Understanding Blood Sugar Level

When most people think about blood sugar levels (BSL)they associate it with diabetes. Sugar (glucose) is one of the basic ingredients of the body, but like so many other things, it is only a concern when your levels are too high (hyperglycemic) or too low (hypoglycemic).

One of the first questions that you may ask yourself when you think about your BSL is “what is a normal level?”. Your BSL varies though out the course of the day depending on when it is measured and what you have eaten.

As you eat, food is broken down into glucose. Your body starts releasing insulin to store the glucose for later use. As the glucose is stored, you stop producing the insulin. So, your blood sugar level will be highest after eating a meal and will be lowest after waking up in the morning (as a rule of thumb, you haven’t eaten in 12 hours).

Blood sugar is measured in mg/dl (milligrams of sugar/deciliter of blood) where an average reading is between 70 and 100. The average body does a very good job of maintaining this level. After eating, your blood sugar level may jump to as much as 150 mg/dl, but it will soon return to the average range once the insulin does its job.

If you have a blood sugar level between 100 and 125, then you are considered to be pre-diabetic. If you have a reading above 125, then you are considered to be diabetic.

Blood sugar is usually measured after fasting for 12 hours. The above numbers apply to that type of test.

There are two forms of this disease. The first, type I, is often referred to as childhood or juvenile onset diabetes because it is most commonly discovered during childhood. Type I diabetes occurs when you do not produce the required insulin that your body needs to function properly.

This is generally discovered early in life and must be addressed with medication. It is often referred to as “type I diabetes mellitus” or “insulin dependent diabetes mellitus” (IDDM).

The second and more common form is type II. This form occurs largely due to our lifestyle choices, namely lack of exercise, starchy, fried, fast food diets, and poor vitamin/mineral supplementation. Type II diabetes is also referred to as “type II diabetes mellitus” or “non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus” (NIDDM).

More and more people are being diagnosed with this version of the disease. Many believe that it is reaching epidemic proportions in our country and around the world. What is most disturbing is that more and more children are being diagnosed with this disease.

What’s saddest about this problem is that it is very much in our power to control. If you look around you, you can easily see why this problem is getting out of hand. Too many fast food dinners, not enough exercise, kids spending their days in front of the TV or computer…

The list goes on and on. We need to take control of how we are living and what we are doing to ourselves and our children.

The change may seem difficult, but it really isn’t. Start eating better, start exercising, start getting off the couch and spending time outside with your kids. Remember, you children will follow your example, whether it is good or bad.

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