Eating disorders and blood sugar

Eating disorders are often overlooked. But they actually play a key role in regulating our blood sugar levels – the key mechanism that will dictate our daily energy. Have you ever wondered about the complex interactions between our eating habits and our blood sugar health? Did you know that uncontrolled eating can lead to pre-diabetes? The latter is commonly an asymptomatic condition, but it can herald severe complications. In this article, you will learn about the essential nutritional principles, innovative therapeutic approaches, and the importance of prevention and awareness for optimal health.

Strategies for managing eating disorders

Therapeutic approaches

Understanding eating disorders means exploring a range of conditions, varying in type and origin, both psychological and physiological. As for their impact on blood sugar levels, these are not just immediate variations, but also long-term complications that alter the metabolism.

Have you ever wondered how a personalised therapeutic approach to eating disorders could help you? Each individual is unique, and the treatment of their disorders should be just as individual. Multidisciplinary treatment, often including psychotherapy, dietary monitoring, and sometimes drug support, is an essential pillar in the fight against eating disorders (EDs). The cornerstone of these treatments is listening to and understanding the patient’s experience.

Psychotherapy – particularly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) – is effective in identifying and correcting dysfunctional thoughts about food and the body.
It helps to develop adaptive strategies for managing emotions without resorting to harmful eating behaviours

The role of nutrition education

But worry not, for appropriate strategies, combined with a balanced diet, can help regulate blood sugar levels and control eating disorders!

Nutritional education plays a key role in re-establishing a healthy relationship with food. It is a real initiation into the body’s subtle language: it is about learning to interpret the messages our body sends us, and then knowing exactly how to respond, with kindness and intelligence.

This means learning more about essential nutrients, but also debunking myths about certain foods that are wrongly demonised. The idea is to learn to listen to your hunger and satiety, but also to enjoy each meal to the fullest, rather than tormenting yourself by blindly following generic diets.

These theoretical and practical strategies, when implemented with patience and perseverance, will allow you to soothe your relationship with food and promote stable glycaemic control.

In the case of ED associated with diabetes, this education takes on an even more crucial dimension. It is no longer just a question of learning how to eat healthy, but also of understanding how each food affects blood sugar levels.

The impact of eating disorders on blood sugar levels

Hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia associated with eating disorders

Have you ever wondered what effect an eating disorder might have on your blood sugar levels? Our bodies are like a stage on which a complex play is unfolding, with actors such as hormones, nutrients and energy. Eating disorders can cause dramatic fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leading to hyperglycaemia or hypoglycaemia.

Recent studies have also highlighted a worrying phenomenon: diabulimia. This often overlooked condition combines the restrictive behaviours of bulimia with the delicate management of insulin in people with type 1 diabetes. Did you know that manipulating insulin in order to lose weight can lead to chronic hyperglycaemia, with all the health risks that entails?

Intentional insulin manipulation is more common than you might think – affecting almost 39% of people. Unfortunately, these figures bear witness to a distress that is often silent, but dangerous. So, you need to watch out for the warning signs and to act quickly.

Long-term metabolic complications

Beyond the immediate issues, we need to consider the long-term consequences of eating disorders on the metabolism. It turns out that these disorders can lay the foundations for much more serious chronic conditions. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), for example, is an acute complication that can occur as a result of inadequate insulin control.

But there is more. Elevated levels over several months of HbA1c – a key indicator of glycaemic control – can reveal these underlying dysfunctions. It therefore becomes essential for healthcare professionals and patients to work closely together to intercept these disorders before they take deep root in the metabolism.

Data collected by devices such as continuous glucose monitors (CGM) have not revealed any factors related to glycaemic control associated with probable eating disorders. This means that there is a need for targeted research and intervention to untangle the complex web between eating disorders and blood sugar levels.

Balanced diet and blood sugar regulation

The principles of a balanced diet

Have you ever thought of food as a delicate art, in which each ingredient plays its part in the overall harmony of your health? If you were to do so, what would be the fundamental pillars of a diet that respects this subtle glycaemic balance?

Nutritional balance is based on an essential triptych: variety, moderation and proportionality. You can think of your plate as a diversified garden where crunchy vegetables, tasty fruit, quality proteins and wholegrain cereals coexist in perfect harmony. With that in mind, every meal becomes an opportunity to nourish your body, while stabilising your blood sugar levels.

This simple act of carefully choosing what you eat can transform your daily life. The fibre contained in plants can help you modulate the absorption of carbohydrates and regulate your appetite.

Foods to choose and those to avoid

In the nutritional fresco we paint every day, some foods deserve pride of place, while others should be used sparingly. How can you choose wisely to ensure stable blood sugar levels throughout the day?

1. Favour complex carbohydrates, such as legumes and whole grains, which release their energy gradually.
2. Add plenty of fresh vegetables, which are a treasure trove of vitamins that will enhance your dishes without upsetting your blood sugar levels.
3. Opt for lean proteins, such as fish or poultry; they support muscle anabolism without overloading your metabolism.
4. Go for the good fats found in avocados and olives; their unsaturated fatty acids are good for your arteries.

But avoid common pitfalls! The simple sugars hidden in many processed products can cause undesirable spikes in blood sugar levels. And what about those sugary drinks we are so keen to have? They are often synonymous with instant metabolic disorder followed by reactive hypoglycaemia.

Nourishing your body is not just about satisfying a physiological need; it is also about listening to your body and responding carefully to its specific needs.

Prevention and awareness

Preventive measures against eating disorders

Preventing eating disorders is a major challenge for our society. And it all begins at an early age: we need to cultivate a healthy relationship with food in our children. This can start with simple gestures such as involving them in the preparation of meals or discussing the benefits of the food they eat around the table.

Prevention also involves solid nutritional education at school, where we learn not only to recognise hunger and satiety signals, but also to understand the impact of food choices on our bodies. Encouraging a positive and diverse body image is also essential to prevent toxic ideas about weight and thinness taking root.

Why not also consider practical workshops where parents and children explore the fascinating world of nutrition together? How about planting a family vegetable garden together, or taking part in a healthy cooking class? Any of the activities that reinforce knowledge while creating precious memories.

Raising awareness of the importance of blood sugar levels

As for glycaemia, that great unknown, understanding it should be at the heart of our health priorities. How can we ensure that everyone can identify variations in blood sugar levels and understand their consequences? Public information campaigns are essential to clear up the mystery surrounding metabolic well-being, a key concept.

You can do this by taking part in conferences open to all, where health professionals and patients can talk about their experiences and share them with others. You can also use an app that guides you in your daily food choices to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

This battle to raise awareness must be fought on all fronts: social media, schools, workplaces… Every action counts in transforming our relationship with food and our health.A healthy lifestyle and certain bioactive ingredients such as Pep2Dia® can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.