Hypoglycemia and Its Causes

Hypoglycemia, as the Latin words indicate, means low blood sugar. Although diabetes, high blood sugar, is the direct opposite problem, both conditions are linked to a defective sugar metabolism in the body. Insulin, which is produced by the pancreas, causes sugar to be used. In the diabetic system too little insulin is produced so that sugar remains in the bloodstream for an extensive time. The hypoglycemic's pancreas produces an excess of insulin which results in too little sugar remaining in the bloodstream (Airola, 1977, pp. 20-21).

Ideally, the body is equipped to manage occasional excesses of sugar. In the body dietary starches, carbohydrates, and sugars are changed into glucose during the digestive process. This glucose is then transformed into glycogen, which is stored in the liver. Glucose is necessary to assure a healthy functioning of all tissues and organs, and is constantly released by the liver as needed. The dietary sugar in the blood is continually controlled by several mechanisms so that there is neither an excess nor a dearth. If there is too much sugar the islets of Langerhans produce insulin and send it into the bloodstream. The insulin converts the sugar into other elements so that the blood sugar level is normalized. If there is not enough sugar in the bloodstream the adrenal glands

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e foods contain a sugar additive (Airola, 1977, p. 24). Even many natural fruits and juices contain large amounts of sugar. The excessive consumption of many different foods can lead to hypoglycemia. Sugar, especially in the form of refined white sugar, and refined starches, such as white flour and polished white rice, are two of the main contributors to the development of this condition. These items are present in almost all man-made foods, including ice cream, soft drinks, candies, cookies, doughnuts, pies, cakes, baby foods, breads, and dry breakfast cereals. This situation, that excess sugar leads to low blood sugar levels, seems contradictory at first. However, when large amounts of dietary sugar enter the bloodstream the pancreas overreacts and releases superfluous amounts of insulin to counteract the high sugar level. This results in bringing the sugar level not to the normal level, but far below this level, and in dropping the sugar level too quickly, instead of gradually (Airola, 1977, p. 59). There are other foods that activate this hypoglycemic cycle. Caffeine, which is a major ingredient of coffee, tea, cola drinks, and aspirin, has the same effect as sugar in that it raises the sugar level and causes an exc
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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