Literally means 'low blood sugar'. Hypoglycaemia is normally prevented by hormonal blood sugar control mechanisms. It is when these mechanisms fail that blood sugar drops too low. In diabetics, hypoglycaemia may occur when insulin or blood sugar-reducing drugs are present in the blood in excessive amounts.

Reactive (rebound) hypoglycaemia may occur a few hours after a susceptible individual has consumed sugary food or drinks, especially on an empty stomach. The sugar enters the bloodstream rapidly, stimulating a correspondingly rapid release of insulin. The more rapidly insulin is released, the more likely the pancreas is to 'overshoot the mark' and produce too much. Since the function of insulin is to remove sugar (glucose) from the blood into the cells, too much insulin can leave the blood containing too little sugar, and this may result in a number of unpleasant symptoms. These typically affect the brain, which is the first organ to be affected by a lack of glucose.

Some possible symptoms of hypoglycaemia

Hypoglycaemia can also occur when insulin begins to become defective - larger and larger quantities are needed to perform its function of removing sugar from the blood. The body may try to compensate for this by producing a state of chronic hyperinsulinaemia (excess insulin in the blood), leading to hypoglycaemic symptoms. As the condition worsens, it may develop into maturity-onset diabetes, where insulin becomes too weak to reduce blood sugar, and hyperglycaemia (chronic excessive blood sugar) results. This 'weakness' of insulin may be due to nutritional deficiencies such as B vitamins, chromium and zinc and can often be reversed with help from a professional nutritional therapist.

Adapted from the Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides
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