The lowering of blood glucose levels below normal after the ingestion of large quantities of sugar.
Blood levels that fall below 80 mg/dL after a glucose challenge; can be life threatening. May be due to an overdose of insulin.
Reactive hypoglycemia is a transient form of hypoglycemia that occurs in response to consumption of a carbohydrate-rich meal or food followed by vigorous exercise, usually about 15 to 60 minutes later. After consumption of the meal, blood glucose concentration rises, which stimulates the secretion of insulin from the pancreas. Insulin is a potent hormone that produces a decrease in blood glucose concentration. While insulin is carrying out its function, the subsequent exercise also enhances tissue uptake of glucose. The result is a transient hypoglycemia, which can lead to the sensation of fatigue and thus impair exercise performance of some athletes. While this has been demonstrated in some research,276 many other studies have failed to detect either hypoglycemia or impaired endurance performance with similar protocols. As described in the entry for glycemic index, some but not all research suggests that feedings of lower glycemic index foods may be optimal as pre-exercise feedings within this time frame.
A postprandial blood glucose reading less than 70 mg/dl in a patient who is not being treated for diabetes mellitus. It sometimes can occur in patients who have undergone gastric bypass surgery and in a few other conditions.