Why do diabetics NEED sugar?!
Question: So here's the story, I dated this girl once in college and she was a diabetic...she had to always take insulin and have her blood sugar levels checked.
I can remember several instances where she felt very weak, usually after long periods without eating, and she told me that her blood sugar was too low and needed to drink fruit juice to help make her feel better.
I thought diabetics couldn't break down glucose, and if that's the case why did she need to drink fruit juice to feel better?
Any thoughts?
Answers: So here's the story, I dated this girl once in college and she was a diabetic...she had to always take insulin and have her blood sugar levels checked.
I can remember several instances where she felt very weak, usually after long periods without eating, and she told me that her blood sugar was too low and needed to drink fruit juice to help make her feel better.
I thought diabetics couldn't break down glucose, and if that's the case why did she need to drink fruit juice to feel better?
Any thoughts?
Before I got diabetes, I was also confused about this. Here's the explanation:
She is diabetic, so she cannot normally produce insulin (or not enough insulin).
She needs insulin to break down sugar.
So, her sugar levels are always high. BUT, her doctor has prescribed her insulin injections to make up for her body's lack of production. If she didn't take insulin then her blood sugar would always have a tendency to be high.
Taking insulin makes your blood sugar go down, sometimes fast, sometimes over a longer period of time, depending on what type of insulin.
So now she needs to watch her carbohydrates (including sugar) intake. Carbs make he blood sugar go up, but insulin makes it go down. She wants to keep her blood sugar in the middle. Exercise can also make it go down, so she needs to eat more carbs if she is going to exercise. So if she doesn't eat enough carbs and/or exerts herself too much during the day then her blood sugar will go down too low because of the insulin that she is injecting.
If that happens then she might get dizzy and could go into a comma if it goes too low, so she needs to bring it up quickly, which she can do by eating some sugar (ie juice, candy). That is why it is important for diabetics to always carry around some emergency candy even though they (we) usually can't eat sugary things so much. Hope that helps. :)
diabetics couldn't break down glucose,thats why they called diabetics,
The patient in your story is suffering from Type 2 Diabetis meellitus & she is taking insulin injections regularly which breakdowns the glucose and produce the energy,
If she is not taking food,but taking insulin injection, will certainly brings down her glucose levels which will lead to
hypoglycaemea , so that she will feel fatigue and wants to take something for relaxation.
In this process psychology also plays a key role.
1. Diabetics should never ever go more than 3 to 4 hours without eating.
2. Diabetics taking insulin must eat sugar when their glucose levels go below a certain point or they will pass out from lows and be hospitalized.
It is not that diabetics can't break down the sugar, it is that diabetics cannot use the sugar most of the time that is in their system due either to the pancreas not making any insulin or the bod not accepting the action of the insulin and allowing the muscles to be fueled by the sugars.
Never never deny a diabetic what they are eating!! Their glucose level may be below 50 in which case they need the juice, sugar, whatever. I happen to like half a can of Coke for those Hypo episodes.
Lows can be even more dangerous than highs.
She needs that sugar to bring her back to a normal level. she calls it low because it means that she is droping below what she is suppose to be...Us diabetics only have sugar when we are low and need it or we put in in out meals carefully!
First of all, it appears your friend was a type 1 diabetic - insulin dependent.
Insulin is required by everyone to metabolize glucose. If your body does not produce insulin, such as this case, an artificial source is needed.
Insulin injections are not an exact science. A person injects a certain amount and tries to eat accordingly. However, the insulin will continue to drive blood sugar down regardless of the amount of food consumed. In these cases, hypoglycemia sets in. The fix is simply some additional sugar to bring the blood sugar to normal levels. It can be glucose tablets, juice...etc. In severe cases of hypoglycemia (unconsciousnes), a glucagon shot may be needed - if not available - 911.
In normal people, the body knows that blood sugar is back to normal after a meal and shuts down insulin production.
diabetics can't produce enough glucose in their pancreas, which is needed for energy. so insulin helps increase sugar levels in the body and to the cells. fruit juice contains sugar and it helps to increase sugar levels.