Diabetes is a disease that causes high levels of blood sugar. It is controllable with diet, exercise, and medication. Hypoglycemia is a condition in which there are low levels of blood sugar, and it also is treatable with diet. Since the two conditions involve opposite problems, you might think the diets used to manage them would be vastly different. Surprisingly, they are essentially the same.
Metabolism and Blood Sugar
When you digest food, your body immediately releases the sugar you have eaten into your blood and converts carbohydrates into the simple sugar glucose that also quickly enters your blood stream. Digested proteins and fats can also end up as glucose through processes that are more complex and take more time to complete. Your body produces insulin to control the level of sugar in your blood by converting it into other compounds for storage. After meals, the blood sugar of most people starts to increase as glucose suddenly enters the blood; during vigorous exercise, it may temporarily drop as the body burns sugar for energy. Insulin and other hormones limit these changes by reacting to the changing sugar levels and maintaining equilibrium.
Diabetes
People with diabetes cannot produce sufficient quantities of insulin to prevent their blood sugar levels from rising to abnormally high levels. High blood glucose can lead to a number of serious consequences so diabetics must act to keep their blood sugar within a safe range. Diet and exercise are the first lines of defense but medication is required if these measures do not adequately control the sugar level.
Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is not a disease but a symptom of any of a number of possible conditions. It can be debilitating and even dangerous if allowed to continue unchecked. Like diabetics, people with hypoglycemia also must modify their diet to prevent symptoms. The most common type of hypoglycemia occurs when the body overreacts to sugary or starchy foods and releases too much insulin, which causes the drop in blood sugar.
Dietary Controls
Whether you have diabetes or hypoglycemia, you should follow some simple dietary restrictions to keep your blood sugar in check. You must avoid foods high in sugar and limit the amount and type of carbohydrates you eat. Carbohydrates, especially simple ones like bread, potatoes, and rice, turn to sugar quickly when digested. Meals should be smaller and taken more often to decrease their impact on blood sugar equilibrium. However, people switching to this type of diet sometimes increase their fat intake so you should try to eat as many low fat, high protein foods as possible. Professionals also recommend limiting alcohol intake because it can interfere with liver functions and further inhibit normal metabolic processes. The single difference between the dietary recommendations for people with the two types of glucose problems is for diabetics to also limit their sodium intake due to their increased risk of hypertension.
