Hypoglycaemia

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If you are suffering from hypoglycaemia-often called 'the great imitator' because it mimics so many mental and emotional disorders-you will find it almost impossible to relax completely. A large proportion of patients receiving psychotherapy-more than half, it is thought-are in fact hypoglycaemic. Symptoms include: irritability, exhaustion, nervousness, depression, faintness and dizziness, cold sweats, headaches, confusion, heart palpitations, lack of sex drive, lack of concentration, blurred vision, phobias and allergies.

Hypoglycaemia, or low sugar levels in the blood, was discovered in 1924 by Dr Seale Harris. At that time it was called hyperinsulinism because it was thought to be caused by excessive insulin secretion due to an overactive pancreas. The excess insulin causes rapid uptake of glucose by the cells and tissues of the body, leaving the blood depleted of glucose. When glucose is in short supply, cell function is impaired, leading to physical and mental problems.

Low blood sugar may impair mental health even more than physical health because it deprives the brain and nervous system of oxygen.

During digestion, all ingested carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are converted to glucose, which is the only carbohydrate the body can use. After a meal, particularly one with a high sugar content, surges of glucose enter the blood, causing the pancreas to secrete insulin.

Insulin causes rapid uptake of glucose by almost all of the tissues of the body and also promotes the conversion of excess glucose to glycogen, a more compact form of glucose that can be stored in the liver for future use. The pancreas, however, is only part of the mechanism that controls blood sugar.

The whole process originates in glucoreceptor (glucose-sensitive) nerve cells in the brain from which impulses travel to the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, liver and finally the pancreas. In this sophisticated sugar-control chain, there are also hormones that convert glycogen back to glucose to raise the blood glucose level. The hormones that do this are glucagon, also secreted by the pancreas, and adrenaline, secreted by the adrenal glands.

In this way, opposing forces are constantly at work, balancing each other, so that blood sugar levels are kept within fairly narrow limits. But they do not always succeed and, if the blood sugar level gets too low, hypoglycaemia occurs.

Some people inherit or develop an overactive pancreas, which secretes excessive amounts of insulin even when only small amounts of sugar enter the blood. Sometimes, the pancreas may react slowly and insulin does not enter the blood until the sugar level has already fallen-this is retarded hypoglycaemia. On the other hand, secretion of glucagon and adrenaline, the hormones that balance the action of insulin, may be too low. Hypoglycaemia can also be caused by allergies or an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system.

Other causes are excessive consumption of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, overeating and emotional stress. Whatever the reason, hypoglycaemia develops when the delicate balance of the systems and substances that control blood sugar is upset.

Theoretically, sugar would appear to be the ideal food to raise blood sugar levels. But sugar is the one food that hypoglycaemics should avoid. In fact, sugar will eventually contribute to lower blood sugar levels. When we eat sugar, it is readily absorbed into the blood, where it raises blood sugar levels, triggering the pancreas to secrete insulin, which will cause glucose to be absorbed into the tissues.

Insulin, because it breaks down much more slowly than sugar, remains circulating in the blood for several hours, lowering blood sugar level even lower than the original level. It triggers the hypoglycae-mic symptoms again, creating a craving for more sugar. So the hypoglycaemic eats more sugar, which deepens the vicious circle. The high consumption of refined sugar is thought to be the main cause for the higher rates of hypoglycaemia.

When we start consuming huge amounts of white sugar, our pancreas becomes highly stressed. The occasional binge can be dealt with, but when large intakes of refined carbohydrates are the norm, the strain on the sugar-regulating mechanism becomes intolerable and it breaks down. The pancreas may develop an over-sensitivity to sugar and produce more insulin than is really needed to keep a normal sugar level. This results in a consistently low blood sugar level, which deprives the brain and the nervous system of vital oxygen and produces all the symptoms of hypoglycaemia.

Coffee (especially when taken with sugar) and soft drinks that are high in caffeine contribute to hypoglycaemia by acting on the adrenal glands, brain and liver while sugar is flooding the blood stream. Too much salt in the diet depletes potassium and stress and allergies overtax the adrenal glands. Vitamin deficiencies-particularly zinc, chromium, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium and vitamin E-also contribute to hypoglycaemia. So it is easy to see that the condition, which has such a devastating effect on so many people's equilibrium, is mainly a nutritional disorder.

The influence of sugar in the body goes far beyond carbohydrate metabolism. Fatty acid synthesis and oxidation, cholesterol synthesis and the accumulation of ketone bodies, are all in part controlled by the rate at which glucose is broken down within cells.

Refined sugar causes more build-up of fat than any other carbohydrate except alcohol. This, in turn, means a greater susceptibility to heart attacks and high blood pressure.

Changes in Western eating habits over the last couple of generations have been in the direction of fewer complex carbohydrates (cereals, potatoes etc) and more simple sugars.

Life stresses are also an important factor. Under conditions of stress, more adrenaline is secreted, releasing more sugar from the liver. Repeated stress can impair the function of the adrenal glands, reducing the body's ability to cope with stress. When this happens we get depressed easily, and also develop hy-poglycaemic symptoms. Persistent stress is a major cause of depression.

Like diabetes, hypoglycaemia is diagnosed by means of a glucose tolerance test, which can be arranged through your doctor.

A healthy diet, which means only rarely consuming simple sugars or junk food, can keep hypoglycaemia at bay. Plenty of complex carbohydrates and vegetables, together with a good multivitamin and multimineral supplement will go a long way towards this.