how much / how long does sugar (glucose) stay in the blood before being stored?

Answer 1

that's kind of a tough question to answer. as it will vary from person to person.

first you have to understand how insulin works. insulin is a storage hormone. it's purpose is to help metabolize nutrients, decrease serum glucose and store the excess. proteins cause the lowest amount of insulin to be secreted, then fats then carbs.

when serum glucose increases either to rapidly or it gets very high insulin is secreted in a larger amount. when serum glucose gets stored it gets converted into glycogen and gets stored in the liver and in skeletal muscle. how much gets stored in skeletal muscle depends on your level of insulin sensitivity. if you are lean insulin sensitivity is high and as it decreases body fat increases. so whatever doesn't gets stored in skeletal muscle will circulate until it gets stored in the liver. if liver glycogen stores are full then the conversion of glucose to lipids occurs.

this is why it's important to consume mainly low GI carbs (oats, lentils, beans, etc.) as they are digested slowly thanks to a high fiber content.. and why it's important to eat balanced meals. when foods are combined the glycemic load of the meal changes.

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