Employees who forego lunch in an attempt to meet a pressing deadline may finish the task, but their work just might fall short of company standards.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can occur when otherwise healthy individuals neglect to eat, can slow the speed at which people process information and shorten their attention span, researchers explain. Although low blood sugar can be reversed with just a few bites of a sandwich, it can affect daily activities at work and at home.
The results of the study apply to both healthy individuals who ignore hunger pangs and to diabetics, who must monitor blood sugar (glucose) and insulin levels on an ongoing basis. Hypoglycemia occurs when the brain is temporarily deprived of glucose, its main source of energy.
Many complex attention tasks that are relevant to everyday life are likely to be impaired during moderate hypoglycemia.
Individuals were less able to pay attention during hypoglycemia, the report indicates, and they also processed visual and auditory information more slowly.
In the map tests, participants were able to pick out designated symbols correctly but the speed at which they located symbols declined. Nonverbal intelligence, however, was not affected. During hypoglycemia, a significant deterioration occurs in attentional abilities.
Diabetes Care October 2001;24:1745-1750
It is no mystery that our brain needs fuel. Without fuel it will not function at the level it was designed. The complicating paradox here is that if one gives it sugar, the fuel it actually uses, the brain actually suffers. This is related to the incredibly sophisticated control mechanisms that we have in our body to establish regulation or homeostasis. When one consumes sugar, or foods that turn to sugar very rapidly, such as bread, pasta, rice, bagels, potatoes, cereal, other grains and fruit juices, insulin is released to lower the blood sugar. If insulin were not released one would go into a hyperglycemic coma and die. So we clearly need insulin to live. The problem is that if we have to much insulin, as the vast majority of us in this country have, then complications occur. The short term effect is that high insulin levels will actually drive the blood sugar lower and create LESS sugar in the brain even though one has consumed sugar. Your body prefers time released sugars like non underground vegetables. These highly branched chained carbs are slowly digested and do not cause high levels of insulin. Additionaly, fat requires no insulin to digest it at all. Now one would not want to eat bad fats like trans fats but good fats like fish oil, olive oil and coconut oil actually promote health. Proteins generally do not cause insulin release, but in certain individuals with damaged regulation systems they may. But generally protein is safe to eat in quantities that are consistent with one's weight and activity level. So, if you suffer from hypoglycemia, you will want to follow the eating plan with careful attention to eating some protein and a small amount of vegetables every two hours. This only needs to be done for a few days to a few weeks, until your insulin regulation system kicks back into place. At that time your meals can be spread out more.
Related Articles:
Low Grain and Carbohydrate Diets Treat Hypoglycemia, Heart Disease, Diabetes Cancer and Nearly ALL Chronic Illness Lower Your Grains & Lower Your Insulin Levels! A Novel Way To Treat Hypoglycemia Non-Drug Treatment of ADD/ADHD
Low Grain and Carbohydrate Diets Treat Hypoglycemia, Heart Disease, Diabetes Cancer and Nearly ALL Chronic Illness
Lower Your Grains & Lower Your Insulin Levels! A Novel Way To Treat Hypoglycemia
Non-Drug Treatment of ADD/ADHD