Diabetes is increasingly affecting people of all ages, not just the elderly, and unhealthy diets and irregular lifestyles can trigger drastic blood sugar fluctuations. Family medicine physician Dr. Li Sih-Hsien shares five practical “blood sugar stabilizing hacks” to help prevent chronic disease:
- Drink vinegar before meals: Consuming 15–30ml of apple or fermented vinegar (diluted) 10–15 minutes before eating can reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes by 15–30% by inhibiting disaccharidase and activating AMPK.
- Heel raises while sitting: When sitting for long periods, repeatedly lift and lower your heels. This engages the soleus muscle, which can burn glucose and blood lipids continuously without strenuous effort.
- Change your eating order: Eat fiber-rich vegetables first, then protein and fats, and finally carbohydrates. This slows stomach emptying and smooths post-meal blood sugar spikes.
- Follow circadian rhythm fasting: Stop eating 3–4 hours before bedtime. Avoid consuming calories when melatonin suppresses pancreatic function, helping prevent physiological insulin resistance.
- Cold exposure: End your shower with 30–60 seconds of cold water or lower ambient temperatures to activate brown fat, forcing the body to burn glucose to generate heat.
Dr. Li explains that soluble dietary fiber—found in foods like oats, legumes, and vegetables—is critical for maintaining healthy gut bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate, and butyrate. Butyrate, in particular, fuels colon cells and helps regulate genes related to inflammation.
Long-term insufficient intake of soluble fiber can lead gut bacteria to break down protein and mucus instead, producing harmful byproducts that may contribute to insulin resistance, fatty liver, irritable bowel syndrome, and even colorectal cancer.
Nutrition experts recommend gradually increasing intake of high-fiber foods to allow gut bacteria time to adapt and emphasizing a variety of vegetables, legumes, mushrooms, and seaweed rather than relying on processed powders.
Diabetes is more than a metabolic disorder—it is a chronic condition affecting multiple organ systems. Persistent high blood sugar and insulin resistance can trigger inflammation and oxidative stress, harming cardiovascular, renal, neural, and immune functions, while also raising cancer risk. Maintaining balanced blood sugar is therefore crucial for long-term health.
