Hypoglycemia is a disease that effects many people, mainly those who also suffer from diabetes. Hypoglycemia happens when blood glucose drops below its normal levels, causing the body to have less energy stored up. Common symptoms of Hypoglycemia are things like hunger, sleepiness, and dizziness. However, what if hypoglycemia can cause a person to become aggressive?

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In an experimental study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience experimenters manipulated the amount of glucose and bovine insulin admitted into isolated male Swiss mice. The experiment showed that the manipulation of glucose and bovine insulin in these mice did not cause them to change their defensive or attack behavior, however, it did modify certain aspects of these types of interactions.  The study also noted that their is a surprising lack of information on this topic, provided hypoglycemia is not that uncommon.

A correlational study  was done on 54 men from the Qualla Indian Tribe of Peru. First, it was determined that 13% of these men were severely hypoglycemic, 42.6% were moderately hypoglycemic, and only 44.4% seemed to have the proper amount of glucose. Of these statistics, those who proved to be most aggressive were the men with hypoglycemia.

At first glance, the high amount of aggression exerted by the Qolla men seems to be incredibly irrational. But, when looked at through this study, it was noted that the men who randomly struck out the most (when asked questions about things like their family or emotion) were the ones with moderate hypoglycemia. However, we cannot rule out other confounding variables that could cause this behavior, such as the lack of food that causes a hunger problem for many people in the tribe.

It is not a surprise that hypoglycemia causes changes in moods. When glucose isn’t being distributed to the brain properly, the brain does not operated as it should, and it cannot concentrate as well. When a person cannot concentrate well, they are of course more likely to get grouchy or irritable. Having a tough and stressful day or, in the case of the Qolla tribe, a generally stressful life, can lead people to go from simply “grouchy” to aggressive.

These two studies, one being experimental and the other being correlational, as well as already known facts about hypoglycemia, point to the fact that hypoglycemia does indeed make a person more aggressive. Although one can never be sure (both studies suggested that more studies should be done on the subject- and these two studies were done 33 years apart from one another). And third variables can always be a factor, especially in the case of the Qolla tribe, there is significant evidence that leads many professionals to believe that hypoglycemia has a correlative link to aggressive behavior.