Glycerine in SunBright and Blood Sugar

Posted 06/25/15 in [Hints for Products] | Comments Off on Glycerine in SunBright and Blood Sugar

Would the glycerine in SunBright raise my blood sugar?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: There has been some hubbub in certain nutritional circles about dirty, rotten food companies using glycerine in their food products and then not recording it in the carbohydrate counts. One company in particular has even changed their labeling to state with an asterisk that the carbohydrate count does not include the glycerine, even though it upped the carb count by 20 grams.

Well, here’s the thing: carbohydrates do not equal sugar. MOST people who read labels for carbohydrates are actually trying to manage a blood sugar issue with hyperglycemia (too much sugar in the blood), hypoglycemia (not enough sugar in the blood), or outright diabetes mellitus (too much sugar in the blood due to the pancreas not manufacturing enough insulin or the cells no longer having the ability to take up all the insulin they are exposed to). They need to know how much sugar is in the product and how much of other things that will be converted to sugars in the body exist in the product.

Glycerine is chemically a molecule which has no impact on glucose response in the body. It has a statistically null effect on the pancreas producing insulin to help it metabolize. But, to be fair to those who are confused, that molecule is called a sugar alcohol. (There’s that nasty “S” word again.)

But hey, if you’re still skeptical, copy and paste these terms into your search engine search bar (These keyword phrases worked as of posting date. I’m not putting links because pages get moved and I expect this post to be around for a long time.):

• The Metabolic Effects of Glycerol Administered to Diabetic Patients, Gerhard Freund, MD, Arch Intern Med. 1968;121(2):123-129. doi:10.1001/archinte.1968.03640020011003
• American Diabetes Association, glycerol, blood sugar
• Cleveland clinic glycerol sugar alcohol

Please note: the glycerine used in SunBright and SunSet is from a vegetable source, not typical animal fats. Vegetarian and vegan herbal mood support is actually possible.