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Metabolic Whiplash

Meaning

Metabolic whiplash is a descriptive clinical term for the abrupt and often detrimental physiological rebound or dysregulation that occurs following a rapid, extreme shift in metabolic state, typically induced by drastic dietary changes or the sudden cessation of a potent pharmacological intervention. This phenomenon reflects the body’s struggle to rapidly re-establish homeostatic balance after a period of significant metabolic stress. It is clinically characterized by severe, destabilizing fluctuations in blood glucose, insulin sensitivity, and energy expenditure, which profoundly impacts hormonal stability.