest, have you measured your HbA1c lately? Care to share it? You aren't Polish, are you? I am interested in making an ancestry-map of diabetes-sufferers.
  - awolf 17y ago
    HbA1c is 7.1. Not polish- 1/4 Austrian.

80 points by asciilifeform 17y ago

Professor Martin Wiseman, Medical and Scientific Advisor for World Cancer Research Fund, gives his top five tips on How To Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/67006.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/67006.php

jackchristopher 17y ago
1. Lift. Muscle suck up glucose, improve (long term) sensitivity. 2. Eat fat/protein with sugary foods. Helps blunt the effect. [1] 3. Don't eat too many carbs. Even the AHA recommends below 60% because of other negatives. [2] 4. Eat the right carb sources. Starchy tubers are best: potatoes, yam/sweet potatoes, cassava and rice. And fruits like bananas, plantains and grapefruit. 5. Eat high GI foods unless your blood sugar is chronically elevated. The body likes glucose, particularly the brain. If your active and sensitive, you'll quickly use it for energy. When you're insensitive you need to cut back. [1] Protein/Fat/Fiber and Glucose Sensitivity: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988118?dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988118?dopt=Abstract [2] AHA Recommneds Less that 60% carbs a day: Search "carbs": http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180 http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=180
- WilliamLP 17y ago
  Isn't the claim of the parent article that _lower_ blood glucose and insulin levels decrease self control? So wouldn't all of those work in the wrong direction?
  - peregrine 17y ago
    He did offer solutions to lower blood sugar, but he also provided solutions to increase blood sugar sensitivity and told you to eat much better carbs. Tubers, Rice, etc etc.
  - enra 17y ago
    Eating too much or only carbs will spike your blood glucose and insulin production. After the carbs are gone your glucose level starts to decline pretty fast since there is too much insulin. It's better to eat more fat/protein and keep the glucose levels more stable than ride a rollercoaster.
  - jackchristopher 17y ago
    Yes it's counterintuitive. Chronically high insulin (insensitivity) is bad. But chronically low is bad also. Many (probably most) people have the former. So in the blood they have free floating insulin chasing nonexistent glucose, screwing their metabolism. I recommended fewer carbs (and other measures) would lead to higher sensitivity; better blood glucose control. EDIT: I second enra's comment.
- menloparkbum 17y ago
  The carb sources you mention have very different GI loads. Potatoes are very high, Grapefruit is low. The rest are in between.
  - jackchristopher 17y ago
    The GI is narrow we need a holistic view of food. What we're really after is long term glucose/insulin sensitivity. The GI too focused on one aspect of food. We know of cultures (e.g Chinese, Kitavans) who thrive on high GI foods [1]. I don't follow the glycemic index much. That said, it is relevant. Eating low GI and low carb generally is good for the obese and overweight. It'll do wonders against prediabetes and metabolic syndrome because they're insulin insensitive. [1] Against the GI: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=glycemic http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/search?q=glycemic

jasongullickson 17y ago

I haven't read the entire paper yet, but the summary has me downloading the PDF. I've definitely noticed a relationship like this in my own behavior, and desired ways to manage it effectively. It will be interesting to see if the complete text sheds light on this and provides tools to do so.

Luc 17y ago
I can hardly believe it, but it's free to download! A pleasant surprise.
- ovi256 17y ago
  Free access to tax funded research ? Is that not socialism ? So good to see open scientific journals getting popular!
  - DanielBMarkham 17y ago
    Socialism is where you take my work whether you pay me or not and give it freely to everybody else.
    - rw 17y ago
      Correction: Intellectual property theft is where you take my work whether you pay me or not and give it freely to everybody else.
    - sho 17y ago
      I am not sure if that is the most wildly inaccurate description of socialism I have ever read, but if not, it is certainly up there.

seanstickle 17y ago

This doesn't bode well for me trying to use self-control to kick my sugar habit.

diN0bot 17y ago
true, though there's a difference between candy sugar and whole wheat sugar. eating a slice of whole wheat bread versus a lollipop will probably provide the same benefit (if not better, being more sustained) without the desire to consume more and convert the sucrose directly to fat. (afaik. i'm kind of speaking off of intuition here.)
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
billswift 17y ago
You might try caffeine as a replacement for sugar. Some of my reading claims that part of the effect of caffeine is from its boosting blood sugar levels.
- euccastro 17y ago
  Somewhere I read that around the beginning of last century they used to prescribe heroin to get people off morphin addiction. Sure it works, but it defeats the purpose. Caffeine has most averse effects of sugar, plus increased rebound effect, tolerance, and addiction. Also, if you had a sugar crave to start with, caffeine will only augment it. I suggest first introducing high fiber foods in your diet (mainly vegetables), and start using fruit to get your sugar fixes. Fiber will help stabilize your sugar levels, taking you out of the glucose roller coaster and the insulin/glucose vicious cycle. Then it will be easier to gradually reduce your intake of sweets. I've read Chromium supplements help with this stabilization, but I've tried it and I couldn't tell for sure.

cgs 17y ago

What's kind of a catch 22 is when you are too tired (glucose levels are low) to prepare a healthy meal and end up eating out.

decode 17y ago
Of course, that depends on what you eat when you eat out. If you eat a bunch of noodles, rice, or potatoes, the starches will give you a solid boost of blood glucose over a number of hours.

sharpn 17y ago

I think 'ramen profitable' is a great pithy phrase, but to work long hours effectively (and stay healthy) it always struck me as a false economy to live on rice & beans. Good to see some data on the topic.

decode 17y ago
I can't figure out if you're saying your expectations were confirmed or undermined. I don't know much about nutrition, but I was under the impression that noodles, rice, and beans are all high in starch, which the body turns into significant amounts of glucose in a healthy way (sustained blood glucose over time, instead of short spikes like with simple sugars). I'm sure surviving on Ramen is bad for you, but as far as this article is concerned, it will help you have self-control.
- overman 17y ago
  Noodles and rice are pretty "spikey", beans are better though.
  - decode 17y ago
    I always thought the long-term blood glucose levels were the reason that runners traditionally have a spaghetti dinner the night before a big race. Am I confused, or is there just bad science behind this practice?
    - jackchristopher 17y ago
      I'm unsure of what you mean with "long term glucose levels". But runners carb-load. And bodybuilders eat "spikey" carbs after lifting to get the best recovery. While not the greatest thing to do (carbo-load), they burn it off so it doesn't matter much.
    - pygy 17y ago
      Muscles have their own glycogen (polymerized glucose) reserves, independant of blood glucose, and impossible to mobilize directly for anything but muscular activity. I'm not sure, but I think that's the point of these high carb meals. If I'not mistaken, they also eat pasta for breakfast, delaying the use of these reserves. Pasta are easy to eat in large quantities, and require little energy to digest.

dtf 17y ago

There used to be a scheme in towns in the UK whereby police would hand out lollipops to people leaving clubs. Many clubs kick out at the same time (2am), mixing large numbers of drunken people in a small area. Drinking means blood sugar levels drop, which means people get hungry and competitive, and the end result is more often than not a large and violent brawl in the nearest kebab shop. The reasons given for the lollipops were threefold: 1) it helps to return their blood sugar levels, reducing stress; 2) it gives them something to do with their hands (unwrap the lollipop, hold it), other than smashing them into the nearest face; 3) it keeps the noise levels down for the sake of the residents in the area, as your are less likely to yak incessantly at high volume with a delicious ball of sugar in your gob. I'm not sure whether they still have this scheme (maybe there are legal risks? choking? diabetes?) but for a while it existed in several trouble spots in the country.

nunb 17y ago
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/28/police-binge-drinkers-flip-flops http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/28/police-binge-d... From Rule Brittania to risible nanny-state, a sorry 77 years.
- andyn 17y ago
  Perhaps by giving people flip-flops it may have saved money overall - less stitching up feet or fixing broken ankles? On top of that, that's a Tax Payers Alliance article. I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them.
  - nunb 17y ago
    Well I didn't know the provenance of the writers, but I'd consider the lollipop article mention as some form of corroboration. I don't care if it saves a thousand drunk/not-drunk women or Eddie Izzard breaking their ankles, it simply is not the job of the police. I much prefer the way things are done in the States, for example in Des Moines, Iowa there's the party bus that takes pub-goers bar-hopping. It's not a cop-initiative. Oh, hang on, I do care about Eddie Izzard after all!

EricDZ 17y ago

I had previously posted skepticism at the article. I have reread it more thoroughly and thought about it at length, and now I feel that it could be highly accurate and applicable. The research is important.

awolf 17y ago

I'm a type 1 diabetic. My when my glueclose levels are low from taking too much insulin and/or not eating enough I can certainly feel the effects in not being able to concentrate, being iritable, and often confused. But when my blood gluclose levels are elevated it does not necessarily mean there is an abundance of sugar to serve as fuel for my mind. It just means I have eaten too much food for my injected insulin to counteract. My body will not automatically respond by producing more insulin and a subsequent dip in blood sugar. If I do nothing, my blood sugars will stay higher than is healthy for the rest of my bodily functions but as far as self control is concerned my blood gluclose will stay in a range that is constantly providing enough fuel for optimal self control. From the perspective of self control, I can have higher blood gluclose levels without the negative lash-back normal insulin producing people get when their bodies react by producing more insulin. So... In this case... Being diabetic is an advantage? I'm just trying to find a silver lining.

nunb 17y ago
> So... In this case... Being diabetic is an advantage? I take it this is a rhetorical question? Out of interest, have you measured your HbA1c lately? Care to share it? You aren't Polish, are you? I am interested in making an ancestry-map of diabetes-sufferers.
- awolf 17y ago
  HbA1c is 7.1. Not polish- 1/4 Austrian.