Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site pyramid.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!pyramid!csg From: csg@pyramid.UUCP (Carl S. Gutekunst) Newsgroups: net.med,net.consumers Subject: Re: hypoglycemia Message-ID: <81@pyramid.UUCP> Date: Fri, 20-Dec-85 23:12:12 EST Article-I.D.: pyramid.81 Posted: Fri Dec 20 23:12:12 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 21-Dec-85 10:19:00 EST References: <2106@aecom.UUCP> <1692@hammer.UUCP> <2124@aecom.UUCP> <1717@hammer.UUCP> Reply-To: csg@pyramid.UUCP (Carl S. Gutekunst) Distribution: na Organization: Pyramid Technology, Mountain View, CA Lines: 40 Keywords: Hypoglycemia Summary: Sugar is Sugar; Hypoglycemia is genetically transmitted Xref: decwrl net.med:3027 net.consumers:3847 I hate to snipe at a fellow netter, but Snoopy@tekecs's comments on "reactive" hypoglycemia included some common misinformation. >The treatment is to avoid refined sugars, and any food that dump >a lot of sugar into the blood quickly. Eat food that provides a >slow, constant supply. Close, but a bit off the mark. The treatment is to moderate your intake of all food, focussing on an even intake of all carbohydrates. Frequent snacking is recommended, and three balanced meals per day is a must. Sugars are a specific concern since the American diet tends to include them to extremes, and they are so often hidden in unexpected places (like processed foods). >Vitamin and mineral suppliments may help, >especially since it [hypoglycemia] is often caused by eating large quantities >of refined sugar that "wear out" the pancreas. This is utterly and totally false. All forms of hypoglycemia are genetic. Diet may aggravate it, but it doesn't cause it. "Wearing out" the pancreas makes no sense, since in hypoglycemia the pancrease produces *too much* insulin. > Refined sugar >can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, since it no longer >contains what it needs to be metabolized. (Natural sugar does) Oh gawd, I hate to start this one again, but here goes.... This is classic pulp health/diet bilge. Sugar is sugar, be it from factories, oranges, or honey bees. A 12oz glass of freshly squeezed orange juice contains 3 tablespoons of sugar, exactly the same as a 12oz bottle of Coca-Cola. A true hypoglycemic with be aggravated equally by either. Of course the orange juice is more nutritional, but metabolization of sugar has nothing to do with it. Hope this doesn't come across as a flame; I appreciated Snoopy's posting since it *is* extremely difficult to find medicos who understand hypoglycemia. -- Carl S. Gutekunst {allegra,cmcl2,decwrl,hplabs,topaz,ut-sally}!pyramid!csg Pyramid Technology Corp, Mountain View, CA +1 415 965 7200 Look, Ma, no graphics!