Why Do People With Diabetes Crave Sugar?

There can be many reasons why one craves for sweets and ways to reduce cravings with injections such as Semaglutide (for people with type 2 diabetes). Generally, people who eat a lot of carbohydrates like rice, bread, potato, bagels, muffins, pasta, soft drinks and desserts tend to have very high blood glucose levels. They get an urge to eat something sweet when their blood glucose level drops.

Pancreas is an organ in your body that releases the sugar-lowering hormone insulin when you eat something. This helps the excess glucose from the food to be used as energy or get stored in the body.

For people with diabetes, the body does not react to the insulin, the excess glucose remains in the blood and the blood glucose level rises. Since your body is not getting the required amount of energy, you start to feel lethargic. As a result, you begin craving sugar as your body starts to look at sugar as a quick source of energy.

Also, when using insulin and drugs to help lower blood glucose levels, your blood sugar level might drop below normal (i.e. below 70 mg per deciliter 70 mg/dl) which may cause cravings for sugar. This happens more frequently if you are sensitive towards these medicines.

In this case, along with a craving for sugar you might also experience:
• Shakiness
• Lethargy
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Increased sweating

It is important to avoid giving into sugar cravings as it can trap you in a vicious cycle. You can take the following steps to help your cravings:

• Chew your food properly, as chewing helps the food to get mixed with your saliva and thus improves digestion.

• Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Eating a lot of green vegetables can help to keep you feeling full for a longer time.

• Keep your blood sugar in check, as sugar cravings arise from fluctuations in your blood sugar levels.