liver dump

kelvin · #1 (**permalink**) 01-30-2006, 09:04 PM

What exactly is a liver dump? I am not familiar with this saying at all.

duck · #2 (**permalink**) 01-30-2006, 09:12 PM

It's a normal process triggered by any number of circumstances where your liver injects glucose into the bloodstream. Power lifters get a liver dump when the body realizes there is some kind of flight or fight mechanism (heavy weight-lifting) to be done...When people skip a meal, they can trigger a liver dump to try and feed hungry cells, etc. "Dawn Phenomenon" in diabetics is due to liver dumping.

David · #3 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duck

It's a normal process triggered by any number of circumstances where your liver injects glucose into the bloodstream. Power lifters get a liver dump when the body realizes there is some kind of flight or fight mechanism (heavy weight-lifting) to be done...When people skip a meal, they can trigger a liver dump to try and feed hungry cells, etc. "Dawn Phenomenon" in diabetics is due to liver dumping.

...an episode of low blood glucose will often cause a liver dump when the body realizes that it may be in trouble and needs glucose right away. It's called the Somogyi effect and can be part of the reason for a high blood glucose after a low (over eating for a low can be another reason)

David

nantomsuethom · #4 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 09:15 AM

If you have a low bg 4 hours after say novolog will your liver release glucagon?

Simon · #5 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 09:35 AM

Glucagon is actually produced by the alpha cells of the pancreas in resonse to low bg. The glucagon causes the liver to convert glycogen back into glucose to be used by the body. It is glucagon that causes the nausea felt during some hypo's.

duck · #6 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 11:47 AM

I've had enough hypos where I have waited and waited to see if my body tries to correct, and I just stay low. So, I sometimes wish I could count on Smyogi, but I don't think that mechanism works within me. However, I do overeat, LOL.

BriOnH · #7 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 07:50 PM

I was taught that islet alpha cells will not release glucagon if there is insulin present in the blood. In a normal person pancreatic delta cells would produce stomatostatin which signals the pancreatic beta cells to stop producing insulin, and if bg went too low after stopping insulin production the alpha cells would secrete glucagon. Glucagon is the best pathway to raise blood sugar second to ingesting sugar, but thought that it was only other pathways (that are not as effective) like the release of adrenaline and gluconeogenesis that can raise blood glucose when sugar is low and insulin is present. To be honest though, I pathetically am not sure how this works in a diabetic, but hope to soon find out

.

Erin · #8 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 07:54 PM

Dunno how it works, but I know it works.

BG goes low, my liver dumps glucose, bg goes high. Whether or not insulin is present

BriOnH · #9 (**permalink**) 01-31-2006, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin

Dunno how it works, but I know it works.

BG goes low, my liver dumps glucose, bg goes high. Whether or not insulin is present

Wish that would happen for me. I've tried to wait out lows like other diabetics I know have successfully. Seems my liver dumps sugar only when I don't need it.

KrisinNM · #10 (**permalink**) 02-01-2006, 04:35 AM

How many times can the liver "dump" in a given amount of time? Say, 12 hours? It's probably just my overactive imagination but if I have several lows in a row, it seems the latter ones are worse. The first will be a "oops, I'm going low, get a drink of Gatorade". The next one or two will be 5 alarm super events complete with sweating, racing heart, loss of vision, confusion.
Is this possible?

duck · #11 (**permalink**) 02-01-2006, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BriOnH

Wish that would happen for me. I've tried to wait out lows like other diabetics I know have successfully. Seems my liver dumps sugar only when I don't need it.

We're about the same. I get nothing in the way of compensation from my body for a low. I've tried to wait it out numerous times, but I also find that the longer I wait out a low, the dumber I get (I get real silly and stupid and HAVE to eat in order to re-establish what little mental capacity I have).

Doesn't it SUCK that we are all so different?

duck · #12 (**permalink**) 02-01-2006, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KrisinNM

How many times can the liver "dump" in a given amount of time? Say, 12 hours? It's probably just my overactive imagination but if I have several lows in a row, it seems the latter ones are worse. The first will be a "oops, I'm going low, get a drink of Gatorade". The next one or two will be 5 alarm super events complete with sweating, racing heart, loss of vision, confusion.
Is this possible?

Back to my college studies...Your liver can run out of glucose, I forget the exact amounts it can store and for how long, and how long it takes to replenish the store. But "carbo-loading" was done by many athletes (and still is done, actually) in order to load muscle stores of muscle glycogen and to a lesser extent to reload the liver's glucose stores.

SO...

If I remember right, you can literally dump your way out of one low and then have nothing left if you have another. Hmmmm...