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| | | Amino Acid / Protein |  Glutamine
  | Glutamine plays a vital part in the control of blood sugar. It helps prevent hypoglycemia , since it is easily converted to glucose when blood sugar is low. |
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Botanical |
 Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana)
| | If you must use sweeteners, stevia is an excellent natural alternative to simple sugars and unhealthy chemical alternatives. |
Chlorella / Algae Products
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Diet |
 Sugars Avoidance / Reduction
| | Consuming foods that contain simple sugars makes the problem worse. Avoid sweets other than fresh fruits, if tolerated. In addition, consider avoiding products that only "taste" sweet (artificially sweetened - low calorie). Even though they may contain no sugar, sending signals to your brain that something "sweet" is being consumed may have negative consequences. |
Processed Foods Avoidance
| | Refined carbohydrates are more readily absorbed than unrefined, and should be avoided in those with any glucose intolerance. |
Smaller, More Frequent Meals
| | Frequent small meals are more effective in stabilizing blood sugar levels than large, less frequent ones. Remember to consume something before symptoms appear. Protein snacks that keep well should be stored in locations such that you always have quick access to food. You may find it helpful to store protein bars or nuts in your car, at work, in your pockets or (for women) in your purse. |
High/Increased Protein Diet
| | A diet consisting of higher protein and fat with less refined carbohydrates is a standard recommendation for those with hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemics may find it helpful to start with 100gm of protein or more per day. With increased protein consumption, protein digesting enzymes may need to be supplemented. Hydrochloric acid, which is usually produced by the stomach for the breakdown of food (especially protein) may be needed also.
Grams of carbohydrate can be counted, limiting them to a maximum of 100gm per day. Some persons feel better on 60-100gm of carbohydrates, adjusting up or downward depending on size and degree of physical labor (More if larger and very active). Eating less than 60gm per day may aggravate a return to undesirable symptoms. |
Caffeine/Coffee Avoidance
| | Avoid all soft drinks, coffee, tea, artificial colors and additives. |
Alcohol Avoidance
| | Drinking alcohol can cause blood sugar to drop in some sensitive individuals. Hypoglycemia has been well documented in chronic alcoholics and binge drinkers. |
High/Increased Fiber Diet
| | Soluble fiber delays gastric emptying, slows glucose absorption, and minimizes blood glucose swings. |
Coconut
Therapeutic Fasting
| | In severe cases, additional methods of support besides diet may be needed and perhaps the best of these is fasting. Fasting is a useful, inexpensive and universally available treatment for hypoglycemia. The fast allows the entire system to restore its cellular integrity. |
Increased Fruit/Vegetable Consumption
| | Fruit contains several things that are of benefit, including a sugar (fructose) that does not cause wild glucose swings, trace minerals, and fiber which slows glucose absorption. However, some people find that fruits do make their glucose intolerance worse. Vegetables, especially low starch vegetables like tomatoes, green leafy vegetables, broccoli and carrots are low in carbohydrate and high in nutrients. |
Grain-free / Low Starch Diet
| | As a dietary priciple, simply avoiding grains and foods made from grains should go a long way toward preventing low blood sugar events in those with reactive hypoglycemia |
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Habits |
Aerobic Exercise
| | Moderate exercise improves glucose metabolism. Those few individuals who find that strenuous or prolonged exercise causes hypoglycemia should take food at the earliest opportunity. |
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Lab Tests/Rule-Outs |
Test Glucose Tolerance
| | The six hour oral glucose tolerance test is normally used to determine the type and magnitude of the glucose intolerance. |
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Mineral |
Chromium
| | Chromium status should be optimized for its benefit in carbohydrate disorders (both hypoglycemia and adult-onset diabetes). Studies have shown that chromium supplementation is helpful with hypoglycemia and can improve glucose tolerance test results and increase the number of insulin receptors on red blood cells.
A research team, which included scientists from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., tested chromium's effects in humans by adding chromium chloride to the diet of 17 men and women, eight of whom had mild glucose intolerance, a condition that precedes diabetes.
During the 14-week study, all participants ate a baseline, chromium-poor diet containing less than 20 micrograms of the metal per day. This is similar to the amount consumed by 25 percent of Americans, Anderson says, noting that the recommended daily allowance ranges from 50 to 200 micrograms.
After four weeks, the researchers divided the volunteers into two groups. One group continued to eat the low-chromium diet, supplemented with daily doses of 200 micrograms of chromium; the other group stayed on the diet but received only placebo pills. Five weeks later, the groups were switched.
In seven of the eight people with glucose intolerance, tests taken an hour after they drank a sugary liquid showed that blood sugar levels rose nearly 50 percent less during chromium supplemention than at the outset of the study or during the unsupplemented baseline diet. In the 11 glucose-tolerant patients, the varying consumption of chromium had no effect on blood glucose levels
, Anderson notes. This selective reduction, he says, indicates "chromium can reverse glucose intolerance."
Glucose-intolerant participants also showed lower circulating levels of insulin and glucagon
-- a pancreas-secreted compound that opposes insulin's action -- during chromium supplementation than at any other point in the study. |
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Vitamins |
Vitamin Niacinamide
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GLOSSARY
Adrenal Insufficiency: Also known as Adrenal Exhaustion or Low Adrenal Function, this is a condition where the adrenal gland is compromised in its production of epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, corticosterone or aldosterone. Symptoms include primarily fatigue, weakness, decreased appetite with ensuing weight loss, as well as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, or increased pigmentation of the skin. Cortical insufficiency (low or no corticosteroids) produces a more serious condition called Addison’s Disease, characterized by extreme weakness, low blood pressure, pigmentation of the skin, shock or even death.
Bipolar Disorder: Also known as manic-depression, this disorder is characterized by alternating periods of extreme moods, usually swinging from being overly elated or irritable (mania) to sad and hopeless (depression) and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between. The frequency of the swings between these two states, and the duration of the mood, varies from person to person.
Carbohydrates: The sugars and starches in food. Sugars are called simple carbohydrates and found in such foods as fruit and table sugar. Complex carbohydrates are composed of large numbers of sugar molecules joined together, and are found in grains, legumes, and vegetables like potatoes, squash, and corn.
DHEA: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a steroid produced by the adrenal glands and is the most abundant one found in humans. DHEA may be transformed into testosterone, estrogen or other steroids. It is found in the body as DHEA or in the sulfated form known as DHEA-S. One form is converted into the other as needed.
Diabetes Mellitus: A disease with increased blood glucose levels due to lack or ineffectiveness of insulin. Diabetes is found in two forms; insulin-dependent diabetes (juvenile-onset) and non-insulin-dependent (adult-onset). Symptoms include increased thirst; increased urination; weight loss in spite of increased appetite; fatigue; nausea; vomiting; frequent infections including bladder, vaginal, and skin; blurred vision; impotence in men; bad breath; cessation of menses; diminished skin fullness. Other symptoms include bleeding gums; ear noise/buzzing; diarrhea; depression; confusion.
Enzymes: Specific protein catalysts produced by the cells that are crucial in chemical reactions and in building up or synthesizing most compounds in the body. Each enzyme performs a specific function without itself being consumed. For example, the digestive enzyme amylase acts on carbohydrates in foods to break them down.
Fasting Blood Sugar: (FBS): Blood is drawn before breakfast (i.e., after fasting), then the glucose (sugar) in the blood is measured.
Glucose: A sugar that is the simplest form of carbohydrate. It is commonly referred to as blood sugar. The body breaks down carbohydrates in foods into glucose, which serves as the primary fuel for the muscles and the brain.
Glucose Tolerance Factor: (GTF): A compound containing chromium that aids insulin in regulating blood sugar levels.
Hormones: Chemical substances secreted by a variety of body organs that are carried by the bloodstream and usually influence cells some distance from the source of production. Hormones signal certain enzymes to perform their functions and, in this way, regulate such body functions as blood sugar levels, insulin levels, the menstrual cycle, and growth. These can be prescription, over-the-counter, synthetic or natural agents. Examples include adrenal hormones such as corticosteroids and aldosterone; glucagon, growth hormone, insulin, testosterone, estrogens, progestins, progesterone, DHEA, melatonin, and thyroid hormones such as thyroxine and calcitonin.
Hypoglycemia: A condition characterized by an abnormally low blood glucose level. Severe hypoglycemia is rare and dangerous. It can be caused by medications such as insulin (diabetics are prone to hypoglycemia), severe physical exhaustion, and some illnesses.
Hypothyroidism: Diminished production of thyroid hormone, leading to low metabolic rate, tendency to gain weight, and sleepiness.
Hypotonia: Lessened tension; arterial relaxation.
Insulin: A hormone secreted by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose levels. Insulin stimulates the liver, muscles, and fat cells to remove glucose from the blood for use or storage.
Metabolism: The chemical processes of living cells in which energy is produced in order to replace and repair tissues and maintain a healthy body. Responsible for the production of energy, biosynthesis of important substances, and degradation of various compounds.
Milligram: (mg): 1/1,000 of a gram by weight.
Nervous System: A system in the body that is comprised of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, ganglia and parts of the receptor organs that receive and interpret stimuli and transmit impulses to effector organs.
Protein: Compounds composed of hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen present in the body and in foods that form complex combinations of amino acids. Protein is essential for life and is used for growth and repair. Foods that supply the body with protein include animal products, grains, legumes, and vegetables. Proteins from animal sources contain the essential amino acids. Proteins are changed to amino acids in the body.
Schizophrenia: Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and defects of the frontal lobe and is caused by genetic, other biological, and psychosocial factors.
Stomach: A hollow, muscular, J-shaped pouch located in the upper part of the abdomen to the left of the midline. The upper end (fundus) is large and dome-shaped; the area just below the fundus is called the body of the stomach. The fundus and the body are often referred to as the cardiac portion of the stomach. The lower (pyloric) portion curves downward and to the right and includes the antrum and the pylorus. The function of the stomach is to begin digestion by physically breaking down food received from the esophagus. The tissues of the stomach wall are composed of three types of muscle fibers: circular, longitudinal and oblique. These fibers create structural elasticity and contractibility, both of which are needed for digestion. The stomach mucosa contains cells which secrete hydrochloric acid and this in turn activates the other gastric enzymes pepsin and rennin. To protect itself from being destroyed by its own enzymes, the stomach’s mucous lining must constantly regenerate itself.
Thyroid: Thyroid Gland: An organ with many veins. It is at the front of the neck. It is essential to normal body growth in infancy and childhood. It releases thyroid hormones - iodine-containing compounds that increase the rate of metabolism, affect body temperature, regulate protein, fat, and carbohydrate catabolism in all cells. They keep up growth hormone release, skeletal maturation, and heart rate, force, and output. They promote central nervous system growth, stimulate the making of many enzymes, and are necessary for muscle tone and vigor.
If Jesus did the things he did as God then that is awesome. But if he did them as a man then I am unsatisfied with my life. ~Bill Johnson 