Assessing Long-Term Impact of Dietary Interventions on Occurrence of Symptoms Consistent with Hypoglycemia in Patients without Diabetes: A One-Year Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Background: A well-balanced nutritional diet pattern has a significant role in the management of diet-related disorders. Currently, there are no specific dietary guidelines to refer to when advising non-diabetic patients with symptoms attributed to hypoglycemia in the postprandial period or patients with confirmed reactive hypoglycemia (RH). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the dietary interventions, and their sustained outcome, on the severity of hypoglycemic-like symptoms occurring in non-diabetic patients. Methods: The study group included forty non-diabetic individuals with symptoms consistent with RH. At the baseline, each patient underwent RH diagnosis and complex dietary evaluation. Over a period of six months, each patient had four appointments with a dietitian. Two sessions were focused on a dietary education about low glycemic index diet (LGID) and Mediterranean diet (MD). The said diets were to be followed for a period of three months, with two additional dietary check-ups. Once dietary supervision was completed, patients had no imposed dietary patterns. The final follow-up appointment took place twelve months later and that is when each patient underwent a detailed assessment of their current dietary habits and evaluation of the frequency of symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia. Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in the severity in eight out of the ten analyzed hypoglycemic-like symptoms after the dietary interventions. The most significant change was observed in the following symptoms: hunger (η2 = 0.66), impaired concentration (η2 = 0.61), hand tremor (η2 = 0.55), and fatigue (η2 = 0.51). The outcomes were comparable for both recommended diets, the LGID and the MD. The reduction in hypoglycemic-like symptoms continued after the twelve-month period. The individualized dietary counselling significantly improved the patients’ eating habits in comparison to those present prior to intervention in terms of healthy diet index (F(2,78) = 27.30, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.41, 90%CI [0.26; 0.51]) and unhealthy diet index (F(2,78) = 433.39, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.91, 90%CI [0.89; 0.93]). Conclusions: Healthy modifications in dietary habits may improve patient’s well-being and reduce the severity of their postprandial symptoms attributed to hypoglycemia. Therefore, dietary intervention focused on appropriate nutritional management combined with follow-up consultations may be a beneficial step towards comprehensive treatment of non-diabetic patients who present with hypoglycemic-like symptoms in the postprandial period.

Sugar Consumption of the Adult Age Group: Phenomenological Study

“…K1: "Eehhh. In modifying a diet that includes elements to maintain a stable blood sugar level throughout the day and prevent a sharp drop in blood glucose levels: eat frequently all day long in small portions, maintain a healthy diet (including avoiding foods with simple sugars added instead of complex carbohydrates), and limit or avoid the use of caffeine and alcohol (Hall et al 2022).…”

No Indices of Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Individuals with Reactive Postprandial Hypoglycemia

“…The future health implications and prevalence of RPH in the general population are rarely estimated [5]; rare reports state that it is experienced by up to 40% of women [6,7]. Symptoms, associated with RPH, can be effectively reduced by interventions focused on healthy modifications in dietary habits that may reduce the severity of postprandial symptoms attributed to hypoglycemia [8]. Nevertheless, RPH is a common cause for referral to an endocrinologist where an extensive diagnostic evaluation is frequently needed to exclude an organic cause of hypoglycemia [1,4,9,10].…”