SKIPPING MEALS INCREASES RISK OF LOW BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL

A CERTIFIED diabetics educator at the Apex
Care Foundation, Dr. Chimaobi Adindu, has
said that skipping meals increases the risk
of low blood sugar level.
Adindu said that meals contained glucose,
an important source of energy, which most
organs in the body depended on to
function effectively.
“In our society, the rigours of the day force
people to skip meals as they are usually
involved in brain tasking activities. Such
brain tasking activities require glucose to
enable the individual to function optimally,”
he said.
He explained that after every meal, glucose
is absorbed into the blood stream and
carried to the body’s cells by insulin, a
hormone produced by the pancreas, which
helps the cells to use glucose for energy.
“So when meals are skipped, the insulin
level in the system becomes too high
because there is inadequate food for the
insulin to work on; then low sugar level sets
in.”
Adindu said that low sugar level, clinically
referred to as hypoglycemia, was a medical
condition, which simply meant that the
body’s blood sugar level was too low (when
the sugar level in the system is less than
4mmol/perlitre in the system). Low blood
sugar level affected both diabetic and non-
diabetic individuals.
He noted that low sugar level was mainly
caused by skipped or delayed meals,
increase in physical activities and the
consumption of alcohol on an empty
stomach.