Hypoglycemia is an affliction common among children and diabetic people, resulting from the body’s natural defense mechanisms reacting wrongly to blood sugar levels that are too high or too low. There are different and varying types of hypoglycemia based on their causes but the most severe type is what they call Alimentary Hypoglycemia.
Alimentary is a word that pertains to or concerns food, and while hypoglycemia itself concerns food and their glucose contents, none is more directly related to actual food than this type of hypoglycemia.
Unlike other forms of hypoglycemia, which result in consumption or lack of blod glucose, Alimentary Hypoglycemia happens when food that you have chewed and swallowed is dumped too quickly from the stomach to the small intestine. This abnormal occurrence causes all the carbohydrates in your food to be released faster than intended, and will immediately prompt the pancreas to overreact, which in turn releases far too much insulin, driving the body’s glucose levels far too fast and too low than your body was designed to handle. This sudden drop in blood glucose levels is among the most severe in all hypoglycemia types, and can cause seizures and even put the patient in a comatose state.
Alimentary hypoglycemia has two subgroups, with the first one occurring to those who do not have any experience with gastric surgery in the past, and the second one being for those who have had prior gastric surgery, either with gastric resection or vagotomy. With the second subgroup, the severest form of alimentary hypoglycemia may occur after subtotal gastric resection, and the constant defecation resulting from diarrhea may further complicate management and treatment. Patients suffering from this irregular digestive system will greatly benefit from a diet rich in soluble fiber while a person with normally functioning digestion should focus more on foods rich in fiber.
Alimentary hypoglycemia tends to happen after mealtime, and is usually caused by excessive moving such as jumping, running or brisk walking. In order to avoid this reactive form of hypoglycemia, it is best to take a few minutes of rest after every meal to ensure that the food you ate has settled down and can be digested thoroughly and properly. Children in particular are very prone to this kind of hypoglycemia, as kids have a habit of immediately running, jumping or playing around after a heavy meal. As such, it is important for the parents to regulate their children’s activities and implementing strict rules regarding behavior after eating.
Alimentary types of hypoglycemia can also be caused by improper administering of medicines that affect the body’s adrenal glands, particularly energy-regulating ones that promote and could result in excessive production of adrenalin, effectively putting the body in a state that digests food faster than normal, and laying havoc to the digestive system.
Always remember that hypoglycemia happens even to people who are not suffering from diabetes, and it is very important to be responsible with your eating habits and daily activities in order to prevent developing or triggering a hypoglycemia attack.
Quick Tip #1
Treatment of hypoglycemia is an ongoing process, remember to have a good diet with evenly spaced out meals every 2-3 hours apart. Also exercising can really help in keeping this condition under check.
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Quick Tip #3
A lot of symptoms of low blood sugar have common signs as other diseases. If you exeperience any of the hypoglycemia symptoms, do consult your doctor for treatment.
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