What Is Reactive Hypoglycaemia?

Reactive hypoglycaemia basically is a medical expression which illustrates the recurring episodes of symptomatic hypoglycaemia which takes place 2 to 4 hours after a high carbohydrate meal.

It is thought to symbolize a consequence of extreme insulin discharge triggered by the carbohydrate meal but carrying on past the digestion and disposal of the glucose obtained from the meal. The occurrence of this condition is hard to determine and controversial, since quite a few stricter or looser definitions have been applied, and since a number of healthy, asymptomatic individuals have glucose tolerance test patters which are thought to be traits of reactive hypoglycaemia.  

It has been suggested that the expression reactive hypoglycaemia be set aside for the prototype of postprandial hypoglycaemia which relates to the Whipple criteria, and that the expression idiopathic postprandial syndrome should be applied for identical patterns where unusually low glucose levels at the time of the symptoms cannot be recorded.