Hypoglycemia means low blood sugar. So why am I including a chapter on low blood
sugar in a book on fat? Because fat slows the digestive process, and
thus can prevent some types of hypoglycemia, and I’ll explain
how below. Hypoglycemia is one of those ailments that is hard to diagnose.
You may feel faint sometimes, and attribute it to low blood sugar,
but how do you know for sure? More importantly, how do you prevent
hypoglycemia from recurring, especially at inconvenient times?
Hypoglycemia is defined as a blood sugar level
of less than 50 mg/dl. Although there are many types of sugars, blood
“sugar” refers to blood “glucose”. Hypoglycemia
can result in two overlapping sets of symptoms. First, the symptoms
more commonly associated with hypoglycemia are nervousness, anxiety,
hunger, palpitations, sweating, and headache. There is another set
of symptoms, including headache, lethargy, confusion, and irritability,
that can result from low blood sugar. These symptoms are not always
recognized as resulting from low blood sugar and may not be appropriately
treated.
HYPOGLYCEMIA
CAN RESULT FROM SURGERY ON THE DIGESTIVE TRACT
Hypoglycemia
is a common consequence of gastric surgery such as gastrectomy (removal
of part of the stomach). As a result of this procedure, the stomach
does not hold food as long as it should. Normally the stomach is a
holding compartment that releases food into the small intestine a
little bit at a time. After gastric surgery, food is released too
quickly from the stomach into the small intestine. Instead of gradually
receiving the contents of a meal, the small intestine receives the
whole meal at once, a phenomenon called "dumping".
Once
food is in the small intestine, absorption of many nutrients takes
place. Sugar (table sugar, or sucrose) and starch are broken down
to release glucose that is absorbed right away. This glucose enters
the bloodstream, and blood glucose jumps to a higher than normal level.
When blood glucose is higher than normal, the pancreas responds by
secreting insulin. Insulin then directs cells throughout the body
to take up and utilize glucose, thus bringing the blood glucose level
back to normal.
The
pancreas estimates the amount of insulin to secrete based on how much
blood glucose rises. It assumes that the initial rise in glucose was
due to the first in many small installments of food in the intestine,
and that more food will be arriving shortly. The pancreas does not
know when an entire meal is “dumped” into the small intestine
prematurely. After dumping, there is a sudden large jump in blood
glucose level, making the pancreas anticipate a huge meal. The pancreas
secretes a large amount of insulin in order to deal with the anticipated
large meal. When it turns out that no more food arrives, the estimated
amount of insulin turns out to be excessive. Insulin causes blood
glucose to be used up, but the expected replacement glucose does not
arrive. Blood glucose drops much lower than was intended.
YOU
CAN HELP PREVENT HYPOGLYCEMIA THROUGH YOUR DIET
The
foods you eat also control the speed with which the stomach contents
are emptied into the intestine. Food is propelled through the stomach
and intestine by rhythmic contractions. The major factor determining
how quickly the stomach empties into the intestine is the presence
or absence of fat in the stomach. Fat in the stomach causes hormones
to be released that act back on the stomach to slow its contractions.
Since it is the contractions that push the partially digested food
bit by bit through the stomach and into the intestine, the hormones
cause the contents of the stomach to be emptied more slowly into the
intestine.
Imagine
an assembly line, in which the speed of the conveyor belt is set too
high. Parts are delivered before anyone is ready for them, and mayhem
results. There has to be some way to turn down the conveyor belt speed
to allow for efficient incorporation of all of the parts. In the digestive
process, fat is the signal to regulate the speed of the conveyor belt;
i.e. to slow down the contractions. When you eat fat, the stomach
very slowly releases its mixture of partially digested food into the
intestine. The amount of glucose absorbed at any one time is small,
and the pancreas responds with an appropriately small amount of insulin.
Small amounts of glucose continue to be delivered for hours, and the
blood glucose never peaks too high or dips too low. Thus including
fat in meals may prevent hypoglycemic episodes.
Other
topics in chapter 11
CAN
YOU HAVE HYPOGLYCEMIA IF YOU HAVEN’T HAD GASTRIC SURGERY?
EATING SUGAR AND SOME STARCHES CAN CAUSE HYPOGLYCEMIA
HOW CAN YOU PREDICT WHICH STARCHES ARE O.K. FOR HYPOGLYCEMICS?
Links to Excerpt Pages
Contents
Introduction
Chapter one
Calories, not fat, make people fat
Chapter two
Fitness is as important as fatness
Chapter three
Heart disease, diabetes, and fat
Chapter four Eating fat does not cause cancer
Chapter five Good fat, bad fat
Chapter six What are saturated and unsaturated fats?
Chapter seven Oils are good for you
Chapter eight All about cholesterol
Chapter nine Watch out for rancid fats
Chapter ten What about antioxidants?
Chapter eleven
Help with hypoglycemia
Chapter twelve Achieving good health by integrating fat wisely
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