Sugar as a seizure trigger?

[RobinN]

We got sidetracked didn't we Zoe.

This is a very important subject that Forward has brought up.
I am planning on a Glucose Tolerance Test for Rebecca after the holidays. I think there is a fine line here that is connected to nutrition and insulin levels at certain times of the day. It might even change during our monthy cycle too. So perhaps this test needs to be done quite often during the month.

We need to know that it is more than just sugar drinks that can put the body into an insulin resistant mode. Too many simple carbs are many times the problem too.

[RobinN]

I had a doctor recently tell me to make chocolate at home using stevia. I am looking for a recipe and came across this article which I thought you all might be interested in.

Stevia, the natural sweetener causing a whirlwind of interest around the globe, could also be a rich source of antioxidants and may protect against DNA damage and cancer, says a study from India published yesterday.

Derived from the South American plant stevia rebaudiana, stevia is said to have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. Its taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, and developments in processing methods have already claimed to have solved the problem of the ingredient's liquorice-like aftertaste.

If it is ultimately as easy to use in food and beverage formulations as it claims to be, stevia's 'natural' label could see it take prime spot as the holy grail of sweeteners, as manufacturers increasingly try to adapt their formulations to the demands of the more health conscious consumer.

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng...idative-stress

Cooking tips:
http://www.steviainfo.com/?page=cooking_tips

[RobinN]

The natural fibers that are specific to the sugar cane help to slow down the absorption of the sugars and do not cause the sharp rise in blood sugar levels associated with refined sugar.

In contrast, refined sugar is devoid of nutrients and built-in enzyme systems that exist in naturally sweet foods. When we eat refined sugar, the body knows that it needs these minerals and the corresponding enzymes that are required by the human body to digest it. When these are not eaten along with the sugar, the body tries to adapt by pulling stored nutrients from its own bones and tissues. For example, when refined sugar is ingested in the absence of the calcium necessary to digest it, calcium is drawn out of the bones and tissues where it is stored. The depletion of calcium from the bones and tissues on a regular, or even daily basis weakens bones and leads to osteoporosis and other degenerative diseases. Doctors often recommend calcium supplements to prevent this depletion, however if body chemistry is not balanced properly, extra calcium in the body can be toxic.

White flour has an even worse effect on the body. It is literally nutritionally deadly and slowly kills you. If you tried to live off of white flour for 60 days, you would literally die. That’s because it lacks the healthy elements found in the whole wheat kernel. In addition to the B-vitamins niacin, riboflavin and thiamine, a whole wheat kernel contains two important fibers — bran and germ — that are necessary for its digestion. These health giving fibers and nutrients are stripped away from the whole wheat kernel during the refinement and bleaching process to make white flour, leading to a product that is so nutritionally depleted that manufacturers are required by federal law to add certain vitamins back in! That’s why we see the word “enriched” on our food labels. They take out nearly 100 vitamins and replace them with synthetic, minute quantities of iron, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin D. Enriched flour is enriched just enough to make sure it doesn’t kill you too quickly with obvious nutritional deficiencies. That way, most people don't notice that white flour is actually killing them by promoting chronic disease and illness.

Because those 100 vitamins, along with the fiber, are missing from white flour products, the body goes into its bones and tissues in an effort to pull stored nutrients that are required for digestion of wheat That’s why refined flour earns one of the top positions on my list of foods that cause nutrient deficiencies leading to upset body chemistry which results in degenerative diseases and obesity. Refined flour is a substance that was never meant to be in the body, and the same is true for refined sugar.

http://www.centerforprocessedfreeliv...urAndSugar.htm

[stringbean]

Thanks to All for the info, I didn't know after having E for so many years that too much suger can trigger seizures.
And with my last two pregnancies out of four I had gestional diabetes and I had not started having seizures with my first two pregnacies.
And the last time I had a total blood work testing done my sugar is getting higher and higher as the months go by.
I did buy a testing moniter, to check my sugar now, after having it checked at the pharmacy when they have those free days nurses there to check sugar, blood pressure and pulse and it was way to high then. and it was high but not real high when I had my blood work done at the doc. so I have been keeping an eye on my sugar levels.
If you have gestional diabetes you have a much higher risk of developij it later in life, and also my dad and my sister have diabetes.
I will definetly have to start watching my sugar and carbartrate intake.
Tammy

[RobinN]

So glad that you found some info that is useful Tammy.

[RobinN]

I am really confused and frustrated tonight.
I called and spoke with Rebecca's pediatrician and she said a glucose tolerance test wouldn't give me the results that I am looking for.
I don't know why I feel so inadequate about talking about this with her. I guess since I don't have all of my facts and figures and medical articles in front of me. I am a bit dumb struck.
Everything I read says that blood glucose levels can trigger seizures if too high or two low.
Perhaps I need to do a report and give it to her explaining my research on this. Or, I go to the neurologist and ask her to do the test. I think I am required by insurance to get all of this approved by the pediatrician, but perhaps the neurologist can request it.

Has anyone had this test done ... I mean the 5 hr one, not just a glucose test that is taken at one time of the day.

[skillefer]

Actually, I am hypoglycemic as well as having E. My grandfather was diabetic. I had a seizure that was triggered by low blood sugar. Blood sugar was 66 2 hours after eating. So, to prevent the low blood sugar, I eat 5 times a day. And I try to make sure that if I eat a simple carb like bread, rice, and potatoes, that I have protein as well. The funny thing is, eating 5 times a day, I've actually lost weight.

[alivenwell]

The 5 meals a day makes perfect sense since the sugar level is distributed throughout the day rather than a lump sum of sugar thrown into a system.
I belong to a weight loss group and they also suggest multiple meals to confirm what you said here. Also, they suggest that we write everything down that we eat. There's a journal of what we ate throughout a week's timeframe. That gives us the ability to monitor food and exercise. I've lose 10 pounds this way. I've had more success when I also totally cut out caffeine in my diet.

[RobinN]

I do know about eating often and such. I guess I just wanted the test so that I could show Rebecca (and my husband) that eating does have an effect on her. The sugars DO matter.
I just keep reading tonight that it is a common test for sugar levels.

[alivenwell]

Is there any research on Agava syrup as a sweetener? My son uses it from a health food store. I'm hesitant to eat anything with it, but I've been fine with the stevia. I've looked up Agava and found that it comes from several types of plants. I'm find with this ingredient contained inside foods. I suppose it depends upon how much is consumed.
Just curious....

[Dutch mom]

Hi Robin,

I know of two kids who had a little glucose meter implanted under their skin for a period of 2 weeks to check out any relationships between seizures and bloodglucosis. Their parents and caregivers had to keep a detailled seizure diary with dates, times and types of seizures. Later these data were compared to the bloodglucose levels at those times. In both cases nothing came out of the test. Not the common test you mean, I guess, but it is a method you might want to check out.

Robin: Everything I read says that blood glucose levels can trigger seizures if too high or two low.

You might be interested to read more about Carrie Loughran's theory on glucosis and carnitine (deficiency.) Her ideas concern the ketogenic diet but it's also interesting stuff for you, I guess.

Carrie Loughran: However, I have been managing the diet a little differently by monitoring blood glucose, blood ketone as well as urine ketone levels far after the initiation process has occurred.

Her ideas are not scientificly proven and controversal. I've attended her presentation at the Matthews Friends conference in November 2007, the slides of this last presentation are not on MF yet but will be soon. The presentation of 2006 is on MF.

http://site.matthewsfriends.org/inde...hran-dietician

http://www.matthewsfriends.org/2006/...esentation.pdf

About carnitine deficiency:

1: Brain Dev. 2006 Jul;28(6):358-65. Epub 2006 Jan 10.
Plasma freecarnitine in epilepsy children, adolescents and young adults treated with old and new antiepileptic drugs with or without ketogenic diet.Coppola G, Epifanio G, Auricchio G, Federico RR, Resicato G, Pascotto A.
Department of Psychiatry, Clinic of Child Neuropsychiatry, Second University of Naples, Via Pansini, 5 80131 Naples, Italy. giangennaro.coppola@unina2.it

This study was performed to evaluate carnitine deficiency in a large series of epilepsy children and adolescents treated with old and new antiepileptic drugs with or without ketogenic diet. Plasma free carnitine was determined in 164 epilepsy patients aged between 7 months and 30 years (mean 10.8 years) treated for a mean period of 7.5 years (range 1 month-26 years) with old and new antiepileptic drugs as mono or add-on therapy. In 16 patients on topiramate or lamotrigine and in 11 on ketogenic diet, plasma free carnitine was prospectively evaluated before starting treatment and after 3 and 12 months, respectively. Overall, low plasma levels of free carnitine were found in 41 patients (25%); by single subgroups, 32 out of 84 patients (38%) taking valproic acid and 13 of 54 (24%) on carbamazepine, both as monotherapy or in combination, showed low free carnitine levels. A higher though not statistically significant risk of hypocarnitinemia resulted to be linked to polytherapy (31.5%) versus monotherapy (17.3%) (P=.0573). Female sex, psychomotor or mental retardation and abnormal neurological examination appeared to be significantly related with hypocarnitinemia, as well. As to monotherapy, valproic acid was associated with a higher risk of hypocarnitinemia (27.3%) compared with carbamazepine group (14.3%). Neither one of the patients on topiramate (10), lamotrigine (5) or ketogenic diet (11) developed hypocarnitinemia during the first 12 months of treatment. Carnitine deficiency is not uncommon among epilepsy children and adolescents and is mainly linked to valproate therapy; further studies are needed to better understand the clinical significance of serum carnitine decline.

PMID: 16376041 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

mom of an 8-year old keto kid with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome