# What happens to Type II diabetics who eat a ton of sugar?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-type-ii-diabetics-who-eat-a-ton-of-sugar/747305>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 27, 2016, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-type-ii-diabetics-who-eat-a-ton-of-sugar/747305 "2016-02-27T16:35:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-type-ii-diabetics-who-eat-a-ton-of-sugar/747305/22 "2016-03-22T21:58:40Z")

</div>

> [@CC](#):
>
> I know, but I thought that hypoglycemic shock is brought about by an overproduction of insulin as a response to a heavy sugar load. Maybe in “pre-diabetics” and those who are “frankly” diabetic (I love those terms) insulin is, by definition, not going to be produced in abundance?

> [@KarlGauss](#):
>
> But if they’re resistant to insulin, you’d suppose that even high levels won’t lower their sugar. At least not to the hypoglycemic range.
> 
> (that said, so-called reactive hypoglycemia _has_ been reported in ‘prediabetics’, but it’s uncommon)

I have reactive hypoglycemia. Eating something sugary on an empty stomach can make by blood sugar drop down to 50. I once had a glucose tolerance test that they called off early because my blood sugar had fallen to 40. Another time, I stayed to the end, and my blood sugar was at 25. They sent me to the emergency room, and ordered a tray of food. They wouldn’t let me leave until I was up to 70.

I have to be really careful about eating sugar, and mostly, I avoid it. There’s a lot of diabetes in my family, but I have had this without becoming diabetic for 25 years.

Sometimes I don’t know when my blood sugar has gotten low until I test it, but sometimes it drops really fast, and then I get shaky and dizzy, and feel hungry.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-type-ii-diabetics-who-eat-a-ton-of-sugar/747305.md?page=1)