The truth about hypoglycemia

I’ve received this question a number of times over the years: “I have episodes of hypoglycemia that make me really tired, foggy, and shaky. My doctor says to drink a glass of orange juice or eat some candy immediately and it works. But what should I do on the Wheat Belly lifestyle?” First of all, let’s put aside hypoglycemia–low blood sugars, generally 70 mg/dl (3.8 mmol/L) or less–that occurs in people with diabetes. In diabetics, it is a matter of making adjustments in insulin or other medications, or avoiding blood sugar drops during exercise, sleep, or prolonged periods of not eating. I’m not talking about this kind of hypoglycemia. I’m also not talking about very rare causes of hypoglycemia, such as insulinoma (a form of pancreatic cancer), binge drinking, antibodies against insulin or the insulin receptor in people with lupus, people who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, or have rare inherited carbohydrate metabolism defects such as glycogen storage diseases. Put all of that aside. I’m talking about the common, everyday form of hypoglycemia that plagues non-diabetic people and is responsible for symptoms such as fatigue, mental “fogginess,” confusion, slurred speech, trembling, rapid heart beat, irritability, and sweating. This form of hypoglycemia–“reactive hypoglycemia”–typically occurs about 90 minutes to 3 hours after eating (varying depending on the composition of the mea...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle diabetes hypoglycemia insulin low-carb pre-diabetes Weight Loss Source Type: blogs