Unlike celiac gastrointestinal damage and distress, gastroparesis is not reversible by diet, but may improve with strict control of the blood sugar and some forms of drug treatment. Compared to Celiac Disease, which can occur at any age, diagnosis is usually quite easy. Minimal other damage occurs beyond the destruction of the beta cells. Normally the islets of Langerhans release insulin into the blood for distribution to nearly all cells in the body. Insulin receptors on the surfaces of cells are activated by the circulating insulin.
Poisons build up quickly within the body in the absence of insulin.
Treatment consists of 2-4 subcutaneous injections of insulin a day and control of carbohydrate intake. The diet all Americans are encouraged to follow today to maintain health and prevent disease is virtually the same as the diet long recommended for people with diabetes to help them control blood sugar levels. Basically, it includes less fat and protein and more carbohydrates than what used to be the standard nutritionally recommended American diet. The diet features complex, that is less quickly metabolized, carbohydrates to cut down the peak in blood glucose that occurs about two hours after eating. In previous days, people with diabetes were told to avoid sugar.