Reactive Hypoglycemia A Result Of Celiac?

[Katie B]

Hi there,

I've been suffering from reactive hypoglycemia for at least a year. I've modified my diet to include more fibre, fresh fruits and veggies etc. and now I'm on a gluten-free diet. I've noticed that things have been getting worse. I just recently went on the gluten-free diet so I don't think that that is causing a huge difference. Has anyone else had hypoglycemia due to celiac? If so, has it resolved and in what kind of timeframe?

Any advice would be appreciated!

[psawyer]

I have type one diabetes, and so have been on insulin for decades. As my celiac symptoms increased in intensity, I had more and more incidents of hypoclycemia. I

[psawyer]

I am a type one diabetic, and as such have been on insulin for decades.

When my celiac symptoms increased in intensity 15 years ago, I began having frequent problems with hypoglycemia. It was baffling, because I would eat food loaded with carbs, but my blood glucose would drop instead of rising. Other times, I would have a normal response. Eventually, with a diagnosis of celiac disease, I understood. Simple carbs were being absorbed through the stomach lining. More complex ones, which should have been absorbed in the small intestine, were not being abosrbed at all as a result of the damage to the villi.

Once I went on the gluten-free diet, absorption issues were cleared up over a period of several weeks. As I went through that transistion, I was steadily increasing my insulin dose in gradual steps.

[gf-soph]

Hi

I'm not sure if it's exactly the same thing, and I may be just telling you things you already know but...

I have been gluten free over a year. Over the last few months I have felt worse and worse after eating - dizziness, headaches, weakness, confusion, tingling lips etc. At first I thought there was something in my diet I was sensitive to, but after a while it was happening after pretty much any food except chocolate or other high sugar junk food. Healthy foods often made me feel the worst! It got to the point where I felt better hardly eating at all.

I returned a slightly above normal fasting insulin (not diabetic but suggestive of insulin resistance), and am waiting on the results of a glucose tolerance test. My doctors want me to go on metformin to increase my body's sensitivity to insulin, and think this should help me a lot. They said that what can happen is that your body can become less sensitive to your insulin, so you produce too much. When you eat the excess insulin can cause your blood sugar to drop quicker than it should (please correct me if this is wrong, I am new to this!!).

I am moving towards a low gi diet with more protein and lots less simple carbs. Should help a lot when combined with the metformin.

How long have you been gluten free? If it's not long could you have a similar problem as psawyer mentioned? If you have a lot of digestive upsets it could be part of the problem.

Hope you find some answers soon!

Sophie

[Katie B]

Thanks guys,

I've been tested for diabetes and have been told that I definitely don't have it, however, at the time I didn't know that I had celiac disease (I had a diagnosis of IBS). Once I see my endocrinologist again I'll let him know about this diagnosis and see what we can do. It makes sense that since celiac disease inhibits metabolizing food that it would mess with your blood sugar. I'm just hoping to eventually get to the bottom of all of this. Very frustrating to wait months and months! The Canadian system can be wonderful but it's taken a long time to see the proper people!

[missy'smom]

It's good that you got a GTT to see what's going on. Hopefully, they took it out over a long period-more than 2 hrs. if needed, to get a better picture of what's going on. Make sure with all testing results to ask for the numbers(all of them) and not just accept "it's fine" or the like. Then educate yourself about what the numbers mean and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. This is a good resource Open Original Shared Link Diets that comprise of good amounts of protein at every meal, from animal sources(meat) and reasonable amounts of fat(meaning fat is a good thing), lower in carbs and slower digested carbs keep blood sugar more stable over time. Protein and fats slow the speed at which the carbs hit your blood stream, thus preventing sharp spikes followed by crashes. They help the carbs be more slowly, evenly released. I've been a vegetarian wannabe all my life but most veg. sources of protein count more as carbs than protein when it comes to blood sugar, but as with all things, YMMV(your mileage may vary). They certainly may be a better carb choice(as they are often high fiber and slowly digested-beans, quinoa etc.). Glycemic index may work for some. It doesn't work for me, my blood sugar response doesn't match up with what the GI of many foods is supposed to be. Don't be afraid to request a meter and test your blood sugar regardless of the test results. It doesn't hurt anyone to monitor it and it may give you valuable insight that will help you make choices that will support your body's health. Free monitors are everywhere, from docs, pharmacies, companies. Test strips require a bit more checking to get a good buy and may need a prescription. Also don't be afraid to ask the doc to prescribe the number of strips that you want.