{"id":20931,"date":"2020-03-18T10:43:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-18T10:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/?post_type=diabeteshealth&p=20931"},"modified":"2026-04-05T07:51:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T07:51:37","slug":"what-causes-high-blood-sugar-levels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bensnaturalhealth.com\/blog\/diabetes-health\/what-causes-high-blood-sugar-levels\/","title":{"rendered":"What Causes High Blood Sugar Levels?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our blood sugar levels go up and down throughout the day. That\u2019s normal. But did you know that your blood sugar can reach dangerous levels? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we will discuss what those levels are, how you can tell if you have high blood sugar, symptoms to look out for, and what complications could arise if it\u2019s left untreated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is high blood sugar?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In general, healthy blood sugar levels<\/a> are around 100 mg\/dL. Once your blood sugar levels are above 270 mg\/dL (which is 15 mmol\/L), the risk of ketoacidosis becomes significant. This can be a dangerous situation, so look out for symptoms such as extreme thirst, dry mouth, abdominal pain, and confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High blood glucose levels (above 600 mg\/dL or 33 mmol\/L) can lead to a dangerous situation called a hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When looking at the long term, a hemoglobin A1c level<\/a> higher than 6.5% increases your chances of developing complications of diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A high-fructose diet is a significant contributor to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. This can disturb the function of both tissues and organs as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, fructose is absorbed into the blood by two different transporters, called glucose transporter 2 and glucose transporter 5 (called GLUT2 and GLUT5 for short). The liver then metabolizes fructose to produce glu<\/a>cose<\/a>, lactate, triglyceride, free fatty acid, uric acid, and methylglyoxal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High levels of these metabolites are directly dangerous to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During fructose metabolism, there is a depletion of a molecule called ATP. This depletion causes oxidative stress and inflammation response. This disturbs the functions of the local tissues and organs. This then leads to the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines, adiponectin, leptin, and endotoxin. These metabolites are dangerous indirect factors to the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, fructose and its metabolites, directly and indirectly, cause oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, blood vessel dysfunction, and leaky gut. All this can then further aggravate metabolic syndrome<\/a> due to tissue and organ dysfunction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What does it mean for your blood sugar to be high?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s first discuss what a normal, healthy blood sugar level is. A person without diabetes will generally have a blood sugar<\/a> between 4.0 and 5.9 mmol\/L before a meal. Their blood sugar usually is less than 7.8 mmol\/L after a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People with type 2 diabetes<\/a> who have high blood sugar will have pre-meal levels higher than 4 to 7 mmol\/L. After a meal, high blood sugar is considered anything higher than 8.5 mmol\/L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar is considered high when it is above the range of 5 to 7 mmol\/L upon first waking up. Before a meal, blood sugar higher than 4 to 7 mmol\/L is considered too high. After a meal, someone with type 1 diabetes<\/a> should have blood sugar between 5 and 9 mmol\/L. Otherwise, this is deemed to be high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What happens in your body when your blood sugar is high?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Overall, high blood sugar<\/a> causes reactive metabolites to lead to cell stress and biochemical abnormalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High blood sugar triggers the mitochondrial electron transport chain in the cell to overproduce high amounts of superoxides. These lead to inflammation within the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neurovascular units in the body are made up of nerve, glial, and vascular cells. A neurovascular unit responds to the biochemical changes created by the reactive metabolites that are made from having high blood sugar. This is what leads to complications of diabetes, such as diabetic retinopathy<\/a> and nerve damage (neuropathy<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are the symptoms of high blood sugar?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can have your blood sugar levels tested at your doctor\u2019s office. They may look at random blood sugar, which is the level of glucose in your blood at a random point in time (whenever you get your blood tested). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your doctor may want to see fasting blood sugar, which is the amount of glucose in your blood without having a meal. Your doctor may also test hemoglobin ac 1, which gives an idea of what your blood glucose levels<\/a> have been like over the past month or so. This shows long-term blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also test your own blood sugar levels at home using a glucometer. This is usually done before breakfast and dinner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask your doctor what time of day is best for you to test your blood sugar at home on your glucometer. If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes or use insulin medication<\/a>, your doctor may want you to test your blood sugar levels more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What are some side effects of high blood sugar?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of the early side effects of elevated blood sugar (those you might notice at first) include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n