What Kind Of Diet Is Advisable For A Patient With Low Blood Sugar?

Posted on Sat, 3 Feb 2018

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 3 Feb 2018 Answered on

Wed, 22 Aug 2018 Last reviewed on

Question : what should I take for low blood sugar?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Honey or sugar drink.

Detailed Answer:

Hello,

I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

The best type of food/drink to help with a low blood sugar is either honey or a sugar drink (for example orangeade with added sugar). Low blood sugar - if not caused by drugs for diabetes - can be caused by:
- other drugs (this is not common though)
- excessive alcohol use
- liver dysfunction
- Addison's disease
- after surgery to the upper gastrointestinal tract (dumping syndrome)
- pancreatic tumors that produce insulin (insulinomas)
- paradoxically diabetes mellitus type 2 before its full-blown clinical manifestations. In some people it starts with hypoglycemic events that usually occur 2-3 or more hours after a meal due to delayed excretion of insulin.

Before attributing anything to hypoglycemia, the low blood sugar has to be documented.

Kind regards!

Take care.

Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis, Internal Medicine Specialist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar