Today we’re going to cover a crucial topic that often goes unnoticed: How sugar intake and imbalanced blood sugar levels could be impacting your health and increasing your risk of high-risk HPV virus and associated cancers. 

This is an underlying cause that’s frequently missed in my patients and program participants, so I wanted to cover it in detail in this episode. Understanding the relationship between sugar, blood sugar levels, and your overall health is essential for maintaining wellness and preventing various health issues.

Signs of Blood Sugar Imbalance

Let’s start by identifying some common signs that your blood sugar might be imbalanced. 

Have you been experiencing persistent cravings? Do you find that partway through the day or in the evening, you start looking for something sweet to eat or drink? These cravings can be a sign that your blood sugar levels are fluctuating.

Another important indicator can be found in your blood work. Have you noticed that your fasting glucose is higher than it used to be? Perhaps you’ve also checked your cholesterol, hemoglobin A1C, and liver enzymes, and maybe they’re all a little bit higher than they used to be. These changes in your blood work can be significant clues about your blood sugar balance.

It’s worth noting that these signs are especially common if you’re in perimenopause or post-menopause. This is because hormonal changes during these life stages can have a profound impact on how your body processes sugar.

Understanding Blood Sugar and Insulin

To fully grasp the importance of balanced blood sugar, we need to understand the role of insulin in our bodies. 

You see, the primary job of insulin is to help bring glucose, or blood sugar, into our cells. It acts like a key, unlocking the doors of our cells to allow glucose to enter. If our insulin is less functional, more glucose is left circulating in our bloodstream, which is why we call it “high blood sugar levels.”

This is why it’s crucial to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly. If you haven’t been testing your blood sugar levels, I strongly encourage you to make sure to have that tested on your next blood work. 

The Sugar Rollercoaster

Now, let’s talk about what happens in your body when you consume sugar. 

When we eat sweets, it creates a dopamine response in our brain that feels good at first. It quickly elevates our blood sugar, causing our body to release insulin to bring it back down again. Initially, we might feel good, even energized. However, this feeling is short-lived.

As the insulin does its job and our blood sugar comes back down, we often start to feel tired, irritable, and experience brain fog. This sudden drop in energy and mood can trigger cravings, starting the cycle all over again. This is what I call the sugar rollercoaster.

This rollercoaster of blood sugar ups and downs doesn’t just affect our energy levels. It can have a significant impact on our mood, focus, and sleep patterns. Moreover, it can also affect our immune system, making us more susceptible to various health issues, including infections like HPV.

Sugar and HPV: The Connection

Speaking of HPV, let’s discuss the connection between sugar consumption, blood sugar levels, and HPV. 

A study from 2022 revealed that when women have higher blood sugar levels – and I’m not necessarily talking about diabetes here, just levels that are higher in the reference range – there’s an increased likelihood of testing positive for HPV.

Interestingly, this increased risk was also observed in cases where women were experiencing hypoglycemia, which is when blood sugar drops too low. This suggests that it’s not just high blood sugar that’s problematic, but the imbalance in general.

This connection between blood sugar and HPV is something we’re increasingly seeing in research, and it’s absolutely something I observe in my practice. That’s why I want you to know about it and start paying attention to it for yourself. 

Understanding this connection can be a powerful tool in managing your health and reducing your risk of HPV and associated cancers.

Steps to Address Sugar Intake and Blood Sugar Levels

Now that we understand the importance of balanced blood sugar, let’s talk about practical steps you can take to address your sugar intake and blood sugar levels. 

When you test positive for HPV, one of the first things I recommend is to start thinking about your sugar intake and blood sugar levels. 

The good news is that this is something you can manage from home, even with dietary and lifestyle changes.

1. Pay Attention to Sugar Intake

The first step is to become aware of how much you’re actually consuming. Start by looking at the labels of any beverages or packaged products you consume regularly. Look at how many grams of sugar they contain and check the ingredients.

Remember, sugar goes by many names, and food manufacturers often use these different names to disguise the amount in their products. 

Some common names for sugar include cane sugar, coconut sugar, beet sugar, brown sugar, agave, honey, dextrose, maltose, glucose, fructose, and sucrose. 

As a general rule, anything with “ose” at the end is likely a sugar.

2. Understand Sugar Cravings

When you experience a craving, it’s important to pause and reflect. Ask yourself: Is it really you craving the sugar, or could it be the microbes in your body that are surviving off sugar and causing you to want more of it?

You see, studies have shown that the bacteria in our gut and even yeasts can send signals to our brain to cause us to crave sugar. So when you crave sugar, it’s likely not you craving the sugar, but these microbes in the body that are surviving off of sugar and causing you to want more of it.

This awareness can be a powerful tool in helping you make different choices. When you understand that the craving isn’t coming from a genuine need in your body, it becomes easier to resist.

3. Be Prepared with Sugar-Free Options

One of the best ways to combat sugar cravings and reduce your intake is to be prepared. This means having food available that doesn’t contain sugar. 

When you go grocery shopping or order food, be more aware. Look at the labels and purchase items that do not contain sugar or other sweeteners.

To avoid sugar, fill your refrigerator with items that have protein, like poultry, fish, beef, or other protein sources. Plant-based protein sources, like pea protein shakes, are also excellent options. 

Having these protein-rich foods readily available makes it easier to make healthier choices when hunger or cravings strike.

4. Avoid Sugar: Choose Protein and Healthy Fats

When you’re hungry or craving sugar, my rule is to eat protein first. This might seem counterintuitive, especially if you’ve been taught that you should eat sugar when your blood sugar is low. However, I don’t believe that’s the case.

Protein helps stabilize your blood sugar levels. If you have low blood sugar and eat carbs or sugar, you’ll shoot your blood sugar way up high, and then it will dive right back down again a couple of hours later, perpetuating the rollercoaster. Instead, aim for protein first – have some turkey or a protein shake without sugar.

Healthy fats also help balance blood sugar. When you choose protein and fat, it helps stabilize your blood sugar. Even if you then have a little bit of carbs, choosing protein and fat first can help reduce the blood sugar spike.

5. Opt for Low Glycemic Carbs

When you do consume carbohydrates, choose low glycemic carbs or higher fiber carbs. These are less likely to raise your blood sugar quickly. Good options include vegetables and fruits that are higher in fiber and lower on the glycemic index, like berries.

I particularly like to choose berries like frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Yes, they have fructose, but they are less likely to raise your blood sugar, especially when combined with a source of protein.

Hidden Sources of Sugar

As you start to pay more attention to your diet, you’ll likely be surprised by how many hidden sources of sugar there are. Look for sugar in places you might not expect, like salad dressings, condiments (mustard, ketchup), yogurt, fruit juices, soups, and even spices.

Often, there’s sugar in places you didn’t even realize. Go through your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, and replace items with sugar-free versions. It’s not necessary to have it in these items, and making these small changes can significantly reduce your overall sugar intake.

Alternatives to Avoid Sugar

If you’re used to adding sugar to your coffee or tea, consider replacing it with stevia. Stevia is a plant that grows outside and has sweet leaves. It does not raise your blood sugar levels, making it an excellent alternative. You can get stevia in powdered or liquid form and use it in your beverages to get some sweetness without the blood sugar spike.

Some people prefer to eliminate sweetness from their diet altogether, which is great. We can get used to other flavors like bitter, sour, and savory. These are all amazing different tastes that we often forget about when we’re so used to eating sweet things.

The Impact of Reducing Sugar Intake

When you reduce sugar in your diet, you’re not only addressing HPV but also preventing various other health issues. High blood sugar levels are associated with an increased risk of:

1. Diabetes
2. Dementia
3. Various types of cancer
4. Heart disease
5. Fatty liver
6. High cholesterol
7. Inflammation
8. Anxiety and depression
9. Sleep issues
10. Brain fog

By paying attention to the sugars in your diet, reducing them, and replacing them with healthier forms of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats, you’re taking a significant step towards better overall health.

When you get your blood sugar levels to optimal, you’re not only helping to clear HPV, but you’re also preventing diabetes, dementia, and various cancers. You’re reducing your risk of heart disease because when blood sugar is high, the liver converts it into body fat (usually around the waist and belly), cholesterol, and fatty liver.

As we bring your blood sugar down, your heart disease risk goes down, not only because your cholesterol is going down but also because your inflammation is decreasing. When blood sugar levels are high, it increases inflammation in the body, which affects our digestion, nervous system, and increases our likelihood of experiencing anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and brain fog.

Managing Your Blood Sugar Levels: Next Steps

Managing your blood sugar levels through diet and lifestyle changes is a powerful tool in your health arsenal. It’s not just about preventing or addressing HPV – it’s about improving your overall health and well-being.

If you’re struggling with managing your sugar intake and blood sugar levels, I encourage you to reach out or follow the link below to find out more about the programs I offer. These include online programs you can do on your own, like the Stress Remedy Program and the Stress Warrior Program, or programs where you can work with me directly, like the Say Goodbye to HPV Program.

In these programs, I can guide you every step of the way to get your diet back on track and your blood sugar levels back to optimal. This way, you can prevent various health issues, including getting HPV to negative and keeping it negative.

If you’re ready to get HPV to negative I encourage you to sign up for my Heal HPV Kickstart Program or Say Goodbye to HPV Program. It’s a great way for you to access my protocol, products, doses, stress recovery, and dietary support from online. You’ll also get access to order testing and vaginal suppositories. I’d love to teach you how to heal and protect yourself from HPV. 

Register Now

See Program Options

You can also go to doctordoni.com or hpv.doctordoni.com. There, you’ll find lots of resources and stories from women I’ve worked with. You can see that this approach really works, and it can work for you too. Or You can set up a one-on-one appointment.

Remember, your health is in your hands. By making informed choices about your diet and lifestyle, you can significantly impact your health and well-being. Thank you for joining me today on How Humans Heal and please subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. I look forward to seeing you then.

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Disclaimer: This specific article and all other Content, Products, and Services of this Website are NOT intended as, and must not be understood or construed as, medical care or advice, naturopathic medical care or advice, the practice of medicine, or the practice of counseling care, nor can it be understood or construed as providing any form of medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease.

References:

Zhou, Jie MDa; Wei, Xiang Cai PhDa,*; Xu, Hong Yan MDb; Hu, Hong Bo MDb; Li, Fan Xiang MDb; Zhou, Wei Juan BMb; Chen, Ye MDb; Liu, Zhen MDb. Blood glucose levels and the risk of HPV multiple infections in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions: A retrospective cross-sectional study of Chinese patients. Medicine 101(37):p e30494, September 16, 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000030494