Blood sugar

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Blood sugar concentration, or glucose level, refers to the amount of glucose present in the blood of a human or animal. Normally, in mammals the blood glucose level is maintained at a reference range between about 3.6 and 5.8 mM (mmol/l). It is tightly regulated as a part of metabolic homeostasis.

Mean normal blood glucose levels in humans are about 90 mg/100ml, equivalent to 5mM (mmol/l) (since the molecular weight of glucose, C6H12O6, is about 180 g/mol). The total amount of glucose normally in circulating human blood is therefore about 3.3 to 7g (assuming an ordinary adult blood volume of 5 litres, plausible for an average adult male). Glucose levels rise after meals for an hour or two by a few grams and are usually lowest in the morning, before the first meal of the day. Transported via the bloodstream from the intestines or liver to body cells, Glucose is the primary source of energy for body's cells, fats and oils (ie, lipids) being primarily a compact energy store.

Failure to maintain blood glucose in the normal range leads to conditions of persistently high (hyperglycemia) or low (hypoglycemia) blood sugar. Diabetes mellitus, characterized by persistent hyperglycemia from any of several causes, is the most prominent disease related to failure of blood sugar regulation.

For more information about Blood sugar, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with blood glucose

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Dessert on your mind? Your muscles may be getting the message

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 01, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Even the anticipation of sweets may cause our muscles to start taking up more blood sugar, say researchers reporting in the December issue of Cell Metabolism. That message is delivered via neurons in the brain's hypothalamus contai ...


Association of tight glycemic control with road crashes in diabetic patients

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A study from Canada published this week in PLoS Medicine suggests an association between tighter glycemic control and an increased risk of a motor vehicle crash in diabetic adults. Using a population-based case control analys ...


Strict blood sugar control in some diabetics does not lower heart attack, stroke risk

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Strictly controlling blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetics with coexisting health problems such as heart disease and hypertension does not lower their risk of a heart attack or stroke, according to a UC ...


Steroid injections may slow diabetes-related eye disease

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Injecting the corticosteroid triamcinolone into the eye may slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause vision loss and blindness, according to a report in the December issue of ...





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Five tips for stress-free exams

Five tips for stress-free exams

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's exam time, and for many students that means long days, late nights and lots of coffee. It's easy to let the anxiety get to you, so what can you do to cope with exam tension?


TGen analysis identifies biomarkers for diabetic kidney failure

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers using a DNA analysis tool developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and UCLA have identified genetic markers that could help treat chronic kidney disease among diabetics.


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Scientists decode memory-forming brain cell conversations

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Dec 16, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (12) | comments 0

The conversations neurons have as they form and recall memories have been decoded by Medical College of Georgia scientists.


Targeting brain cancer cell metabolism may provide new treatment

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Inhibiting fatty acid synthesis in brain cancer cells may offer a new option to treat about 50 percent of deadly glioblastomas that are driven by amplified signaling of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), according ...


Study finds over 90 percent of people with gum disease are at risk for diabetes

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 1

The study, led by Dr. Shiela Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the ...


Study shows how gene action may lead to diabetes prevention, cure

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created Dec 11, 2009 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (7) | comments 2

A gene commonly studied by cancer researchers has been linked to the metabolic inflammation that leads to diabetes.


High-fat low-carb diets could mean significant heart risk

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity 2.7 / 5 (3) | comments 13

New scientific research has shown that low-carbohydrate high-fat diets, made popular by the likes of the Atkins diet, do not achieve more weight loss than low-fat high-carbohydrate diets. Worryingly, the research, lead by ...


Study identifies genetic predeterminants for diabetes in African-Americans

Study identifies genetic predeterminants for diabetes in African-Americans

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 09, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For years, scientists have tried to determine the basis for discrepancies between race and the predisposition for development of diseases such as type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Could factors ...


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Coffee Consumption Associated with Reduced Risk of Advanced Prostate Cancer

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- While it is too early for physicians to start advising their male patients to take up the habit of regular coffee drinking, data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers ...


College football linemen take one for the team in terms of health

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 07, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The high-intensity exercise performed by college football linemen does not protect them from obesity, related health problems and the potential for cardiovascular disease later in life, new research suggests.



List of search results for blood glucose