Gifted kids and hypoglycemia?

[urpedonmommy]

Have any of you ever heard this? That gifted kids may diplay hypoglycemic symptoms more frequently without any underlying issues (such as diabetes, or metabolic disorders)?

I have not had ds tested, but suspect he may fall into the gifted range, and we have been experiencing hypoglycemic symptoms, mostly behavior related, which diet has fixed. Just wondering if anyone else has heard or dealt with this. :bigear:

[justamouse]

Your brain uses a LOT of glucose and I have found that when I am working hard, in the zone, I will have a sugar crash and not even realize it's coming. So, I HAVE to work with something by me to gnosh on.

Gifted kids are probably the same, they do a lot of exercise upstairs and burn brain fuel too quick.

I've also found B complex REALLY helps me. And try to not let him crash at all, they're finding it does permanent damage.

[LittleIzumi]

Huh. I am hypoglycemic and my kids exhibit similar symptoms, and we're all gifted. My mom is hypoglycemic too, and I'm not familiar with her academic ability but she's VERY artistically gifted. No underlying issues (besides stuff like bipolar, which also seems common in gifteds).

[lovelearnandlive]

Very interesting! My dad has hypoglycemic issues and I do too, both of us have brains that are going a mile a minute. We both have very high metabolisms too. I've never considered the relationship between the two. Now I want to do some more research on this!

[Amber in AUS]

Hmm, i find this very interesting also. Both my DD and I have hypoglycemic tendencies. We watch our diet and try to level out the intensity of brain work. We have brains that never switch off!

[Momofeat]

Wow! I have never heard that before, but my (probably) gifted dd certainly acts like she has hypoglycemia. We are very careful with her diet.

[Crimson Wife]

Ditto to what everyone else has said. I'm hypoglycemic but have no other health issues.

[Arch At Home]

We are bright with hypoglycemic tendancies. We shoot for protein at every meal which can be a trick on a gluten, dairy and egg free diet.

[LizzyBee]

That's interesting. My oldest niece is AG and hypoglycemic. My dh has a very high IQ and my oldest dd is AG, and they are both very sensitive to swings in their blood sugar. My dd has to have a very high protein diet, as does my hypoglycemic niece.

[galtgrl]

Yup, me too! If I let my blood sugar get low, well, let's just say my husband keeps me well fed to avoid the consequences ;)
We try to keep our dds blood sugar stable ( not too many carbs, no extra sugar except a few times a year, include the protein at most meals), but at least one of them (the most obviously gifted) is very sensitive to sugar swings also.
Really interesting theory - where'd you come across it?

[urpedonmommy]

I am really glad to see so much interest in this topic! I am looking back to see where I came across the info-I've been doing lots of research on giftedness/behavior issues and the hypoglycemia info came up somewhere during all that--I just can't remember where, since I read so much. I'll post when I find it.

For those of you with hypoglycemic problems, can you tell me what kids of foods and what kinds of schedules you keep? Ds seems really sensitive to blood sugar lows, and I am just figuring all this out, so I am not sure what I need to be doing differently. I am currently trying to include protein at every meal, and I have changed our snacking patterns--he used to snack 3 times a day, but mostly eat carbs--crackers, juice, pretzels. Now I try to include protein, but beyond peanut butter and hard boiled eggs, what should I give him?

Thanks!!

[urpedonmommy]

This is where I think I first came across the idea of hypoglycemia in gifted kids:
Misdiagnosis and dual diagnoses of gifted childred and adults
Webb, James T.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_6?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=misdiagnosis+and+dual+diagnosis+of+gifted +children&sprefix=misdia


Great book.

[Kalah]

Never heard that corolation before but it makes sense. I'm hypoglycemic and just assumed ds9 got it from me. He definitely behaves better when properly fed and watered! LOL

[LittleIzumi]

Hummus
Cheese
Sub quinoa for rice (complete protein)
Mini bean/cheese or bean/rice.cheese burritos

[Crimson Wife]

Greek yogurt (buy it plain & sweeten with a bit of fruit), cottage cheese, a cup of lentil or black bean soup, "super-oatmeal" (make it with milk & a scoop of protein powder), ham cold cuts spread with cream cheese & rolled up, home-made protein bars, etc.

I follow a moderately-low carb diet and make sure to eat mini-meals every 2-3 hours.

[EKS]

I've heard of this correlation somewhere before but I can't remember where.

My son, who is HG+ and has ADHD, gets quite hypoglycemic when taking ADHD meds. Once we figured out what the problem was, we make sure he eats when he needs to while on meds. It really helps.

[LittleIzumi]

Cashews, peanuts, other nuts....

[AuntPol]

My dad, myself, and my daughter are all hypoglycemic and gifted.

[LittleIzumi]

This is getting freaky....

Now I want to do a big survey and research project and start taking blood samples and comparing blood sugar levels and IQ scores and someone stop me.... :lol:

[Truscifi]

Lol, LittleIzumi, I was thinking the same thing. Lot of gifties in my family and dh's, and both hypoglycemics and diabetics abound as well. Not sure how it all ties together though.

[justamouse]

Lots of proteins, and when I start to get shaky I do a super quick carb followed by a medium with a protein. Eg- OJ, PB&J on whole wheat and then nuts or a hardboiled egg. I boil them up and keep them around.

[Karin]

Wow!!!! I had never heard this, but this is so true in our house. I get migraines from low blood sugar, my middle one is a MESS if hers gets low, and my eldest needs plenty of protein to keep hers level or she is so very cranky. My ds is pretty much the same way. None of us have any other underlying metabolic issues. When my dc were little, I always made sure they had a complete protein balance with every snack and meal and it helped a lot.

What's funny is that the one with the most obvious glucose symptoms is the one who "hides" her giftedness to the world. She has a regular sized head, doesn't act smart in front of others (she's too busy being socially savvy, I think, as opposed to my other two), but she is definitely gifted.

Adequate protein is important, of course, as others have mentioned.

[Karin]

Hmm, i find this very interesting also. Both my DD and I have hypoglycemic tendencies. We watch our diet and try to level out the intensity of brain work. We have brains that never switch off!

Glad it's not just around our house. I find, though, that if I don't eat too much salt and drink enough water my brain will calm down enough to sleep. I used to have a lot of insomnia because my brain wouldn't shut off, plus I could never study past 8 pm when I was in university or I couldn't sleep. I have 2 dc that can't shut their brains off to fall asleep quickly but one of mine can sometimes.

[Karin]

Huh. I am hypoglycemic and my kids exhibit similar symptoms, and we're all gifted. My mom is hypoglycemic too, and I'm not familiar with her academic ability but she's VERY artistically gifted. No underlying issues (besides stuff like bipolar, which also seems common in gifteds).

According to the list of traits that are seen in artistically gifted people, they are always academically gifted. I suspect that sometimes that gets hidden sometimes if there is dyslexia or something.

[elise1mds]

I'd be interested to see this thread posted as a poll somewhere on the main board. Since it's on the gifted board, the results are getting rather skewed. I do, however, have to say that I also have had hypoglycemia issues since I was a kid, and I was in the gifted program at school. My son occasionally has hypoglycemia issues as well and is quite bright. DD is only 4 so it's hard to tell yet; my symptoms didn't start manifesting till I was about 9, so hers might not, either. I'd always just figured I was inclined toward being diabetic since my grandfather is diabetic and it kind of runs in my dad's family. I assumed the same with my son since my husband's grandmother and mother are both diabetic.

[LittleIzumi]

Glad it's not just around our house. I find, though, that if I don't eat too much salt and drink enough water my brain will calm down enough to sleep. I used to have a lot of insomnia because my brain wouldn't shut off, plus I could never study past 8 pm when I was in university or I couldn't sleep. I have 2 dc that can't shut their brains off to fall asleep quickly but one of mine can sometimes.

I can NOT sleep either. :glare: Even at 2am.

I'd be interested to see this thread posted as a poll somewhere on the main board. Since it's on the gifted board, the results are getting rather skewed.

Done! :tongue_smilie:

[urpedonmommy]

LittleIzumi--thanks for setting up the poll! Fascinating stuff!

[mominbc]

My gifted DS was diagnosed a few years ago with hypoglycemia. He cannot have sugar or else he makes our lives miserable (sugar crash!)