Hi
The people I know with late reactive hypoglycemia have the "hunter" gene like me. Does your glucose tolerance test resemble mine? Do you have the fatigue symptom if you eat any significant sugar/starch? I will finally look at your sites. My gtt (70, 1/2 hr 130, 1 hr 175, 2 hr 185, extended 3 hr 100 about 1/2 hr later I had a very mild shaking episode (almost always somehow related to low blood sugar).
Here is my purposed article in the Scientific American.
This is an explanation of why I had such disturbing symptoms for about 50 years until I figured out that an Atkins type diet seemed to be relieving my symptoms. It then took approximately an additional 2 years for almost all my symptoms to clear. It then took about 6 years and a lot of serendipity to figure out what was the problem. I am sorry that this explanation is long but I have been told it is complicated. The fact that about ½ the women in the near east have my gene and it leads to all the sugar problems in pregnancy is a side issue that arose in my studies.
I wish to help fund a study that follows the glucose tolerance tests (GTT, see footnotes 1 and 2) of women before, during and after pregnancy.
A major reason for this study is that a doctor on PBS in 2015 drew two graphs of a GTT. GTT’s run for 2 hours. The first GTT went up and then down. He indicated this is the expected GTT. The second GTT slowed its rate of assent but was still rising as he lifted his marker. The second is my GTT (2) taken in 1964. Does anyone know the name of this doctor? He defined such people as having a “hunter” gene. He said people with this GTT did not lose weight on his weight loss diet. Since people with the “hunter” gene should be better able to survive famines there must be a downside to this gene. I guess one downside is that women with this gene have problems controlling their blood sugar during pregnancy.
In my wildest dreams this article would eventually lead to everyone getting a baseline glucose tolerance test (GTT). I strongly suggest you ask your physician to take a GTT to find out if you have the normal GTT or the “hunter” GTT. Another dream is that doctors would publicize that you can get an autoimmune disease if you have the “hunter” gene. If you have the “hunter” gene and become chronically fatigued I suggest you see if cutting back you’re sugar/starch improves how you feel. An even bigger dream is that a severe Atkins type diet would be tried on all type 2 diabetics and it successfully controlled high blood sugar. For some diabetics this may be a better option then the standard treatment. In that case make sure you monitor your blood sugar to see if you have cut your sugar/starch enough. Another dream is that it would be found that people with the “hunter” gene tend to become fat on the modern diet. For me a low fat diet worked if you have the “hunter” gene see if this works for you. As the weight loss doctor said “people with the hunter gene do not lose weight on his weight loss diet”. This would then lead to the following obvious question. Is the hunter gene the reason for the weight problems, when they try the modern diet, with the near eastern population, American Indians, Pacific Islanders etc… ? If so all my advice follows for these people.
I have heard that approximately ½ the people of India are diagnosed as prediabetic (1). This indicates why. I also present a theory about an alternate method of sugar storage used by some human. I have the following question, assume a women has sugar problems during pregnancy. How can you see if her GTT has returned to normal after pregnancy if you don’t know what is her normal GTT? I have the following observation if women with the “hunter” gene are much more susceptible to sugar problems during pregnancy maybe you can explore possible pre pregnancy interventions with these women.
In 1964 a doctor looked at my GTT and said I was prediabetic (1) and was developing insulin resistance. I am fat and have done all the wrong things but I am not a diabetic. The reason for my GTT in 1964 is that I get low blood sugar many hours after eating too much sugar/starch/alcohol (S). I know of 3 other people with the hunter gene who also have this symptom. We also have other symptoms starting with much lower values of S. The symptoms are some degree of brain fog and fatigue. These symptoms are controlled by never letting our blood sugar go above an unknown value.
I theorize that the hunter gene allows people to only store sugar when their blood sugar rises above some value (3). Consider the following. Evolutionary changes are often additions to existing processes. Women with the “hunter” gene have insulin resistance in pregnancy. Insulin is needed to process protein. Look at my glucose tolerance test (2). I am lead to the following weird conclusion. With the “hunter” gene people are normally in a state of insulin resistance. They are usually simulating type 2 diabetes. When their body determines that the blood sugar is heading for dangerous territory. That is, it will affect the general chemistry of the blood, the body cuts insulin resistance and generates insulin so that the excess blood sugar is changed into fat. I have had communications which indicate this is the “thrifty” gene as it probably was originally designed.
I am on a severe Atkins diet. I am simulating a type 2 diabetic almost all the time. I speculate this was true for the hunters from which I arose.
I have reason to believe I had an episode which was an autoimmune reaction (4). I therefore theorize that doctors should be aware that it is possible for people with the hunter gene to have one type cell of their adrenal glands destroyed which compromises the possibly complicated chemistry that allows them to store sugar based on their blood sugar. Doctors should advise people with the reactive hypoglycemia and GTT I have described that they will feel better if they carefully control the S in their diet (5). I only know of 4 people with the autoimmune problem I describe and only one has been diagnosed by doctors. I therefore suggest that doctors make people with the hunter gene aware of this possibility.
My diet is low enough in sugar/starch that with my hunter gene I have turned off the effects of insulin. My evidence is that my blood sugar has risen because I never lower it with insulin (6). Further on occasion I have gained weight on this diet. I comment that years ago I was able to lose about 80 pounds in approximately 1 year on a crash diet of pasta with cottage cheese with enough vegetables for vitamins. I also comment that I am presently losing weight on my severe Atkins type diet by cutting out all hard cheese. Since my meat portions are comparatively small I assume I am losing weight for the standard reason. Further I have no discernible problem with exercise even with my extreme diet with very low sugar/starch. My fasting blood sugar has risen to the highest ever. Have I returned to my hunter roots?
(1) Defined as too high a blood glucose reading 2 hours after ingesting sugar after a fast.
(2) GTT 70, ½ hr 130, 1 hr 175, 2 hr 185, extended 3 hr 100.
(3) I have read that up to 1/3 of the energy in sugar is used up in storing and later releasing the sugar.
(4) During 1957 in approximately 2 months I lost approximately 20-25 pounds developed an overactive bladder and started my fatigue symptom.
(5) I eat an Atkins type diet. Another patient posts he/she feels fine with a diet which includes slowly absorbing starch.
(6) Latest and highest: Fasting blood sugar 99, A1C 5.8.
Hi
My guess, you have the "hunter" gene but a different problem then mine. Since the "hunter" gene probably has major chemistry involved in detecting and acting on blood sugar readings there is many more things that can go wrong then people with the modern method of processing sugar.
My first two oral glucose tests, resembled yours.
As follows, I may be a point or two out. It is in mmols.
Pre glucose 5.2
30mins. 10.4
60. 12.7
90. 11.2
120. 9.7
150. 7.4
180. 7.2
210. 4.8
240 2.7
Test stopped.
They gave me glucose to treat the hypo. It rose to over 11.5 within half an hour.
After another three hours it was back in normal range and after a phone call to my endocrinologist, he advised no more carbs till my bloods settled and stopped bouncing up and down. I was in the hospital for over nine hours for a four hour test!
I learnt a valuable lesson that day, not to treat a hypo like a diabetic would.
I have come across some stubborn people about the best way I should treat a hypo.
Especially in the medical industry.
Haven't had a hypo for about two years now. It was my last OGTT!
My control is really good and in permanent ketosis.
Do read the threads, you never know, something in there might help you.