Post-Gastric Bypass Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia: Fructose is a Carbohydrate Which Can Be Safely Consumed

Postprandial hypoglycemia after gastric bypass surgery is a serious problem. Available treatments are often ineffective.

The objective was to test the hypotheses that injection of rapid-acting insulin before a high-carbohydrate meal or replacement of other carbohydrates with fructose in the meal would prevent hypoglycemia.

This was a randomized, crossover trial comparing a high-carbohydrate meal with premeal saline injection (control), a high-carbohydrate meal with premeal insulin injection, and a high-fructose meal with total carbohydrate content similar to the control meal.

The setting was an academic medical center.

Ten patients with post-gastric bypass hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia participated.

Interventions included lispro insulin injected before test meals and replacement of other carbohydrates with fructose in test meals.

The main outcome measure was plasma glucose < 60 mg/dL after test meals.

After the control meal, mean peak glucose and insulin were 173 ± 47 mg/dL and 134 ± 55 mU/L, respectively; mean glucose nadir was 44 ± 15 mg/dL; and eight of 10 subjects demonstrated glucose < 60 mg/dL. Five subjects demonstrated a glucose nadir < 40 mg/dL. There were no significant differences in the corresponding values after premeal insulin treatment, except that the mean glucose nadir of 34 ± 10 mg/dL was lower (P < .05). After the fructose meal, mean peak postprandial glucose and insulin were 117 ± 20 mg/dL and 45 ± 31 mU/L, respectively (both P < .001 for comparison with control), mean glucose nadir was 67 ± 10 mg/dL (P < .001), and two of 10 subjects demonstrated glucose < 60 mg/dL (P < .05).

People with post-gastric bypass hypoglycemia can consume a meal sweetened with fructose with little risk of hypoglycemia. Treatment with rapid-acting insulin before a carbohydrate-containing meal did not prevent hypoglycemia.