Understanding Blood Glucose Level
For a diabetes patient, monitoring blood sugar level is of high significance. It is the best tool to have a great control over the prevalent disease. The amount of glucose or sugar present in the blood is variable throughout the day and night, depending on when, what and how much food is taken and whether or not the body burns calories. Being aware on what blood sugar normal level is, how it can affect diabetes and what relative blood sugar test can be conducted to determine it can help anyone in getting back in shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Blood Glucose Tests Fasting blood sugar (FBS) measures the blood sugar after the patient has not eaten for 8 hours. It is the initial test conducted to determine diabetes and prediabetes. 2-hour postprandial blood sugar measures the blood sugar 2 hours right after the patient ate. Random blood sugar or also called casual blood glucose test measures the blood sugar despite of when the patient last ate. Several random tests may be conducted throughout the day. Since blood glucose level for healthy people doesn’t vary throughout the day, having varying results could mean a problem. Oral glucose tolerance test is performed through a series of blood glucose measurements taken after drinking a liquid containing glucose. It is used determine diabetes, prediabetes and especially for gestational diabetes on pregnant women. Glycohemoglobin A1c or also called estimated average glucose measures how much glucose is present to the red blood cells. This is an effective method to keep track of blood sugar level for two to three months.
Blood Glucose Normal Level Glucose pertains to the major source of energy that is necessary for human cells and organs. The energy produced is from the food eaten, broken down into the stomach and absorbed by the body through the bloodstream. Thus, it increases the body’s blood glucose level. The blood glucose normal level is usually 70 to 100 milligrams per deciliter, in the morning upon waking up, or prior to any food intake. This method is called fasting blood glucose or sugar level. In case of random blood glucose test, the result will vary depending on what the patient last ate. The normal result two hours after eating is less than 140 milligrams per deciliter.
Abnormal Results A patient who gets a level of 100-125 milligrams per deciliter after a fasting glucose test has prediabetes. For A1c, results between 5.7-6.4% and any value between 140 milligram per deciliter and 199 milligram per deciliter during a two-hour oral glucose tolerance test means the patient is diagnosed of prediabetes. Prediabetes or also called impaired fasting glucose means that the patient is more likely to develop diabetes. Keep track of your blood sugar level record to check if it is too high or too low for several days. If it is, it might mean you need to have some changes in your diabetes plan. To have a thorough understanding of your blood glucose level result, contact your doctor at once.
Source: Pharmacy in Brooklyn