How your blood sugar levels affect hormonal balance during menopause

The female body undergoes several hormonal shifts in the years leading up to menopause. If your blood sugar is out of whack it can have drastic effects on how you feel and impact the variety and severity of symptoms you will experience. Hence the importance of keeping your blood sugar levels stable during this transformative time. How exactly does your blood sugar affect hormonal balance and how can you maintain steady blood sugar levels? 

Most people are familiar with the terms ‘blood sugar’ and ‘insulin’. But what exactly does insulin do and why do we need it? How do changes in your blood sugar levels affect your hormones and impact the symptoms of menopause?  

How does the pancreas regulate blood sugar?

Your pancreas makes hormones that help control the levels of sugar in your bloodstream. When your blood sugar level rises (after eating foods high in sugar or carbohydrates like sandwiches, pasta or cereal bars), the pancreas secretes insulin to lower the blood sugar level. Insulin is a hormone that moves glucose (sugar) from your diet out of the blood and into cells. Cells obtain energy, among other things, from glucose. So, the body has a pretty good system in place! 

What if your diet is too high in carbs?

Managing your blood sugar involves controlling the intake of sugars and carbohydrates. That may be easier said than done. The standard Western diet tends to include high amounts of carbohydrates (mainly sugars). Think about it: yoghurt with granola and banana for breakfast, cereals bars as an in-between snack, sandwiches for lunch, rice crackers as an in-between snack, and pasta for dinner. 

As healthy as this eating pattern may sound, every time you eat carbs your blood sugar goes up. The higher your blood sugar, the harder your pancreas has to work to bring it back down to a normal state. As a result, the pancreas produces more and more insulin. Too much insulin circulating in the bloodstream can cause cells to become less responsive to its effects (a condition called insulin resistance). This causes glucose to accumulate in the blood and blood sugar levels to remain high. 

Research shows that women going through menopause are prone to insulin resistance.

What does insulin do to hormones?

Cells obtain energy from glucose (sugar). But they can also convert it to fat for long-term storage. And here's the thing: fat cells can make oestrogen, too. The more glucose there is in the blood, the more insulin the pancreas will secrete, the more fat cells are formed and the more oestrogen is produced. Ultimately, this can disrupt hormonal balance during menopause. 

In turn, sex hormones also affect how your cells respond to insulin. In the years leading up to menopause, oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate rather unpredictably. These fluctuations can affect your blood sugar control – even if you've never had issues before. 

How does insulin resistance affect the liver?

Under the influence of insulin, glucose (sugar) is stored as fat in the liver and muscles (and as subcutaneous fat). Here's how this works. Our body uses some of the glucose immediately, for energy, and saves some of it for later. Any excess glucose in the blood is turned into fat cells. The liver is one of the places in our bodies that stores this excess fat. It's a key part of evolution: body fat reserves enabled us to resist food scarcity, improving our chances of survival. Excellent, right? 

Nowadays, however, we get food regularly and in sufficient amounts, so we do not need fat reserves. This means the excess fat remains in the liver. As a result, the liver can become fatty and start to function less effectively due to the fatty build-up in it. This can become a problem, because the liver has to be healthy to metabolise and break down hormones, among other important functions.  

Consuming excessive carbohydrates can cause insulin resistance. Research shows that one in three adults are insulin resistant, often without even being aware of it.

Thankfully, you can take steps to reduce or even reverse insulin resistance. These include eating a healthy and varied diet, regular exercise and using supplements to fill any dietary gaps. Doing so will not only improve overall health and benefit your weight, but it will also reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings and lack of energy and sleep problems. 

How do you restore blood sugar balance?

How do you balance your blood sugar levels? Where to start? Here are some steps you can take: 

1. Restrict your carb intake to one meal a day. Start by avoiding carbohydrates for breakfast. For instance, have a bowl of coconut yoghurt or quark with fruit, seeds and nuts (or a fried egg with avocado and asparagus, if you have time to spare). When you've got that down, then try to cut carbs from lunch or dinner. Eat lots of vegetables (fibre!) and make sure your meals contain enough protein, healthy fats and slow-acting carbohydrates.
2. Avoid sugars and fast carbohydrates. Avoid added sugars and opt for foods with slow-acting carbohydrates (silverskin rice, whole grain products, quinoa) in your diet. Slow-acting carbs are absorbed very slowly and have less impact on blood sugar. It's better to eat one piece of whole fruit than drink fruit juice or smoothies. Instead of sugary sodas, opt for water or sparkling water with a slice of lime. 
3. Limit the number of meals per day to three. Instead of constantly eating the whole day, gradually reduce to three meals a day. Cutting back on meals helps prevent blood sugar spikes and increase insulin sensitivity. 

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