Relationship between pretreatment laboratory-measured episodes of reactive hypoglycemia and short-term weight restoration in anorexia nervosa: A preliminary study

Abstract

Refeeding outcome is difficult to predict in anorexia nervosa (AN). Because reactive hypoglycemia (RH) during an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) correlates with rapid increases of energy intake just before the OGTT in AN patients, this study investigated whether pretreatment laboratory-measured RH episodes might be associated with refeeding progress in this disorder. Forty-six female patients with AN (25 restrictors and 21 binge/purgers) and 11 controls underwent an OGTT before treatment. The patients were divided into groups according to the presence of RH. Thereafter, AN patients underwent nutritional rehabilitation, and weight gain and daily energy intake were evaluated. In both AN subtypes, the RH groups showed more daily energy intake and gained more weight compared with the non-RH groups. The present study found a close relationship between pretreatment laboratory-measured RH episodes and refeeding progress, suggesting that pretreatment laboratory-measured RH episodes may be an important predictor of short-term refeeding outcome in AN.