Sugar Shock: The Hidden Number That’s Aging You Fast

In our practice, we reverse type 2 diabetes all the time. Patients and doctors don’t believe it. But I usually see it every week. Someone who’s battled type 2 diabetes for years walks back into my office with their number restored, their blood sugar normal, and their Hemoglobin A1C under 5.7.

Hemoglobin A1C measures how much sugar has attached itself to your red blood cells. Think of it as your body’s long-term sugar report card, and you want that grade to be below 5.7. Anything higher and your body is already on the road to diabetes.

But the good news? You can turn it around naturally, effectively, and permanently. I’ve seen it happen for hundreds of patients, and it can happen for you too.

When it comes to your A1C, the lower it is, the better. I keep mine right around 5.0, and that’s not by accident. I do it by following my Beyond Keto plan, combining the best of a healthy Mediterranean diet with target supplements like Carb Assist and berberine (a compound extracted from several plants). These habits keep my blood sugar in check and help my body stay young, strong, and resilient.

Women, listen closely: An A1C of 5.7 or higher isn’t just a warning sign for diabetes; it’s a red flag for premature aging. Elevated sugar breaks down collagen and elastin, leading to wrinkles, sagging skin, and dullness. But the good news is that you can reverse it.

And men, this is for you too. High blood sugar doesn’t just affect your waistline or energy levels. It clogs your arteries, and the first arteries to develop plaque are often the penile arteries. That’s why elevated blood sugar is one of the leading hidden causes of erectile dysfunction. When your sugar is high, your circulation suffers, and so does your performance.

If your hemoglobin A1C is between 5.7 and 6.4, you’re officially prediabetic. That means your body is already struggling to manage blood sugar. And the shocking truth? About 38 percent of Americans are in that category right now.

Full-Blown Type 2 Diabetes 

Now let’s talk about type 2 diabetes. It’s officially diagnosed when your hemoglobin A1C reaches 6.5 or higher. Right now, about 11.6 percent of Americans are diabetic. Add that to the 38 percent who are prediabetic, and you get a staggering statistic: Nearly half the U.S. population, 49.6 percent, is living with blood sugar that’s too high. No wonder we’re seeing so much disease.

When you sign up for diabetes, you’re essentially signing up for a long list of chronic illnesses: heart disease, dementia, strokes, heart attacks, sudden death, kidney failure, blindness, periodontal disease, and more. It’s like leaving your front door wide open for any intruder to walk in. Your body is your home, and when your blood sugar stays high, it’s as if every disease imaginable is invited inside.

And don’t think prediabetes only affects people who are overweight. It doesn’t. Many people who look perfectly healthy on the outside are developing insulin resistance on the inside. One study showed that people who drink just one soda a day double or even triple their risk of diabetes or prediabetes. Two sodas a day? That risk jumps four to six times higher.

A single 12-ounce soda contains around 38 grams of sugar, or about 9.5 teaspoons of sugar. That’s more than your body was designed to handle at one time. And because there’s no fiber to slow it down, that sugar rushes straight into your bloodstream. Your insulin spikes, your cells become overwhelmed, and over time, they stop responding properly.

Insulin is like a key that’s supposed to unlock the door of each cell so sugar can enter and be used for energy. But when you become insulin resistant, those locks get “rusty,” figuratively speaking. The key (insulin) still fits, but it doesn’t turn easily. The door stays closed, and the sugar stays outside, floating in your bloodstream.

Your body tries to flush the excess sugar out through increased urination and intense thirst. Meanwhile, your brain, which depends on glucose for fuel, starts running on empty. You experience fatigue, brain fog, irritability, and cravings for more sugar to temporarily “fix” the problem.

And that’s the vicious cycle driving today’s epidemic.

If you truly want to heal, you have to crucify the flesh—say no to short-term pleasure for the sake of long-term health. Sugar gives a temporary high, but it leads to destruction. Once you see it for what it is, you can begin to break its hold.

My wife, Mary, is proof of this. She used to be a self-proclaimed carboholic. But when her numbers started climbing and I told her she was prediabetic, she had a wake-up call. She came to this conclusion: No dessert is worth dying for.

That’s the turning point for every person who chooses health. You have to decide that your future matters more than a fleeting craving. When you do, your body will respond and your health can be restored.

Tune in to hear Dr. Don Colbert Monday and Tuesday, May 18 and 19, on LIFE Today. Adapted from Live Long and Strong: The 12 Health Markers That Add Years to Your Life and Strength to Your Days by Don Colbert, M.D. Copyright © 2026 by Don Colbert, M.D. Published by Siloam, an imprint of Charisma Media. Used by permission.