Diabetics often experience hypoglycemia, a drop in blood sugar levels. People with reactive hypoglycemia who do not have diabetes may also experience drops in blood glucose after eating. Hypoglycemia, defined as blood glucose less than 70 mg/dL, can lead to a coma if not treated promptly. Foods high in simple sugars such as orange juice are often recommended to treat hypoglycemia, but orange juice will not raise blood sugar levels as rapidly as pure glucose supplements. However, 4 oz of orange juice should raise blood sugars enough to decrease symptoms within 15 minutes, according to the National Institutes of Health website PubMed Health.
Hypoglycemia Causes and Effects
When you eat, insulin released from the pancreas helps cells absorb glucose, or sugar from the blood. Diabetics, who may not make enough insulin, may need to take insulin injections before they eat. If you take too much insulin, too much glucose is removed from the blood and you develop hypoglycemia. If you take your normal amount of insulin and don't eat enough food, hypoglycemia can occur. People with reactive hypoglycemia often produce excess insulin, which removes too much sugar from the bloodstream. Foods high in glucose raise blood sugars the fastest; orange juice contains glucose and fructose, the main sugar in fruits. Fructose will slow down the absorption of the glucose in orange juice.
Orange Juice Absorption
The glycemic index of foods can give you an idea of how quickly they're absorbed. Pure glucose has a GI of 100, meaning that it absorbs completely very quickly, within 15 minutes or less. Orange juice has a GI of only 52, which means it doesn't qualify as a rapidly-absorbed GI food. High GI foods have a GI of 70 or above. Lower GI foods can take up to 30 minutes or more to be completely absorbed, because the substances other than glucose in the food slow down absorption. It takes around 15 g of glucose to raise blood sugar.
Risks
If you raise your blood sugar too high by drinking too much orange juice, excessive amounts of insulin may be released from the pancreas. If too much insulin is released, too much glucose may be removed from the bloodstream and rebound hypoglycemia can occur. If you drink orange juice to raise your blood sugar, it's best to follow it with some protein and fat once your blood sugar starts to rise. Proteins and fat absorb less slowly and will help stabilize your blood sugar.
Considerations
If you or someone in your family has diabetes or reactive hypoglycemia, glucose tablets are a better source of rapidly-absorbed carbohydrate than orange juice. Hypoglycemia can lead to confusion or belligerent behavior; it can be very difficult to get a person to drink under these circumstances. One a person loses consciousness, do not put any food in their mouth, because of the risk of choking. Glucagon injections can raise the blood sugar rapidly in this case.
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