Reactive Hypoglycemia Lab Report

Reactive hypoglycemia, a rare form of hypoglycemia, increases insulin levels as a response to the consumption of an excess amount of carbohydrates. The main difference between reactive hypoglycemia and hypoglycemia is that hypoglycemia lowers the subjects' blood sugar if their blood glucose is not monitored but can easily be brought back up by the consumption of food. However, the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia are quite opposite. When consuming food, the subject’s blood sugar goes below the position of equilibrium and then followed by a sharp increase, which causes fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, as well as insomnia. This being said, the question of a cure lingers in the background. While there is no cure for those who are affected, medications have been tested to help
regulate blood sugar levels. Glucagon, a peptide hormone that is derived from pancreatic alpha cells, make it so that one does not undergo the detrimental effects of blood sugar level fluctuating sporadically. The drawback of this drug is that one must first undergo the symptoms of reactive hypoglycemia in order for glucagon to work. In this experiment, the comparison of effectiveness regarding each preventative measure will be tested on Rattus rattus (black rat).
The use of five different rats allow for the comparison between the test subject to the control. One rat will be used as the control in order to see the side effects of reactive hypoglycemia. The other 4 will be introduced with different treatments/preventative measures as following: one will be given glucagon (1 mg), one will be subjected to three hours of running on a treadmill a day, one month prior, as well as during the testing period, one will be on a high protein/low carb diet, and one will be administered acarbose (100mg) 15 minutes prior to each meal. By comparing glucagon to physical fitness, diet, and acarbose, the results can then be analyzed to see which one is truly more effective. The preliminary results of comparing glucagon to physical fitness, diet, and acarbose (100mg), proved that all three were more effective preventative measures that lowered the amount of fluctuation between high and low blood glucose levels. The aforementioned preventative measures allow for a safer, more convenient way for the subject to regulate their blood glucose
level. This study should highlight the capabilities of each preventative measure in comparison to glucagon and how they are more effective.