Dr. Andy Galpin: Optimal Nutrition & Supplementation For Fitness | Huberman Lab Guest Series [4b9626]
Post Time: 2025-07-29
When it comes to maintaining good health, one of the key factors is monitoring and managing your blood sugar levels. But what exactly are normal blood sugar levels before breakfast? Let's dive into this crucial topic.
The Science Behind Pre-Breakfast Blood Sugar Ranges
Normal pre-breakfast blood sugar levels typically range from 72 mg/dL to 130 mg/dL, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). These levels can vary depending on individual factors such as age, physical activity level, and overall health. It's essential to note that these ranges are general guidelines and may not apply to everyone.
Why Are Blood Sugar Levels Crucial Before Breakfast?
Before breakfast, your body has gone without food for an extended period. This means it relies solely on stored glucose (glycogen) in the liver and muscles. As you wake up, your blood sugar levels can drop significantly if this stored glycogen is depleted or impaired.
The Role of Insulin Sensitivity in Pre-Breakfast Blood Sugar Levels
Insulin sensitivity plays a critical role in maintaining healthy pre-breakfast blood sugar levels. When your body produces sufficient insulin to facilitate glucose uptake by cells, it's more efficient at regulating blood sugar levels. Conversely, poor insulin sensitivity can lead to chronically elevated or fluctuating blood sugar ranges.
Diet and Lifestyle Habits Affecting Pre-Breakfast Blood Sugar Levels
Certain foods and lifestyle habits significantly impact your pre-breakfast blood sugar levels. Consuming high-carbohydrate meals the night before can cause a spike in glucose, followed by an inevitable crash as insulin is released to bring it back down. Similarly, poor sleep quality or stress can affect hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism.
The Importance of Tracking Pre-Breakfast Blood Sugar Levels
Monitoring your pre-breakfast blood sugar levels regularly allows you to track any patterns or trends. This crucial data helps you identify factors contributing to fluctuations in your ranges. Additionally, tracking enables personalized intervention strategies tailored specifically for your body's unique needs.
Managing High and Low Blood Sugar Ranges Before Breakfast
If you're dealing with persistently high pre-breakfast blood sugar levels (above 130 mg/dL), consider adjustments like incorporating regular exercise or adjusting the timing of meals to better manage carb intake. Conversely, if your ranges are consistently low before breakfast (below 72 mg/dL) despite eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly, consult healthcare professionals for potential underlying causes.
Common Mistakes in Managing Pre-Breakfast Blood Sugar Levels
A key common mistake when trying to control blood sugar levels is neglecting overall lifestyle choices that impact insulin sensitivity. Make sure your daily routine includes adequate sleep, regular physical activity, and stress-reducing activities like yoga or meditation.
Maintaining a healthy pre-breakfast blood sugar range requires understanding individual variability in ranges and making informed decisions based on data collected over time.
In this episode 6 of a 6-part series on fitness, exercise and performance with Andy Galpin, PhD, professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, he explains optimal nutrition, hydration and supplementation to achieve your fitness goals. We cover macronutrient guidelines, when to eat relative to training and training fasted versus fed. Dr. Galpin describes proper hydration for before and during exercise, how dehydration and/or low electrolyte concentrations impede physical and mental performance. He discusses what supplements work best for fitness and performance, how to decide which to take, if any, and when to take them. He also shares high-impact, lower-cost supplements and nutrition recommendations to benefit performance, recovery, and sleep. This episode also includes an audience Q&A. Overall, it is an in-depth but clear discussion of nutrition strategies and supplements that can help anyone improve their level of fitness physical and mental performance. #HubermanLab #Nutrition #Science Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): Levels: LMNT: InsideTracker: Supplements from Momentous Huberman Lab Social & Website Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: TikTok: LinkedIn: Website: Newsletter: Dr. Andy Galpin Academic Profile: Website: Twitter: Instagram: YouTube: Articles Meta-Analysis Examining the Importance of Creatine Ingestion Strategies on Lean Tissue Mass and Strength in Older Adults: Other Resources Examine: Absolute Rest: Reveri: Timestamps 00:00:00 Nutrition & Supplementation 00:05:16 Creatine Supplementation, Muscle & Cognitive Function, Loading Phase 00:16:51 Momentous, Levels, LMNT 00:20:31 Dehydration, Overhydration, Night Urination 00:35:37 Tool: Hydration, Caffeine & Electrolytes 00:41:22 Tool: Sweating, Salt & Performance 00:48:57 AG1 (Athletic Greens) 00:49:49 Galpin Equation for Hydration & Exercise, Focus 00:55:28 Tool: 5 Steps to Optimize Hydration, Sipping Water, W.U.T. Status, Salt 01:10:58 Electrolytes, Carbohydrates & Exercise 01:15:44 InsideTracker 01:16:47 Training Fasted versus Fed, Caffeine, Carbohydrate Timing 01:25:13 Caffeine & Endurance 01:31:20 Citrulline, Beet Root Juice & Performance; Alpha-GPC & Focus, Nootropics 01:35:43 Rhodiola, Cortisol & Fatigue 01:39:55 Tool: blood sugar tracker Supplement Formulations 01:47:31 Supplements, Dependency & Root Cause; Foundational Behaviors 01:57:44 Acute vs. Chronic Effects, Supplements & Gut Microbiome 02:02:33 Tool: Sleep Environment, Absolute Rest 02:11:03 Tools: Sleep & Disturbances, Inositol 02:20:03 Tool: “Fitness Fatigue” Model, Taper, Anti-Inflammatory healthy fasting blood sugar Supplements 02:26:33 Exercise Recovery: Curcumin, Omega 3s, Glutamine, Nutrition, Vitamins 02:39:27 Intermittent Fasting, Training & Keto Diets; GABA 02:43:39 Carbohydrate Loading; Amino Acid Supplements; “Anabolic Window” 02:47:23 Garlic; Tart Cherry Extract; Examine.com 02:51:50 Fitness Testing, Training Programs; Exercise Recovery 03:04:13 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube Feedback, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Neural Network Newsletter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac - The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended blood sugar level 122 to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.