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What causes low blood sugar (Hypoglycemia)?
Insulin is normally produced in the pancreas and helps the cells in the body absorb glucose from the blood.
Normally, the glucose level rises after a meal.
Too much insulin in the blood and other diseases can cause hypoglycemic episodes (also known as 'hypos').
What can cause hypoglycemic episodes in non-diabetic patients?
Too much insulin in the blood:
Reactive hypoglycemia
Reactive hypoglycemia is possibly the most common reason for hypoglycemia in non-diabetics but is often over diagnosed.
This form of hypoglycemia is probably caused by an overproduction of insulin from the pancreas after a large meal with a lot of carbohydrates.
The insulin can still be detected even after several hours, although the level should be back to normal at this time.
This condition is probably most common in overweight people and those with Type-2 diabetes, where the large demand for insulin can sometimes cause too much insulin to be produced in the pancreas.
There is some evidence to suggest that reactive hypoglycemia can precede Type-2 diabetes.
Other causes of Low Blood Sugar can be…
- a disease in the adrenal glands (Addison's disease)
- a weakened pituitary gland
- a severe reduction in liver function
- patients who have had their stomach removed
- sometimes cancer
- fasting, malnutrition
- Following alcohol ingestion.
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