Related topics: diabetes , type 2 diabetes



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 sugar


Genetic studies reveal new causes of severe obesity in childhood

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Dec 06, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 1

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

created Dec 04, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

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.





Search results for blood sugar


Sweet -- sugared polymer a new weapon against allergies and asthma

Medicine & Health / Research

created Nov 19, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step ...


Researchers discover mechanism of insulin production that can lead to better treatment for diabetes

Researchers discover mechanism of insulin production that can lead to better treatment for diabetes

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Nov 12, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

How a specific gene within the pancreas affects secretion of insulin has been discovered by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with Japanese and American universities. Their ...


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 ...


Dentists can help to identify patients at risk of a heart attack

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 25, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Dentists can help to identify patients who are in danger of dying of a heart attack or stroke, reveals a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy. Thanks to the study, six men who thought they were completely healthy were able ...


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.


Hope for patients with type 2 diabetes

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The outlook for individuals with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease is not as grim as originally believed, according to new Saint Louis University research published in Circulation, the Journal of the American He ...


Cancers' sweet tooth may be weakness

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered.


FDA-approved drug may slow beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes patients

FDA-approved drug may slow beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes patients

Medicine & Health / Research

created Dec 04, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New findings by UT Southwestern researchers suggest that a drug already used to treat autoimmune disorders might also help slow the destruction of insulin-producing cells in patients recently diagnosed with ...


Don't Blame Tryptophan for Thanksgiving Snooze

Don't Blame Tryptophan for Thanksgiving Snooze

Medicine & Health / Health

created Nov 20, 2009 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Blame it on the heavy meal, the alcohol, or simply the opportunity afforded by a free afternoon on a traditional holiday. Just don't blame it on the tryptophan, say experts at the University ...


Obesity will snuff out health benefits gained by smoking declines

Medicine & Health / Health

created Dec 02, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

If obesity trends continue, the negative effect on the health of the U.S. population will overtake the benefits gained from declining smoking rates, according to a study by U-M and Harvard researchers published today in the ...



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