A doctor in Tainan warned about the dangers of reactive hypoglycemia, or post-meal low blood sugar, after a 58-year-old woman developed symptoms following a buffet lunch.
The woman, surnamed Liu (劉), developed symptoms including shaky hands, dizziness, palpitations and cold sweat shortly after eating, said Wang Wei-hsin (王維新), a family physician who treated Liu at Tainan Municipal Hospital.
Liu said that she had not taken medication to lower her blood sugar, yet Wang found that her blood sugar level was 60 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), she said.
Lower blood sugar usually occurs before people eat and can be caused by delayed meal times, too much exercising, dieting, eating too little, or, among diabetics, if they take too much medication, such as insulin, to lower their blood sugar, Wang said.
However, reactive hypoglycemia typically affects people with insulin resistance or mild cases of type 2 diabetes, she said, adding that symptoms tend to emerge within four hours of eating.
In the early stages of type 2 diabetes, the beta cells in the pancreas retain the ability to produce insulin, but they respond slowly to blood sugar levels, she said.
The pancreas rushes to secrete insulin only after the after-meal rise in blood sugar levels has already begun to subside, leading to an overproduction of insulin and, as a result, blood sugar levels lower than normal, she said.
Liu, who has a family history of diabetes, was diagnosed with mild diabetes.
When a patient’s blood sugar level drops below 70mg/dL and they experience symptoms such as tremors, blurred vision or slurred speech, they should eat a piece of candy, or drink sugared water or sweetened juice immediately, Wang said.
Milk, chocolate and other foods that contain protein and fat are not the best options, because they raise blood sugar levels more slowly, she said.
Patients with reactive hypoglycemia should eat smaller portions, but more frequently, avoid waiting too long between meals and consume carbohydrates that are high in fiber or low on the glycemic index, such as brown rice, oatmeal and vegetables, she said.
They should also maintain a balanced and varied diet, and exercise more to boost their insulin sensitivity, she added.
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition