Boston: Blood Glucose

Boston,

Glucose is the type of sugar present in your blood that is checked to detect glucose-related diseases (e.g. Diabetes mellitus).

Since glucose is the simplest building unit of storage carbohydrates, it is supplied to the body by foods containing carbohydrates -mostly plant food.

Glucose is the main source of energy utilized by the body. Muscles have

their own stored glucose in the form of glycogen, to use it independently from glucose content of the diet.

Liver, also stores glucose as glycogen, through which it regulates the blood sugar whenever there is a shortage of glucose supply by the diet. Liver can make glycogen from materials other than glucose like amino acids.

Blood is where the brain stores its glucose needs, consequently the blood glucose levels should not be allowed to be maintained under a certain level, and the whole body is responsible for that, firstly the liver through hydrolysing its glycogen (glycogenolysis), and secondly- in extreme cases- the muscle affords its protein in the form of amino acids for the liver to synthesize glucose through a process called

gluconeogenesis.

Control of blood sugar is performed through many hormones like insulin, glucagon, growth hormone, thyroid hormone, corticosteroids, sex hormones, epinephrine, and nor-epinephrine.

Insulin is the only hormone that deals with glucose in supplied by foods directly, as it produced by the effect of glucose in the blood on pancreas, while other hormones contribute to control blood glucose in an intricate process affected by age, sex, type of food, and genetic and health condition of an individual.

Normally, blood glucose level increases slightly after eating, and this increase induces secretion of more insulin to control blood sugar not to get too high. High blood glucose over time has many damaging effects on blood vessels, kidney, nerves, and eys.

Hyperglycemia means the blood sugar is above normal values, and hypoglycemia means that the blood sugar is below normal. Diabetes mellitus is a disease where the body can not handle glucose supplied by food raising blood glucose. It is caused by failure of the body cells to respond to insulin, or failure of the pancreas to secrete insulin.

There are several different types of blood glucose tests are used to diagnose raised blood glucose:

# Fasting blood sugar measures blood glucose after you have not eaten for at least 8 hours. Values should be less than 5.5 mmol/L ( 70-99 milligrams of glucose per a deciliter of blood)

# Postprandial blood sugar measures blood glucose exactly 2 hours after you eat a meal. Values should be less than 7.8 mmol/L ( 70-145 milligrams of glucose per a deciliter of blood)

# Random blood sugar measures blood glucose regardless of when you last ate. Several random measurements may be taken throughout the day. Random testing is useful because glucose levels in healthy people do not vary widely throughout the day. Blood glucose levels that vary widely may indicate a problem. This test is also called a casual blood glucose test. Values should be less than 7 mmol/L ( 70-125 milligrams of glucose per a deciliter of blood).

# Oral glucose tolerance test is used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes. An oral glucose tolerance test is a series of blood glucose measurements taken after you drink a sweet liquid that contains glucose. This test is commonly used to diagnose diabetes that occurs during pregnancy (gestational diabetes). It is not commonly used to diagnose diabetes in a person who is not pregnant.

Source by Waheed Elqalatawy

Blood Glucose