Noticing changes in glucose can provide valuable information about what you should eat before, during, and after exercise. And how!
During training, the release of adrenaline can cause a significant increase in glucose or hyperglycemia. A larger spike in glucose during training can be caused by a meal eaten before exercise or by the release of glucose due to the rapid breakdown of glycogen during higher intensity training. In addition, the intensity or duration of their exercise can cause a drop in glucose during training, hypoglycemia.
Endurance athletes benefit from blood glucose monitoring as they follow a high-carbohydrate diet designed to replenish glycogen stores and improve energy levels and performance. Unfortunately, there are cases where an athlete may have a low carbohydrate tolerance, leading to significantly higher blood sugar levels.
High-intensity exercise releases hormones, including adrenaline, causing blood sugar to rise. The effect of these hormones on increasing the release of glucose from glycogen in the liver can be even more significant if you do not eat before training. Glucose spikes above 180mg/dl (10mmol/L) can cause damage to the vascular system. Monitoring glucose levels improves the quality of life of athletes, their performance and energy level.
Endurance training or long races take a long time, often hours. If they don’t get enough energy before and during training, they can risk low blood sugar. They can even experience hypoglycemia, where their glucose levels can become too low, which can lead to heart palpitations, fainting, or feeling a noticeable drop in energy levels and reduced performance. Tracking glucose dips or dips during training/race and planning your fueling and nutrition strategy during training and racing accordingly is the future of sports that is already here!