Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a condition that is often unrecognized and is often incorrectly diagnosed with inadequate or incorrect treatments. There is hypoglycemia associated with diabetes. This hypoglycemia occurs when insulin dependent diabetics give themselves too much insulin, resulting in an excessive fall in blood glucose levels.

However the hypoglycemia we will discuss here is reactive hypoglycemia. This is where the low blood sugar is brought about by less severe metabolic problems than the previous form. However it is an important form and the range of symptoms can be wide and the effects on the sufferers can be devastating.

Blood sugar, under normal circumstances, is controlled within reasonably close limits. When the blood sugar is consistently too high the person becomes a diabetic, when it goes too low, the person is said to have hypoglycemia.

Symptoms and signs of hypoglycemia

The main ones are:

weakness and faintness,
palpitations and or fast heart beat,
anxiety, cold sweats and panic attacks,
irritability, behavioral problems and mood swings,
insomnia,
hunger and nausea,
migraines and headaches,
mental disturbances and personality changes.
Symptoms are commonest at mid-morning and mid to late afternoon, usually two to five hours following food. Exercise may lead to the symptoms but food or glucose may not provide definite relief.

Causes of hypoglycemia

Consuming refined carbohydrates is one of the commonest factors in hypoglycemia. Foods containing sugar and glucose rapidly increase the blood sugar levels and can result in the excessive production of insulin, resulting in turn in an excessive lowering of blood sugar.

Unfortunately, some people, including some doctors, are under the misconception that if a person has a low blood sugar level they can simply have a cup of tea with some sugar. This is wrong.

Whilst this might well produce relief of the symptoms for a while, it encourages a vicious cycle: low blood sugar, eating refined carbohydrate, excessive insulin production, followed by low blood sugar levels.

One approach to treatment is the elimination of refined carbohydrates from the diet (this is discussed below).

Chronic stress.

Food intolerance - there is some evidence that specific foods can actually produce an abnormally low or high blood sugar irrespective of the carbohydrate content. The culprit foods are often wheat and dairy products.

Too much or too little thyroid production - both of which can result in a low blood sugar.

Deficiencies of vitamins and minerals - chromium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, zinc, and the B group vitamins are all associated with hypoglycemia.

Drug effects - including metronidazole (used for the treatment of infections, commonly vaginal infections).

Excessive tea and coffee consumption.

Cigarette smoking - increases the release of both insulin and glucose from the liver.

Alcohol consumption - most alcoholics are hypoglycemic and a part of coming off alcohol should include the use of an anti-hypoglycemia diet.

What you can do to help

Avoid refined carbohydrates - this is extremely important.

Eat a high protein/low carbohydrate diet.

Eat small frequent meals.

Vitamin and mineral supplements should include: Vitamin B complex 20 - 100 mg per day, vitamin B3 (nicotinamide or niacinamide) 1,000 - 3,000 mg per day. Some people do very well on the high doses of vitamin B3, especially those who wake up in the night around 2-3 am with hypoglycemia. It should be emphasized that this is niacinamide and not niacin.

NOTE: Anyone who is having high dose niacinamide should have their liver function tests reviewed every month or two by their doctor.

Supplements should also include:

chromium 200 mcg per day.
zinc 15 - 25 mg daily.
manganese 5 - 10 mg daily.
magnesium 200 - 400 mg per day.
vitamin C 2,000- 3,000 mg per day or more.
Avoid coffee, tea and alcohol as these stimulate insulin release.

If you smoke try to quit. ( see for tips)

Get plenty of exercise and adequate rest especially if you have trouble sleeping through the night (see for sleep & and for exercise tips).

Try to get you stress levels under control.