Your blood glucose levels are dynamic. Blood sugar levels change depending on your diet or the time of day they are tested. There are specific ranges your doctor may use to determine if you are healthy or at risk for developing diabetes.
Your bloodstream transports glucose to the cells of your body. Insulin prompts the cells to take in the glucose as fuel for energy. If you do not produce enough insulin or if your cells become resistant to the insulin you produce, glucose will...
If your child is at risk for developing diabetes, monitoring his glucose levels can help you make adjustments to his diet and treatment plan. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 13,000 children are diagnosed with...
Your cells require glucose, a simple sugar, to keep your heart beating, your muscles pumping, and otherwise support everything your body does. You obtain glucose from the carbohydrates you eat; even complex carbohydrates can be broken down to...
Monitoring your glucose level may be the most important tool you have for controlling your diabetes. The food you eat, any medication you take, your stress level and the amount of energy you use exercising will all affect your blood sugar. Staying...
Glucose is an important energy source for your brain and body. Your body converts carbohydrates and simple sugars in your diet to glucose for fuel usage. Your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to regulate blood glucose levels. According...
The blood transports glucose from foods you eat to cells where it is converted to energy. Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is the term used for the measure of this glucose. Insulin, a hormone secreted from the pancreas, helps the glucose enter the...
Blood glucose (also called blood sugar) is one of the body's main sources of fuel. Glucose supplies energy to the brain, muscles, cells and is required for normal body functions. Diabetics have a disease that interferes with their body's ability...
Healthy nutrition habits along with medication compliance is key to managing diabetes but different terms used to describe foods and diet plans can be confusing. Your goal is to keep blood glucose levels within a normal range but no single...
Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is important in avoiding hypoglycemia -- a condition in which your blood sugar levels plummet. Hypoglycemia, states KidsHealth.org, is an especially common condition in people with diabetes who fail to consume...
Glucose is essential for cellular metabolism and the creation of energy. It is mostly obtained from dietary carbohydrates. Blood glucose level is determined by dietary intake, the amount of insulin in the blood and the body's sensitivity to...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2010, about 215,000 people younger than 20 years old had either type 1 or type 2 diabetes in the United States. One of the first steps in learning how to live with diabetes is blood...
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are nearly 18 million diabetics in the United States, with nearly 25 percent of them unaware that they have the disease.
Diabetes is a serious metabolic disorder that is caused by the...
Along with fats and proteins, glucose is an important fuel used by the body in daily functions. In fact, glucose could be considered the most important fuel because the brain cannot function without it. When glucose is in short supply, the healthy...
If you've recently been diagnosed with diabetes, you're not alone. According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 23 million Americans, or 8 percent of the population, has diabetes. Twenty-four percent of diabetics are undiagnosed and...
Maintaining a mean blood glucose level within a normal range is essential to your continued good health. In addition to facilitating the management of your sugar levels, the monitoring of mean blood glucose also plays an important role in the...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that the number of diabetics in the United States may double or even triple by 2050. According to 2007 information provided by the CDC, approximately 5.7 million Americans already have...
Blood glucose levels increase after eating. If you are diabetic, these levels may increase more and stay higher for longer than if you are not a diabetic. Controlling the rise in blood glucose can help you feel full for longer, and, if you are a...
Glucose is the main fuel that powers your body. A healthy level is important for proper functioning of different organs especially the brain. Glucose is maintained at a relatively constant range to avoid health risks associated with persistently...
High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, is an excess amount of glucose in the blood. The normal range for blood glucose is 80-120 mg/dL. Hyperglycemia causes symptoms when glucose values are elevated above 200 mg/dL, according to the Mayo Clinic....
Blood glucose is a term that describes your body's circulating levels of glucose, an energy source derived from foods that contain carbohydrates. Under normal circumstances, your body tries to keep your blood glucose within a relatively narrow...
Your blood glucose level can be measured by way of a simple blood test. Since glucose is a type of sugar that is regulated by insulin, blood glucose measurements are usually the first step in diagnosing diabetes. Uncontrolled high blood glucose...
Blood glucose regulation is primarily controlled by two different hormones, insulin and glucagon. Secondary hormones such as epinephrine are also involved. Normally blood glucose is kept within a narrow range, approximately 70 to 100 mg per 100 ml...
All cells of your body need glucose to fulfill their energy needs. For their proper functioning, the body has to maintain the levels of glucose in your blood within a normal range. While too little blood glucose can exhaust your cells, too much...
Hyperglycemia refers to high blood sugar, or glucose, levels. The normal fasting range for blood glucose is less than 126mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter); blood glucose higher than 160mg/dL indicates hyperglycemia, according to the Joslin Diabetes...
Glucose is a simple sugar that exists in many types of food and in your blood. It serves many functions, the most important of which is as an energy source. Your body has sensitive systems for keeping the glucose in your blood within a normal...
If you have diabetes, stabilizing your glucose levels can require a careful balancing act of diet, exercise and insulin. Careful monitoring of your blood sugar levels can help you avoid low blood sugar, called hypoglycemia, and high blood sugar,...
Low blood sugar, also called hypoglycemia, occurs when blood glucose levels drop below normal. Normal blood glucose levels range from 80 to 120 mg/dL (4.4 to 6.6 mmol/L). Common causes of low blood sugar are associated with too much insulin,...
A fasting blood glucose test monitors the body's ability to handle and regulate blood sugar levels. It is commonly used to test for and monitor the control of diabetes, because it is less variable than other tests. Fasting blood glucose levels...