Just what is blood sugar level?
A person’s blood sugar level (also referred to as serum glucose level or plasma glucose level) is essentially the level of glucose (sugar) present in their blood at any given time.
So why is glucose critical?
Glucose (sometimes known as dextrose) is a simple sugar that’s generated by the body from the carbs that we take in. It’s necessary for a range of critical physiological processes. In particular, it’s critical as it delivers energy to our body tissues, nervous system and also the brain.
Glucose is transferred from the intestines or liver to body cells through the circulatory system, and is made available for cell absorption through the hormone insulin, made by the pancreas.
Glucose that isn’t directly used as a source of energy by brain cells, intestinal cells and red blood cells is delivered to the liver, adipose tissue and muscle cells, where it is actually absorbed and stored as glycogen. This glycogen can be converted back to glucose and returned to the bloodstream in the event that insulin is low or absent.
How’s blood sugar level assessed?
Blood sugar is ordinarily measured in molecular count, the unit for which is mmol/L (millimoles per liter). Equally, it is oftentimes measured as a weight in grams, the unit for which is mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).
What exactly is a healthy or typical blood sugar level?
On average, one’s body sustains its blood glucose level at a reference range of between 3.6 and 5.8 mmol/L (or 64.8 and 104.4 mg/dL).
The mean typical blood glucose level in people is around 4 mmol/L (or 72 mg/dL), though the level clearly changes throughout the day. As you may expect, glucose levels are typically lowest early in the day, prior to the first meal of the day and spike just after eating for one to two hours by a few milliMolar. Having said that, when it comes to diabetes sufferers, blood sugar varies more broadly – see further below.
Just how does blood sugar / glucose levels impact your health and well-being?
As outlined above, glucose supplies one’s body with the energy that it requires to complete critical bodily functions. Too little sugar / glucose (a low blood sugar level) or excessive sugar / glucose (a high blood sugar level) may result in serious health risks and blood sugar levels outside the normal range could very well be a signal of a medical condition.
Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia
A persistently high blood sugar level is referred to as hyperglycemia, while low levels are generally known as hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is a potentially fatal condition. Symptoms include drowsiness, weakened mental performance, becoming easily irritated, trembling, twitching, weakness in arm and leg muscles, pale colouration, perspiring, paranoid or aggressive mentality and passing out. In severe instances, brain damage is possible.
In comparison, hyperglycemia can involve suppressed appetite for the short term, with long term health problems including cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes and eye, kidney, and nerve damage.
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus is characterised by prolonged hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) either because the body does not manufacture a sufficient amount of insulin, or due to the fact that their cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. It is the most common disease related to failure in blood sugar regulation.
For those with diabetes, it’s especially critical to hold blood sugar levels inside normal ranges, otherwise considerable health complications can occur. For instance, nephropathy (kidney disease), neuropathy (nerve disease), retinopathy (eye disease) and cardiovascular diseases (heart diseases).
Insulin resistance
Insulin resistance (a manifestation of polycystic ovarian syndrome) is yet another example of an ailment where blood sugar levels play a pivotal role. In this case, the person’s body fails to recognise the intake of sugars and carbohydrates which means that it continues to pump out insulin which is not required. If this carries on for a protracted time period, the pancreas can stop working and stop producing insulin completely. If proper care is not taken by those who have this illness to ensure a well-balanced diet and balanced blood sugar levels, it could ultimately bring on type two diabetes.
Can anything else impact blood sugar levels?
Various factors may affect an individual’s blood sugar level. For instance, it can be temporarily elevated as a result of intense stress (such as trauma, stroke, myocardial infarction, surgery or illness) or as a result of drug / medication use, which can cause glucose levels to go up or decrease.
Alcohol intake likewise causes an initial increase in blood sugar, but later has a tendency to cause levels to fall.
Maintaining your blood sugar level within healthy ranges
Making positive and healthy lifestyle choices (and, if necessary, modifications) is an excellent first step in keeping your blood sugar levels in check. For example, taking regular exercise and (if needed) reducing your weight in a sensible and healthy way.
Dietary modifications, in particular, are often incredibly useful in keeping blood sugar levels within normal ranges. For people with restricted diets (such as diabetics), it can often be a difficult task to ensure an optimum consumption of vitamins and minerals daily. Lots of people find that high quality, nutrients-fortified meal replacement powders / shakes can help with this.
MEALtime is a liquid meal / meal replacement shake that is rich in quality protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, nutritious herbs and psyllium husks. What’s even better, it is appropriate for diabetics and others looking to maintain healthy, stable blood sugar levels because the only sugars included are those found naturally in the ingredient fruits.
MEALtime is a fast and simple way to fuel up on the go. Not only does this meal replacement / protein shake contain an array of important vitamins and minerals, but it also has important amino acids, ginseng and aloe vera for energy!
Of course, before changing your diet or taking health supplements, always be sure to talk to your doctor or qualified health practitioner (particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medications).


January 27th, 2012
admin 

