Giving patients a sugary drink two hours before gallbladder surgery is associated with lower levels of insulin resistance 24 hours after surgery compared to patients who did not receive the drink.
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Eating a sugary drink before surgery tells the body it’s not starving, so it doesn’t release stress hormones that block insulin. With less stress hormone around after surgery, insulin can do its job properly and help the body use sugar normally.
Most probable mechanism
Eating a sugary drink before surgery tells the body that food is available, so it doesn't need to panic and release stress hormones. This keeps cortisol and noradrenaline low, which lets insulin work better after surgery, helping the body use sugar normally instead of resisting it.
Oral ingestion of maltodextrin is rapidly broken down into glucose, increasing blood glucose and triggering insulin secretion
Elevated glucose and insulin levels signal metabolic sufficiency to the hypothalamus, reducing activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous system
Suppressed hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity decreases cortisol synthesis and release from the adrenal glands
Reduced sympathetic outflow lowers noradrenaline release from adrenal medulla and peripheral nerve terminals
Lower cortisol and noradrenaline levels reduce counter-regulatory signaling to insulin-sensitive tissues, restoring insulin receptor sensitivity and glucose uptake
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Contradicting (0)
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