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


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 6 hours ago | 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 8 hours ago | 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.


Modern human brain

Scientists decode memory-forming brain cell conversations

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created 16 hours ago | popularity 4.7 / 5 (9) | 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 ...



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