THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX - How It Works, And When It Does Not #keto #insulin #diabetes #obesity [c77f67]

Post Time: 2025-07-29

Hypoglycemia, often called low blood sugar, occurs when the level of glucose in your blood drops too low. It's a condition that predominantly affects individuals with diabetes but can also occur in others due to various reasons. Recognizing and effectively managing hypoglycemia is crucial to avoid potential complications. This article provides a comprehensive yet simple guide to understanding and treating hypoglycemia.

What is Hypoglycemia?

Hypoglycemia is generally defined as a blood sugar level below 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). However, specific targets may vary depending on the individual’s overall health, age, and the presence of other health conditions. Symptoms range from mild to severe and may include sweating, trembling, dizziness, confusion, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness. It is a significant concern because the brain primarily relies on glucose for energy, and inadequate levels can quickly impair normal functioning.

Severity	Blood Sugar Level (mg/dL)	Typical Symptoms
Mild	60-70	Shakiness, sweating, hunger, anxiety
Moderate	50-60	Confusion, dizziness, difficulty speaking
Severe	Below 50	Loss of consciousness, seizure

It's important to note that symptom severity may vary significantly from person to person, and someone could experience more significant symptoms at higher blood sugar levels than another. Recognizing the signs is key to prompt and effective intervention.

Treatment: The 15-15 Rule

The cornerstone of managing a mild to moderate hypoglycemic episode is what is commonly known as the 15-15 rule. Here's how it works:

1. Immediate Consumption: The moment symptoms of hypoglycemia are recognized, you should immediately consume 15 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates.

   • Examples of fast-acting carbohydrates include:
     • 3-4 glucose tablets
     • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of regular juice or soda
     • 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar
     • 5-6 pieces of hard candy
   • Avoid High-Fat Options: Stay away from chocolates or other high-fat items as the fat delays the absorption of sugar, thus delaying recovery.

2. Wait 15 Minutes: After ingesting the fast-acting carbohydrates, wait for 15 minutes. This time frame allows the body to begin raising the blood sugar levels.

3. Re-check Blood Sugar: After waiting 15 minutes, re-check your blood sugar using a glucose meter.

4. Repeat If Needed: If your blood sugar is still below 70 mg/dL, repeat steps 1-3.

5. Once Blood Sugar is Above 70 mg/dL, Follow with Sustained Food: Once your blood sugar is within a normal range, eat a snack or small meal with complex carbohydrates and protein, such as crackers with cheese or a piece of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter, to prevent a recurrence.

This method is generally effective for most cases of mild to moderate hypoglycemia.

Severe Hypoglycemia: What To Do

In cases of severe hypoglycemia where an individual is unable to eat or is unconscious, immediate medical help is crucial. Here’s what you should do:

1. Administer Glucagon: If you have glucagon (a prescription hormone that helps raise blood sugar levels) available, it should be administered either via injection or nasal spray per your healthcare provider’s instructions.

   • How Glucagon Works: Glucagon prompts the liver to release stored glucose into the bloodstream.
   • Timing Matters: Glucagon’s effectiveness relies on liver glycogen levels being sufficient.
   • Glucagon is vital: This is especially crucial for someone with a history of frequent severe episodes.

2. Call for Emergency Assistance: Contact emergency medical services right away. Even if the individual regains consciousness, follow-up medical attention is necessary to understand what might have triggered the severe episode.

3. Provide Assistance Until Help Arrives: Ensure the individual is lying on their side to prevent choking should vomiting occur. If conscious, do not attempt to give food or liquids, as it poses a risk of aspiration (food or drink entering the lungs).

Preventing Hypoglycemia

Prevention is critical, particularly if you have diabetes. Some strategies to keep blood sugars stable include:

• Regular Meal Schedule: Eat consistent meals and snacks as recommended by your healthcare team. This reduces swings in blood glucose.
• Medication Management: Closely monitor medication doses, especially if you use insulin or other diabetes medications, and never adjust dosages without professional guidance.
• Monitor Blood Sugar: Use a blood glucose meter to regularly monitor your levels and respond appropriately, or using a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).
• Physical Activity: Physical activity will impact your blood sugar levels so be sure to be prepared and aware of your numbers before, during, and after exercise.
• Carry Fast-Acting Carbohydrates: Always have fast-acting carbohydrates with you for those moments when blood sugar is starting to dip.
• Education: Continuously educate yourself on factors that might affect blood sugar levels, especially before traveling or starting new medications.

Hypoglycemia in Non-Diabetics

While less common, hypoglycemia can occur in individuals without diabetes. Known as non-diabetic hypoglycemia, causes may include:

• Reactive Hypoglycemia: Occurs a few hours after a meal due to the body releasing too much insulin.
• Fasting Hypoglycemia: Often related to underlying medical issues, including liver or kidney disease or tumors.
• Certain Medications: A number of medications can affect blood sugar, even in those without diabetes.
• Diet: Consuming very low carbohydrate diets can induce hypoglycemia

In such cases, thorough medical investigation and tailored treatment approaches are necessary. If you experience symptoms suggestive of hypoglycemia, even without diabetes, please consult a healthcare provider to determine the root cause.

Conclusion

Hypoglycemia is a condition that can have a range of symptoms and can quickly become an emergency. However, by understanding the signs, implementing the 15-15 rule, knowing how to handle severe episodes, and focusing on prevention, you can effectively manage or avoid this potentially dangerous issue. If you have specific questions or concerns, make sure to always seek expert medical advice.

The Glycaemic Index was introduced in 1981 as a useful guide to the relative rapidity with which a particular food releases glucose into the blood, thus "spiking" blood sugar, and a corresponding rise in insulin. This is useful information for anyone who is pre-diabetic or diabetic and needs to monitor blood sugar and medicated insulin. The scale runs from 1 to 100, with 100 being allocated to pure, simple glucose (which obviously raises blood sugar the quickest). Foods scoring above 70 are consideredd "High GI", foods scoring below 55 "Low GI", and those in between "Medium GI". However, although many foods appear on the table, their values are averages, and the particular GI effect varies with ripeness, cooking, refining, variety and growing conditions. In addition, glycaemic responses vary across individuals according to factors like genetics and metabolic health. The numbers on the scale are therefore not absolute, and mostly useful only as a guide. People who are overweight and wish to burn body fat or reverse insulin resistance, or are trying to cut sugar intake to reduce inflammation and lower the risks of the metabolic diseases associated with dietary sugar, need to look beyond the GI numbers if they are to be successful. The same applies to Diabetics who are using ketogenic (low sugar) nutrition to reverse Type2 Diabetes, as the GI tells you how quickly a particular food releases glucose into the blood, but it does not tell any story about either the concentration or the type of sugar found in the food - and these are important factors. Eating a small amount of a High GI food (eg white bread) will be less harmfull than eating, say, 20 bananas (which are "Med GI") as the total sugar co0nsumed in the bananas will be multiples higher. "Glycaemic Load" takes account of both the GI number, and the amount of glucose consumed, and is a more practical consideration. As the GI is a measure of the timing of sugar release, foods that release glucose - however much they may contain - slowly, have a lower number. Thus "whole" foods, as opposed to "refined" versions, then to have a lower GI as the fiber in the food slows the sugar average number for blood sugar absorption. Thus "wholewheat" bread has a lower GI than white bread (even though it is still made from refined flour!) as some whole grains, or fragments, have been added back in prior to baking. Probably the greatest weakness of the GI system to predict the healthful effect of food relating to its sugar content, is the fact that measuring glucose in the blood does not take into account other sugars present in the food - like galactose (part of the milk sugar "lactose") and fructose (which makes up 50% of "sucrose" or table sugar, and is found in large amounts in sweet fruits). These non-glucose sugars do not register as blood what is the medical term for high blood sugar sugar, and are not distributed around the body for burning, the way glucose is. Instead the go directly to the liver where they must be modified into glucose first. Thery are then released, and cinnamon helps blood sugar this delay allows the food source to score lower on the GI. However, the danger comes if the glucose content of the blood is already high or if the person is already obese or insulin resistant (pre-diabetic) in which case much of that generated glucose turns to triglycerides and is stored in the liver, leading to Fatty Liver Disease. Fatty Liver Disease is a short-track to Type2 Diabetes, where excess triglycerides spill out of the liver and settle in the pancreas, sabotaging it's ability to produce insulin. Thus eating high quantities of sugary foods that are labelled "Low GI" can in fact lead quite quickly to Obesity, Insulin-Resistance and Diabetes! To illustrate the point, White Bread, White Rice and Pasta are "High GI" whereas White Sugar is "Medium GI" (due to it being 50% fructose). LINKS A Basic Explanation of Dietary Sugars: The Debate around Complex Carbohydrates: Why You Can't Burn Fat: The Hidden Dangers of Fructose: How Healthy is Fruit? Join this channel to get access to additional benefits: *ANDREW TUNSTALL* is a Nutrition Coach, Educator and Athlete who dodged Heart Surgery and a Hip Replacement by changing his lifestyle and eating habits before starting SHAPEFIXER to help others harness the power of knowledge to lose weight, improve health, fight disease and slow ageing. *DISCLAIMER: I am a Nutrition Coach and an Educator; I am not a medical doctor. All videos are for informational and motivational purposes only and are not to be taken as personalised medical diagnoses or advice. Speak to your own, trusted medical professional about all decisions you take regarding any aspects of your health, medical conditions and ongoing medication – Andrew Tunstall*THE GLYCAEMIC INDEX - How It Works, And When It Does Not #keto #insulin #diabetes #obesity [c77f67]