Blood Sugar Goes Up and Down

Your blood carries sugar, called glucose, around your body. Your cells use it for energy.

After you eat, blood sugar rises. Between meals, it falls back down.

Carbohydrates, or carbs, are in foods like bread and rice. They break down into sugar faster than protein or fat. So they raise blood sugar sooner.

Insulin is a hormone, a chemical messenger made by your pancreas. The pancreas is an organ behind your stomach.

Think of insulin as a key. It unlocks your cells so sugar can move in from the blood.

In type 2 diabetes, your body still makes insulin. But your cells respond to it poorly, so more sugar stays in the blood. Over time, the pancreas may make less insulin.

GLP-1 medicines copy a hormone your gut, or digestive system, makes after eating.

They act on several parts of blood sugar control at once. Later lessons explain each part, one at a time. For now, the big picture is enough.

Your doctor sets your personal blood sugar goals based on your health and daily life.

Key takeaways

• Blood sugar rises after meals and falls back between them.
• Carbs break down into sugar faster than protein or fat.
• In type 2, cells respond poorly to insulin, so blood sugar is harder to keep steady.

Try it

Before your next meal, spot which foods on your plate are carbs. Talk to your care team before you change how you eat or check.