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Old Sat, Jun-06-09, 01:11
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DorianJ DorianJ is offline
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Plan: Moderate Protein Atkins
Stats: 175/160/165 Male 175
BF:
Progress: 150%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coachjeff
I have been doing a lot of research lately on hypoglycemia. I get moderately severe "attacks" which are exactly like a hypoglycemic attack - brain fog, loss of coordination, extreme irritability, extreme intolerance to noise, etc.

But I have tested my blood-glucose when in the midst of such an "attack" - and it was normal! That just did not make sense, but there it was.


It makes sense instead.
Most dramatic symptoms of hypoglycemia do not coincide with a low glucose nadir. When being testing with an OGTT people feel their symptoms delayed compared to when their blood sugar is at their lowest. Not only indeed the dropping blood sugar causing neuroglycopenia would also cause a delayed ability to even experience the symptoms (i.e. you should experience confusion, but you're so confused that you can't even feel confused) but another cause is that most of the symptoms you described are not symptoms of low blood sugar but of high adrenalin which is being dumped in your blood to raise your blood sugar. Irritability or anger or anxiety are not symptoms of low blood sugar, they're symptoms of high adrenalin. Low blood sugar symptoms are limited to focus, coordination and energy.

Hence the worse symptoms will begins when your blood sugar is raising or already back to normal. The release of insulin besides prevents the soothing effects of endorphines that are instead released when your blood sugar is dropping. It's the same for fatigue.

Not many people feel fatigue when their body is fatigue (as seen by cardiofrequency) but when they sit down and rest. Certain people have a delayed fatigues response where they feel extremely exhausted 5 hours after the action that caused the exhaustion. There's also a condition known a athlete heart where you mightbe putting your heart to serious lethal danger without feeling any sort of symptoms, only later.

Combine all of this together and you have a situation where people tend to feel the effect of low blood sugar and high adrenalin combined several time after their blood sugar has reached the lowest point. That's why endocrinologists nowadays diagnose reactive hypoglycemia if there are symptoms during an OGTT which resulted in true hypoglycemia levels or even a quick and big lowering even if it doesn't go below normal levels (i.e going from 160 to 70 in a matter of minutes) regardless of when the symptoms occurred and if they coincide with the moment the blood sugar was low.

Dr. Keith W. Berkowitz (who is a low carb advocate) said to have met nonetheless in his clinical practice (as a renowed endocrinologist who treats less known blood sugar problems) a lot of people who had hypoglycemia even if they were low carbing or even who developed hypoglycemia from their low carbing. I don't know the details but for example I know that without carbs my liver dumps a lot more triggering glucose than what I would obtain from a serving of carbohydrates.
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