The “normal Blood Sugar Range” May Be Misleading You
A fasting blood sugar test measures the amount of a type of sugar, called glucose, in your blood after you have not eaten for at least eight hours. Checking for an ideal fasting blood sugar is one of the most commonly performed tests to check for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. So what should your fasting blood sugar be? The normal blood sugar range is 65-99 mg/dL. If your fasting blood sugar is between 100 and 125 mg/dL, you have “impaired fasting glucose,” also referred to as “prediabetes.” If your fasting blood sugar is more than 126 mg/dL on two or more occasions, you have full-blown diabetes. What Is Prediabetes? People defined as having impaired fasting glucose/prediabetes are individuals whose blood sugar levels do not meet criteria for diabetes, yet are higher than those considered normal. These people are at relatively high risk for the future development of diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), prediabetes is not a disease itself but rather a risk factor “for diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.”[1] However, the ADA also state that prediabetes can be considered an “intermediate stage” in the diabetes disease process.[1](One might wonder how prediabetes can be a both a risk factor for diabetes and an intermediate stage of the diabetes disease process simultaneously). In addition to increasing the chance of developing diabetes, it’s well-established that people with impaired fasting glucose/prediabetes are more likely to be overweight or obese, especially with what’s known as abdominal or visceral obesity. They also are more likely to have high triglycerides and/or low HDL cholesterol, and hypertension.[1] Even Normal-Range Blood Glucose Levels Can Increase Diabetes Risk There’s a lot more at stake for thos Continue reading >>
Know Your Numbers: Why Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar And Cholesterol Matter | Miami Herald
Along with eating right and exercise, knowing your numbers is a crucial part of managing your heart health correctly. Below, Dr. Theodore Feldman, a cardiologist at West Kendall Baptist Hospital and the medical director of the Healthy Hub at West Kendall, takes us through the ABCs of cardiovascular health. BLOOD PRESSURE Why it’s important to keep track: High blood pressure, or hypertension, negatively impacts the heart in three major ways: It makes the heart work harder, it accelerates the build-up of plaque in the arteries, and it can create imbalances between the supply and demand of oxygen to and from the heart. A leading cause of heart failure, kidney disease and stroke, hypertension is also typically completely asymptomatic, making it a “silent killer,” according to Feldman. Consistently low blood pressure can also indicate a problem, but only if accompanied by symptoms like fatigue, nausea, dizziness or fainting and blurred vision. Never miss a local story. Sign up today for a free 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access. SUBSCRIBE NOW What the numbers mean: Measured in milliliters of mercury (mm Hg) blood pressure readings are rendered as a fraction. The top number, also the higher number, represents systolic blood pressure – the pressure when the heart is contracted. The bottom number represents diastolic blood pressure – the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed. Systolic blood pressure usually fluctuates the most. Ranges: Healthy systolic readings are below 120 mm Hg; healthy diastolic readings are below 80 mm Hg. Pre-hypertensive systolic readings are 120 – 139 mm Hg; pre-hypertensive diastolic readings are 80 – 89 mm Hg. Systolic readings of 140 – 159 mm Hg and diastolic readings between 90 – 99 mm Hg represent Stage 1 h Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Too High? Blood Sugar Too Low?
If you have diabetes, your blood sugar doesn't call your cell phone and say, "My readings are too high right now." Instead, blood sugar rises slowly and gradually, causing complications that may damage your organs -- heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, feet, and even skin are at risk. Sometimes you wonder, "Is my blood sugar too high? Too low?" because "normal" levels are so important. "Diabetes is not a 'one-size-fits-all' condition, and neither are blood sugar readings. Different targets are established for different populations," says Amber Taylor, M.D., director of the Diabetes Center at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Targets may vary depending on a person's age, whether they have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and for how long, what medications they're taking, whether they have complications, and, if the patient is a female, whether she is pregnant. "Patients on insulin may need to test more frequently than someone on oral agents," says Taylor. "Those with type 1 diabetes always require insulin, but many with type 2 diabetes also need it." Target Blood Sugar Levels If you have diabetes, these are target "control" blood glucose levels, using a rating of milligrams to deciliter, or mg/dl: Blood sugar levels before meals (preprandial): 70 to 130 mg/dL Blood sugar levels one to two hours after the start of a meal (postprandial): less than 180 mg/dL Blood sugar levels indicating hypoglycemia or low blood glucose: 70 or below mg/dL Types of Blood Sugar Tests Blood glucose testing can screen, diagnose, and monitor. Glucose is measured either after fasting for eight to ten hours, at a random time, following a meal (postprandial), or as part of an oral glucose challenge or tolerance test. You can compare your levels to these results for specific tests, based on clinical Continue reading >>
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Blood Sugar Levels In Patients Treated With Chlorpromazine
The authors studied 850 patients being treated with chlorpromazine for changes in blood sugar level. While the 22 diabetic patients in the sample did not show significant modifications in their blood sugar levels, five patients developed diabetes after drug treatment. However, the latter had characteristics resembling those of persons in the general population who are prone to develop the disease. Continue reading >>
- World's first diabetes app will be able to check glucose levels without drawing a drop of blood and will be able to reveal what a can of coke REALLY does to sugar levels
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What Are Normal Blood Glucose Levels?
If you get a physical every year, chances are that your doctor orders a blood test that will tell you, among other things, if your blood sugar level is “normal.” If it’s not, you may have diabetes, or be at risk for it in coming years. But what’s this strange thing called “normal” anyway? There’s two main ways to measure blood glucose, depending on where you’re located. If you’re in Europe: In Europe, blood sugar is measured using millimoles per litre. A “normal” blood glucose level comes in at around 4 – 7 mmol/L or 4 – 8 mmol/L for a child with Type 1 diabetes before meals. Two hours after a meal, a normal blood sugar range should be under 9 mmol/L for people with T1D. For T2D, the upper range is slightly lower at 8.5 mmol/L. You can find additional information on the Diabetes UK website. If you’re in the US: The clinical definition puts “normal” blood glucose at 70-120 mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre) if you’ve fasted eight to twelve hours, or 70-160 mg/dL if you did not fast. That probably makes perfect sense if you have “M.D.” after your name. If you don’t, here’s the translation: 70 to 120 milligrams per deciliter. Clear as … uh…. blood, right? Don’t worry, it’s just the mathematics of measuring density. Here’s an easier way to remember ideal levels, courtesy of doctor Mehmet Oz: Optimal blood glucose is less than 100 after a fast, less than 125 if you weren’t fasting. But even then, remember, glucose levels are like the tide, constantly ebbing and flowing, depending on when – and what – we last ate. What is blood glucose anyway? Blood glucose means the same thing as blood sugar. But ironically enough, the amount of sugars coursing through our blood is not based on our intake of sugar, but how many carbohyd Continue reading >>
What You Should Know About Your Blood Glucose Levels
Written by Tom Nikkola - Director of Nutrition & Weight Management If you’re like many Americans, you tend to judge your health based on how you look and a little on how you feel. You’re not that out of shape. You generally feel pretty good, although you’d like to feel a little better. But you’re not really sure you’re healthy on the inside, you just hope so. A variety of different markers of metabolism can identify how healthy you really are, like the ones we’ve talked about in the Longevity and Vitality lab test. However, if you had to pick just one thing to have measured, the most important could very well be your blood sugar levels. Think about this: 25.8 million Americans are thought to have diabetes, with 7 million people having diabetes, but not knowing about it. Most of those who have diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which is the result, in large part, from lifestyle choices. Additionally, 79 million Americans have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar regulation begins to be a problem, but it’s not bad enough to begin using drug therapy. If you’ve read this far and are thinking, “I’m in good shape; this article doesn’t apply to me,” think again. About 20% of those with prediabetes are at what would be considered a healthy weight or body composition. In fact, this condition may precede weight gain often associated with diabetic and prediabetic conditions. As you’ll see below, prediabetes may be a sign of other unwanted health effects as well. Blood Sugar 101 To maintain optimal health, glucose must be maintained within a relatively close range in the blood. Blood sugar rises typically come from two sources — from the carbohydrates (and under special circumstances, protein) in one’s diet and from glycogen stored in the liver. Carb Continue reading >>
Understanding A Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis
Diagnosing Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is a manageable condition. Once you’re diagnosed, you can learn what to do to stay healthy. Diabetes is grouped into different types. The most commonly diagnosed are gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes. Gestational Diabetes Maybe you have a friend who was told she had diabetes during pregnancy. That type is called gestational diabetes. It can develop during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born. Type 1 Diabetes You may have had a childhood friend with diabetes who had to take insulin every day. That type is called type 1 diabetes. The peak age of onset is in the midteens. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 1 makes up 5 percent of all cases of diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes makes up 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, according to the CDC. It is also called adult-onset diabetes. Although it can occur at any age, it’s more common in people older than 40. If you think you might have diabetes, talk to your doctor. Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes can cause severe complications, such as: amputation of the legs and feet blindness heart disease kidney disease stroke According to the CDC, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States. People with diabetes are 1.5 times as likely to die as people of the same age who don’t have diabetes. Many of the severe side effects of diabetes can be avoided with treatment. That’s why it’s so important to be diagnosed as soon as possible. Some people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because they have symptoms. Early diabetes symptoms include: increased or frequent urination increased thirst fatigue cuts or sores that won Continue reading >>
Elevated Blood Sugar
There is an Epidemic of Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes in America Today According to the CDC 1 out of 3 people are either Pre-Diabetic or Diabetic 87 Million are Pre-Diabetic or Diabetic Many do not know it & are undiagnosed 634 people die each day from a diabetes related illness (270% increase in last 4 yrs.) 5,206 additional are diagnosed daily Child Type II Diabetes nearly ¼ Million & growing rapidly (23% in last 9 years) *from CDC & American Diabetes Association, 2011 Find out where your Blood Sugar Stands! This is simple to do as all you need is a glucometer and a test strip that you can buy at any pharmacy for $20 or less. By self-pricking your finger to measure fasting blood sugar you will read your blood sugar number off the glucometer. Ranges: 1. Under 87- shows healthy blood sugar with no insulin resistance 2. Between 88-100 shows unhealthy blood sugar and indications of insulin resistance 3. Between 100-125 shows indication of Pre-Diabetes 4. Over 125 shows indication of Diabetes. Our standard of care is waiting for people to become a Diabetic or advanced Diabetic at which point medication is prescribed, however this does not stop the progression or complications of Diabetes. The time to address elevated blood sugar is before Diabetes or Pre-Diabetes sets in during the unhealthy range of 88-100. The reasons why people become a Diabetic or Pre-Diabetic usually has to do with: 1. Unhealthy food habits 2. Excessive abdominal weight and body composition 3. Digestion and nutritional deficiencies 4. Lack of exercise. To correct unhealthy elevated blood sugar people should take their WICO® score and have a specially trained practitioner evaluate their 15 health markers and what could be underlying their condition. And by implementing the TRANSFORMATIONS 360 program exc Continue reading >>
Fasting Blood Sugar
This article starts below. Legionella Testing Lab - High Quality Lab Results CDC ELITE & NYSDOH ELAP Certified - Fast Results North America Lab Locations legionellatesting.com Fasting Blood Sugar A fasting blood sugar (FBS) level is one of the tests used to diagnose diabetes mellitus (two others being the oral glucose tolerance test and the A1C level). In a person with symptoms of osmotic diuresis and an elevated fasting blood sugar level, the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is usually made. The fasting blood sugar is determined by taking a sample of venous blood after at least eight hours of fasting. The sugar level is then evaluated in the blood sample. Interpreting your Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) According to the 2013 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes made by the American Diabetes Association, you may interpret your fasting blood sugar as follows: FBS < 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/l) = normal fasting blood sugar; FBS 100-125 mg/dl (5.6-6.9 mmol/l) = IFG (impaired fasting glucose); FBS ≥ 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l) = provisional diagnosis of diabetes Rationale for using fasting blood sugar The blood glucose level is usually maintained in a range of 2.2-3.9 mmol/L (40-70 mg/dl). Between meals, and even during an overnight fast, that level is still maintained, even in the absence of food intake. The body does this by converting glycogen to glucose and, when necessary, fats to glucose (see carbohydrate metabolism). These two methods of producing glucose maintain a normal glucose level during fasting. The ability to convert glycogen to glucose presupposes that the body converts glucose to glycogen when the glucose level is high, that is, after a meal. This process, which requires insulin, brings the glucose level back to normal a few hours after a meal. In a diabetic, the lack of Continue reading >>
- Fasting blood sugar: Normal levels and testing
- Why Is My Fasting Blood Sugar High in the Morning?
- Postprandial Blood Glucose Is a Stronger Predictor of Cardiovascular Events Than Fasting Blood Glucose in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Particularly in Women: Lessons from the San Luigi Gonzaga Diabetes Study
Blood Sugar Levels
In diabetics, dangerous blood sugar levels can occur if oral drugs do not work or if the diabetes has not been diagnosed. Sometimes diabetics forget to take their oral tablets or insulin or are in a situation where they cannot or they even may be taking some medications, which adversely affect their sugar levels. At such times, their sugar levels can go very high or even low. Normal blood sugar levels read 70-100 mg per deciliter of blood. The sugar levels vary throughout the day: when you wake up in the morning your levels are low and when you eat a carbohydrate/sugar rich meal, levels can go up. If you experience the mid-morning slump, your sugar levels are probably low. The highest level is reached two hours after a meal. Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar levels in a diabetic start at 180 mg/dl. However, some people, especially those who have undiagnosed diabetes can have dangerous blood sugar levels in the range of over 250-800 mg/dl. It is not just a short time high level that is dangerous, but when high levels persist or are dangerously high, they can cause more problems and even lead to emergency situations. Dangerous levels can lead to: Coma Stroke Blindness Nerve damage Blood vessel damage Kidney disease DKA or diabetic ketoacidosis – more common in people with type 1 diabetes Hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) – more common in people with type 2 diabetes. For diabetics, monitoring sugar levels are of utmost importance and can prevent dangerous complications. What Causes Dangerous Blood Sugar Levels? Blood sugar levels can go high in different situations and can be caused by: Not taking enough insulin Eating too much high sugar/carbohydrate foods Missing an insulin dose Less than usual exercise Drinking alcohol Stress Illness Injury Medic Continue reading >>
Why Is Blood Sugar High In The Morning?
At the moment we are following Yvonne (a type 2 diabetic) on a 6-8 week journey to lower her blood sugar, a1c levels and hopefully cholesterol and other health markers. Yvonne has been sending me her blood sugar charts every few days and on those she always makes some notes for me. I noticed she had 3 big question marks (???) against one of her morning blood sugar results and then again on another morning when her blood sugar levels were high at 160 (mg/dl – or 8.9mmol/l) she had written: “I don’t understand. 97 (mg/dl – or 5.5mmol/l) last night when I went to sleep. I didn’t eat anything because I didn’t feel well. Humm.” So I thought this would be a good opportunity to provide some information on the question: Why is blood sugar high in the morning?? While you’re here be sure to subscribe for our type 2 diabetes updates Why Is Blood Sugar High In The Morning? Although it would seem like the body would have the lowest blood glucose in the morning this often isn’t the case for these 5 reasons. 1. Glucose Happens 24/7 All the cells in the body need glucose to fuel their function, even when we sleep. So the body breaks down stores in the liver so that the body and brain can continue to go about their functions. This glucose production will still occur when you don’t eat and in fact if you skip a meal it can increase the livers production of glucose. 2. Morning Hormones Raise Blood Glucose Cortisol (our stress hormone) is the hormone that slowly increases in levels from around 3 am onwards to reach it’s peak early in the morning. This occurs to get us moving and to give us energy. But cortisol stimulates a rise in blood sugar response so it is in fact a ‘normal’ response but if you are diabetic there is one factor that impacts both the overnight g Continue reading >>
The Step-by-step Approach To Better Blood Sugars: Walking
If you’re like me, you might have a health-focused New Year’s resolution posted on your wall: "lose weight," "exercise more, "be less stressed." Unfortunately, making resolutions is easy, but sticking to them is hard. A 15,000-person survey found that four out of five people who make New Year’s resolutions eventually break them. And it gets worse: a sizeable percentage of people (11%) in one survey actually broke their resolution one week in! As I pondered this depressing data, I thought about scientifically testing the simplest, most fundamental exercise possible: walking. It can be done anywhere, does not cost anything, and requires no equipment. And because the barriers to doing it are so low, it also helps address that very basic New Year’s Resolution conundrum outlined above. What follows is my personal diabetes experience testing the blood sugar benefits of walking, a brief review of studies on diabetes and walking, and five tips to incorporate walking into your daily routine. If you find this article useful, check out my upcoming book, Bright Spots & Landmines! Walking with diabetes – my own experience As a fitness fiend my whole life, I tend to think of “exercise” with a very intense, all-or-nothing frame of reference: cycling, strength training, and playing basketball. So when I approached the question of how much walking could really drop my blood sugars, I was skeptical. In an effort to test it objectively, I performed a dozen periods of walking, and measured my blood glucose immediately before and immediately after finishing. I timed each walk with a stopwatch, always made sure I had less than one unit of insulin-on-board, and tried to go at a normal speed. On average, walking dropped my blood sugar by approximately one mg/dl per minute. The la Continue reading >>
What Is Normal Blood Sugar?
Thank you for visiting my website! If you need help lowering your blood sugar level, check out my books at Amazon or Smashwords. If you’re outside of the U.S., Smashwords may be the best source. —Steve Parker, M.D. * * * Physicians focus so much on disease that we sometimes lose sight of what’s healthy and normal. For instance, the American Diabetes Association defines “tight” control of diabetes to include sugar levels as high as 179 mg/dl (9.94 mmol/l) when measured two hours after a meal. In contrast, young adults without diabetes two hours after a meal are usually in the range of 90 to 110 mg/dl (5.00–6.11 mmol/l). What Is a Normal Blood Sugar Level? The following numbers refer to average blood sugar (glucose) levels in venous plasma, as measured in a lab. Portable home glucose meters measure sugar in capillary whole blood. Many, but not all, meters in 2010 are calibrated to compare directly to venous plasma levels. Fasting blood sugar after a night of sleep and before breakfast: 85 mg/dl (4.72 mmol/l) One hour after a meal: 110 mg/dl (6.11 mmol/l) Two hours after a meal: 95 mg/dl (5.28 mmol/l) Five hours after a meal: 85 mg/dl (4.72 mmol/l) (The aforementioned meal derives 50–55% of its energy from carbohydrate) ♦ ♦ ♦ Ranges of blood sugar for young healthy non-diabetic adults: Fasting blood sugar: 70–90 mg/dl (3.89–5.00 mmol/l) One hour after a typical meal: 90–125 mg/dl (5.00–6.94 mmol/l) Two hours after a typical meal: 90–110 mg/dl (5.00–6.11 mmol/l) Five hours after a typical meal: 70–90 mg/dl (3.89–5.00 mmol/l) Blood sugars tend to be a bit lower in pregnant women. ♦ ♦ ♦ What Level of Blood Sugar Defines Diabetes and Prediabetes? According to the 2007 guidelines issued by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinol Continue reading >>
Are We All Pre-diabetic?
Even if a doctor assures you that your blood sugar is "normal," alarming evidence documents that you are at significant risk of premature death unless you achieve optimal 24-hour-a-day glucose control. Life Extension® long ago warned of the silent dangers when fasting blood sugar exceeds 85 mg/dL. New scientific studies validate this position. Even more insidious are data showing that blood sugar "spikes" that occur after each meal dramatically increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, retinal damage, and cancer. Unless steps are taken to suppress after-meal sugar surges, every large meal you eat can trigger a dangerous metabolic cascade that results in cell damage and accelerated aging. Fortunately, proven methods exist to support optimal blood sugar throughout the day. The latest is a green coffee bean extract that targets a critical enzyme involved in after-meal blood sugar spikes. When tested on humans in a placebo-controlled study, this natural extract produced an astounding 32% drop in after-meal blood sugar!1 An Epidemic of Elevated Blood Sugar The percentage of adults who suffer chronic high blood sugar is staggering! One report evaluated 46,000 middle-age individuals and found more than 80% had fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or greater.2 Another study involving 11,000 middle-age and older individuals showed more than 85% had fasting blood sugar of 85 mg/dL or greater.3 Since incidence of disease starts to increase when fasting blood sugar rises above these levels, this means the vast majority of aging humans today endure chronic cellular damage associated with elevated blood sugar. This epidemic of elevated blood sugar will accelerate age-related disease until the medical profession realizes that their test values for defining "normal" blood sugar are horr Continue reading >>
Balancing Blood Sugar Does Not Resolve Diabetes
The elephant in the natural health care room is that helping someone go from being clinically diabetic, or defined with high fasting blood sugar (over 125 and an A1c over 6.0), to having normal blood sugar and A1c ranges, does not free them from being physiologically diabetic. Is it a step in the right direction? I would say YES. Has having normal blood sugar values alone really changed their risk for all the complications that come from diabetes….not necessarily….and usually no. How disappointing to say the least! High blood sugar in diabetes is the symptom, or the effect of the problem. The cause of the underlying problem is insulin resistance. With insulin resistance being the actual problem that leads to the chronic blood sugar problems, you need to think of the whole Diabetes issues differently. Along the road to becoming diabetic, as in type 2 diabetes specifically, statistically someone starts with high blood (serum) insulin, or hyperinsulinemia, for about 7 years before they develop metabolic syndrome (3 out of the 5 metabololic risk factors of LOW HDL, HIGH Triglycerides, HIGH blood pressure, HIGH fasting blood sugar, LARGE waist circumference of 40 for men or 35 for women or larger), or pre-diabetes just having a fasting blood sugar of 100-124. They then progress with metabolic syndrome and pre-diabetes for about 2-3 years before they get diagnosed with full blown type 2 diabetes. That is if they get diagnosed early, some people go for years with diabetic blood sugar levels before they realize it or are formally diagnosed. Once they officially get type 2 diabetes, the option of simply “managing” their blood sugar, naturally or with medication to keep it in “range,” will not make them any less insulin resistant at that point. Keeping their blood sug Continue reading >>
