June 23, 2000
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Verona, Italy:
I am 32 years old, my father had Type 2 diabetes and I have Type 2 diabetes on both sides of my family. When I was younger and ate a lot of sugar, I would act strangely (sugar-high). Now as an adult, I have problems with what I consider low blood sugar: shakiness, nausea, problems with visual focus, which seem to worsen in higher temperatures. I have recently noticed that when I don’t eat pasta every day (it’s pretty routine living in Italy), I seem to not have these “attacks”. I also tend to have “lower” blood pressure (110 / 70). I would like to know if there is the possibility that I could somehow be allergic to the sugars in carbohydrates. I have had the fasting blood sugar test done as well as the glucose tolerance test, but both results were normal. What type of test would you recommend?
Answer:
To me no further test is necessary to investigate your sugar metabolism that appears to be quite normal relying upon the glucose tolerance test you recently performed. Neither hypoglycemia seems to be the responsible for your clinical manifestations. Allergy to carbohydrates simply doesn’t exist and your blood pressure is absolutely normal. Last but not least, I’d advise you to try stick to your ideal body weight as the only way to prevent any future metabolic disorders.
MS
