Adrenal Insufficiency & Low-carb Diet

Adrenal insufficiency is an endocrine or hormonal disorder that results when your adrenal glands do not produce enough of a specific hormone, often cortisol. Cortisol plays a critical role in maintaining blood glucose levels. Insufficient cortisol places you at risk for low blood-glucose levels. If you are diagnosed with adrenal insufficiency, it is recommended that you eat small amounts of complex carbohydrates throughout the day. Discuss the proper daily intake of carbohydrates for your condition with your doctor.

Adrenal Insufficiency

There are two types of adrenal insufficiency, reports the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service. Primary adrenal insufficiency, or Addison's disease, occurs when your adrenal glands are damaged and unable to produce cortisol. Sometimes, this also affects your body's production of the hormone aldosterone. Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when your pituitary gland does not produce enough adrenocorticotropin, a hormone responsible for stimulating production of cortisol. These conditions are diagnosed through blood tests and treated using replacement or substitute hormones.

The Fatigue Controversy

The term "adrenal insufficiency" is used interchangeably with "adrenal fatigue" in the natural healing literature; however, according to MayoClinic.com, adrenal fatigue is not a recognized medical term. Proponents of this condition suggest medical testing is not sensitive enough to catch subtle hormone deficiencies and recommend high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets and supplements as treatment. MayoClinic.com warns that unproven treatments could have adverse consequences. Medical treatment to address the low or absent hormones is required to prevent acute adrenal crisis.

The Carb Connection

Your body's inability to regulate blood glucose levels leaves you prone to low blood sugar which may contribute to the dangerous condition, known as acute adrenal crisis. Excess sugars and refined carbohydrates place stress on your underactive adrenal gland, creating fluctuations in blood sugar. Too few carbohydrates result in too little glucose available in your blood. A moderately low-carb diet, with small servings of complex-carbohydrates and high-protein meals are ideal in managing your blood sugar with this illness, according to the publication "Living with Addison's Disease: An Owner's Manual with Individuals with Disease."

Cautions

Adrenal insufficiency may lead to a life-threatening condition referred to as "acute adrenal crisis," including symptoms such as low-blood sugar, confusion, headache, high fever, abdominal pain and even coma. Your body requires sufficient carbohydrates, released slowly throughout the day to maintain stable levels of blood glucose. Low-carb diets may balance glucose levels, but extremely low-carbohydrate diets may lead to ketosis, a condition that depletes blood glucose and turns to fat for fuel.