kidney damage | Diabetes Healthy Solutions

What is a Good Blood Sugar Level

What is a good blood sugar level? This is the kind of question that most people never ask. Most people could care less about blood glucose levels and live blissfully unaware of how glucose levels can affect health, unless they suddenly find themselves diagnosed with diabetes. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke rates are all on the decline, but diabetes rates are rising at a staggering rate and an increasing number of people find themselves concerned with the question of, “What is a good blood sugar level?”

In order to answer the question, “what is a good blood sugar level?” one should first understand what glucose is and how it works. Glucose is basically what fuels every cell in the body. When we ingest sugars and carbohydrates the body metabolizes them into glucose which is actually a type of simple sugar.

The glucose goes into the bloodstream where insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, causes the cells to “open up” so that the glucose can enter the cell and be used for fuel. Without glucose the body would cease to function as surely as trying to run a car without gas, and higher than normal levels of glucose can damage many different body systems, causing kidney damage, heart problems, neuropathies, glaucoma, or even coma and death. Like most everything in medicine the answer to the question, “what is a good blood sugar level?” may vary from patient to patient based on factors such as age, weight, other health conditions, and even exercise levels. Because of this, there are no hard and fast answers, but in most cases if you asked a doctor “what is a good blood sugar level?” he would answer that normal glucose levels are usually between 60 and 110 in a normal person.

If you check your sugar regularly and find that it is running higher than 110 or lower than 60 it is probably a good idea to stop asking “what is a good blood sugar level?” and go see your doctor to find out if your body is metabolizing glucose correctly.

What are diabetes testing meters used for?

What are diabetes testing meters used for? Diabetes testing meters are devices that allow diabetics to check their blood sugar levels at any time they need. This is extremely useful so they can keep a normal safe blood sugar level at almost any time, which is a life saver, literally. Diabetes is where the pancreas starts to slow or sometime stop in the production of a hormone called insulin. Insulin is an absolutely vital hormone. It makes all of the energy that you body has. This means that when your body doesn’t have insulin it doesn’t have energy. This is by the sugar that is in the blood stream becoming bonded with the insulin.

Without this binding the sugar cannot be used by the cells. So if insulin levels are low, blood sugar is high. When it reaches a certain point it becomes a poison and starts to damage the body. The damage most associated with hyperglycemia is heart damage, nerve damage, eye damage, and kidney damage. Of which they all lead to a slow death, so using diabetes testing meters are a have to in order to stay healthy.

Diabetes testing meters are small handheld machines that are used to measure blood sugar. The unit uses test strips to do this. First a small sample of blood is taken and is placed in a test strip. The chemical reactions that happen inside of the test strip are read by the glucose meter. This then gives a excellent (and very accurate) glucose reading on a small screen. This allows people to check their blood sugar at any time and anywhere. So you should talk to your doctor about a new glucose meter or to your local diabetic testing meters dealer for more information.

What are some great meal plans for diabetics?

What are some great meal plans for diabetics? For diabetics eating is a hassle. Can I eat this, should I eat that? This is a common problem for diabetics as the slightest mistake and your blood sugar could be sent of the scale. Diabetes is a disease that affects millions of people in the United States alone. Diabetes is where the pancreas (a important organ) fails to create the needed amounts of insulin. Insulin is needed to keep the body running. It binds with the glucose molecules in the bloodstream to make a form of fuel that the cells can use.

Without the proper amounts of the hormone the sugar levels begin to increase as they are not used. When they reach a critical level they start to cause damage to the body. The most common damage done to is heart damage, eye damage, nerve damage, and kidney damage. This makes diabetics watching what their blood sugar is and what their eating a very important situation. So planning a meal plan for diabetics is hard.

So what are some good meal plans for diabetics? Food that for one should never be consumed by a diabetic is candy bars and sweets of that sort, as they are pure simple sugars. Fruit is also a no-no as they are pure simple sugars to and can send blood sugars high. The food that is high in Carbohydrates should also be avoided. Carbohydrates must be eaten as they are your body’s fuel but should be eaten in low amounts.

Foods like bread are pure carbohydrates so should be eaten sparingly. Proteins should be consumed massively to help keep you slim and growing muscles. Meats, beans, and fish are good sources of this essential material. Fish is an absolute hit as it is full of protein and omega-3s. So talk to your doctor about a meal plan for diabetics.

What is a diabetes testing kit?

A diabetes testing kit is a kit that helps diabetics monitor their blood sugar at anytime. Diabetics must do this to live healthy lives. Diabetes is where the pancreas stops or in severe cases stops in the production of a major hormone called insulin. Without insulin the body will suffer damage or even shut down. The insulin is needed in order to get the cells fuel. It has to bind with the sugar molecules before the cells are able to use the sugar. When the insulin levels are low the sugar levels start to rise and they damage the body. The damage that is often done to the body includes heart damage, eye damage, nerve damage, and kidney damage. This is serious damage so using the proper diabetes testing kits is a have to not a choice.

A proper diabetes testing kit includes three major things. The lancet, the test strips, and the blood glucose meter. The lancet is a small needle that diabetics use to gain a blood sample. They do this by pricking the end of the finger, or with the addition of newer technology the arm. The test strips are small plastic strips that have special chemicals in them. The strips have the small sample of blood inserted in the side. The glucose monitor is a small handheld machine that is used to measure the blood sugar. This small machine takes the test strip with the blood sample in it and measures the chemical reactions in it to give you a accurate glucose level amount. Usually it can do this is seconds. These together are a proper diabetes testing kit. So talk to your doctor about getting a proper diabetes testing kit, and take care of you blood sugar levels.

What are Type 1 Diabetes Statistics?

What is type 1 diabetes statistics? Diabetes is a disease that is taking over the world by storm. 25.8 million Adults and children (just in America) have diabetes. This is probably due to diabetics passing the defective gene on (because they live longer) and today’s sweet filled diets. Diabetes is a disease where the body’s organ called the pancreas stops or slows in the manufacturing of a vital hormone called insulin. Insulin works with the body to transform the glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream into fuel that the cells can use. Without it the glucose cannot be absorbed into cells so it builds up in the blood stream. The damage that is done once it reaches a certain level is heart damage, eye damage, nerve damage, and kidney damage. This makes knowing type 1 diabetes statistics very serious. It also means that the world should be aware of these numbers.

Statistics for Type 1 diabetes- 25.8 million People have diabetes; 18 million are diagnosed with it. 79 million also suffer from pre-diabetes. It is believed that around 200000 die every year from diabetes. This also is responsible for 67% of high blood pressure cases, is the leading cause of blindness, and accounts for 44% of kidney failure cases. This makes this one of the more dangerous conditions. This can be slowed if people will eat low carb diets and avoid simple sugars. Our diets of candy bars and sugar filled fruit cause much of our diabetes cases. Today’s society also does very little exercise, these results in large amounts of sugar building up. If you are worried about having diabetes see if you have the symptoms and talk to your doctor about your chances of getting diabetes.