Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is fundamentally a symptom of low thyroid function and impaired liver metabolism, not a primary disease of the pancreas. 2 Broda Barnes, whose work Peat frequently cited, argued that the liver provides three-quarters of the body's active thyroid hormone, and without adequate glucose, this conversion fails, creating a vicious cycle where hypothyroidism perpetuates the hypoglycemic state. 2 Peat emphasized that the liver is the most important organ for maintaining normal blood sugar, and its failure to store or release glycogen—often due to thyroid deficiency—is the central defect. 2 Barnes demonstrated clinically that when hypothyroid patients received thyroid therapy, their hypoglycemic symptoms disappeared and they could eat normal diets again. 2

The mechanism involves the liver's dual role in glucose homeostasis. After a meal, the liver stores glucose as glycogen; as blood sugar falls, it must release this stored glucose and manufacture new glucose from protein. 3 In hypothyroidism, digestion and absorption are delayed, and the liver becomes sluggish, failing to release glucose properly as blood sugar begins to fall. 11 Peat explained that stress hormones like cortisol and estrogen exacerbate the problem by promoting glycogenolysis (the breakdown of glycogen) and shifting metabolism toward fat oxidation, which poisons mitochondrial energy production. 2 Dinkov has written that estrogen prevents hypoglycemia through a "very bad mechanism"—stimulating lipolysis and fat oxidation—rather than supporting proper liver glycogen storage, and recommends substances like niacinamide, aspirin, and vitamin E to help the liver recover its glycogen-storing capacity. 9

Peat described hypoglycemia as a state of pseudohypoxia, where limited glucose oxidation forces cells into a reductive stress state that activates excitatory systems, including the release of glutamate and activation of the NMDA receptor. 10 This excitation can cause grand mal seizures, hypertension, vasospasm, and other excitatory processes, while also activating inflammatory pathways. 10 He noted that lowering blood sugar activates the inflammatory process, and that doubling blood sugar can stop allergic reactions to almost everything, meaning every hypoglycemic episode stresses the immune system and activates stress hormones that compensate by turning protein into sugar. 8 When blood sugar falls, consciousness itself is threatened because glucose is the material that maintains coherent brain function; under hypoglycemic stress, nervous processes enter an emergency state where only immediate present concerns are relevant, producing the anxiety and flattened consciousness characteristic of the condition. 6

The quickest way to break the cycle, Peat argued, is a well-balanced diet emphasizing fruit, particularly orange juice, because its high potassium content allows the body to handle and absorb blood sugar without disturbing insulin. 7 When the liver receives enough sugar from the combination of potassium and sugar in fruit, it can activate thyroid hormone, restoring poisoned mitochondrial function and bringing a person out of a chronic allergic hypoglycemic state, sometimes in just a day or two. 7 He noted that eating a pound of sugar over three days can sometimes replenish glycogen stores in all tissues, including the liver, where it is used to activate thyroid hormone. 2 Barnes observed that the conventional treatment—a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet with frequent small feedings—offered symptomatic relief but no cure, whereas addressing the underlying hypothyroidism resolved the condition permanently. 2 Roddy has reinforced this, noting that for people with poor liver function, nighttime hypoglycemia often cannot be solved with food alone and requires investigating thyroid function. 5