Related topics: diabetes , type 2 diabetes , insulin resistance , type 1 diabetes
Blood sugar
hideBlood 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.
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News tagged with blood sugar
Genetic studies reveal new causes of severe obesity in childhood
Dec 06, 2009 |
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Scientists in Cambridge have discovered that the loss of a key segment of DNA can lead to severe childhood obesity. This is the first study to show that this kind of genetic alteration can cause obesity. The results are published ...
Popular diabetes drugs linked to increased risk of heart failure and death
Medicine & Health / Medications
Dec 04, 2009 |
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Sulphonylureas, a type of drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, carries a greater risk of heart failure and death compared with metformin, another popular antidiabetes drug.
Scientists create fruit fly model to help unravel genetics of human diabetes
Nov 02, 2009 |
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As rates of obesity, diabetes, and related disorders have reached epidemic proportions in the US in recent years, scientists are working from many angles to pinpoint the causes and contributing factors involved ...
Researchers identify the 3 killer indicators that are even worse than high cholesterol
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Researchers at the University of Warwick have identified a particular combination of health problems that can double the risk of heart attack and cause a three-fold increase in the risk of mortality.
'Feel-good' hormone serotonin regulates blood sugar concentration
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Diabetes is the most prevalent metabolic disease in developed countries and one that engenders - in addition to its high fatality - enormous health care costs. The physiological meaning of ...
Study finds best use of insulin as diabetes progresses
Oct 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A large-scale trial in diabetes patients has provided new evidence on how best to add insulin to standard drugs to control blood sugar levels as type 2 diabetes progresses.
Illness often undiscovered and undertreated among the uninsured
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A new study shows uninsured American adults with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high cholesterol often go undiagnosed and undertreated, leading to an increased risk of costly, disabling and even lethal complications of ...
Chinese herbal medicines for preventing diabetes in high risk people
Oct 07, 2009 |
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More research is required to establish whether Chinese herbal medicines can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes, according to Cochrane Researchers. Although herbal medicines are widely used in Asian countries to ...
High-fat diet impairs muscle health before impacting function
Oct 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Skeletal muscle plays a critical role in regulating blood sugar levels in the body. But few studies have comprehensively examined how obesity caused by a high-fat diet affects the health of muscle in adolescents ...
Body's circadian rhythm tightly entwined with blood sugar control
Oct 05, 2009 |
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Scientists have long struggled to understand the body's biological clock. Its tick-tock wakes us up, reminds us to eat and tells us when to go to bed. But what sets that circadian rhythm?
'Micro shuttle' drug delivery could mean an end to regular dosing
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Oct 02, 2009 |
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Scientists working at Queen Mary, University of London, have developed micrometer-sized capsules to safely deliver drugs inside living cells.
Treating even mild gestational diabetes reduces birth complications (w/ Video)
Sep 30, 2009 |
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Treating pregnant women for mild gestational diabetes resulted in fewer cesarean sections and other serious birthing problems associated with larger than average babies, according to a study conducted in part at the University ...
Self-monitoring of blood glucose
Sep 29, 2009 |
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Diabetes patients should always control their own blood sugar values if this leads to improvements in their treatment. This is the view advocated by Michael Nauck of the Bad Lauterberg Diabetes Center and his coauthors in ...
Triple heart threat cuts decade off lifespan: study
Sep 17, 2009 |
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Middle-aged male smokers with high cholesterol and blood pressure die, on average, a decade sooner than peers without any of these heart disease risk factors, according to a study published Friday.
Goose bumps, laughter and butterflies
Sep 14, 2009 |
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The human body is as mysterious as it is magnificent. For every essential function like thought or a heartbeat, the body exhibits quirky behaviors that seem to defy explanation. Like goose bumps. Or hiccups. ...
