Hypoglycemia is a condition of low blood sugar. It can occur after you eat certain types of carbohydrates. For non-diabetics, hypoglycemia can occur suddenly with symptoms that include light-headedness, but can be quickly remedied by eating carbohydrates. For diabetics, hypoglycemia is not easily treated and can result in serious medical complications. Consult your doctor about your health and how to manage hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia
Glucose is the sugar molecule your body uses for energy. Carbohydrates contain sugars that your body digests into single glucose molecules that are absorbed into your blood. Under normal conditions, your pancreas releases insulin into your bloodstream to respond to the amount of glucose in the blood. Insulin is a hormone that transports glucose from your blood into the cells of your body. As a result, your blood glucose decreases. If your blood glucose levels fall below normal, you become hypoglycemic and your pancreas releases a hormone called glucagon which signals your liver to break down glycogen, a large molecule that stores glucose, to release glucose into your blood to normalize levels. In diabetics, particularly those who take insulin, hypoglycemia occurs when your blood glucose levels fall below normal and are unable to rapidly increase to normal levels. The symptoms of hypoglycemia include hunger, sweating, confusion, dizziness, fainting, coma and death.
Diagnosis
Physicians diagnose hypoglycemia by measuring your glucose levels from a blood sample. You have hypoglycemia when your levels of blood glucose are below 50 mg/dL in between meals or after an overnight fast. Non-diabetics can have postprandial hypoglycemia within four hours after you eat or fasting hypoglycemia as a result of an underlying illness. Diabetics can become hypoglycemic after taking insulin or other diabetes medication or after skipping, delaying or eating meals with insufficient amounts of carbohydrates.
Nutritional Management
A nutritious diet can manage and prevent hypoglycemia. Non-diabetics and diabetics who consume low glycemic foods, particularly whole grains, may minimize the fluctuations in blood sugar that characterize hypoglycemia. Low glycemic foods contain sugars that are slowly digested and cause a modest increase in blood glucose and insulin that your body is able to control, transport glucose into your cells and metabolize it for energy. High glycemic foods, particularly processed grains and foods with added sugars, cause a rapid increase in blood glucose that induce extreme fluctuations in insulin levels. Eating meals at the same time daily and snacking on low glycemic foods, such as peanuts, in between meals and before bedtime can reduce the risk of hypoglycemia.
Considerations
Preventing hypoglycemia is the best cure. Get regular physical check-ups and ask your doctor about your risks of hypoglycemia and diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that 5.7 million people in the United States are undiagnosed diabetics and an additional 57 million have prediabetes, a condition in which your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not at a level for a diagnosis of diabetes.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Hypoglycemia
- MayoClinic.com: Hypoglycemia
- Harvard Medical School: Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load for 100+ Foods
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Diabetes
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes
