There is really no such thing as a normal blood sugar count, since so called “normal” sugar levels can be effected by the patients weight, build, age, and other health conditions. Only a physician can determine what a normal blood sugar count is for the individual and it is of utmost importance that sugar levels be maintained as close to “normal” as possible to head off the myriad of detrimental effects that come from constantly elevated or decreased sugar levels.

For starters there are two types of diabetes, type one which usually begins to cause problems in early childhood, and type two which usually becomes a problem during the adult years. The body needs sugar to function, not table sugar, but a special sugar called glucose which the body processes from the foods we eat. In order for glucose to be used by the cells it requires a hormone called insulin to be present in the blood.

Insulin is produced by the pancreas and in type I diabetes the pancreas has either a decreased or completely absent insulin production and requires that the patient inject themselves with insulin in order to keep their normal blood sugar count somewhat normal. Type two diabetes also results from poor or absent insulin production but is often manageable with special diets or oral medications.

As a general rule the normal blood sugar count for a healthy person should be between 80 and 100 milligrams per deciliter. As stated before this is a general rule and cannot be applied to every person in every circumstance. When it comes to the correct answer for what a specific persons normal blood sugar count should be the person’s physician should be the one to make the ruling because they are familiar with all the person’s healthcare needs and how they may affect individuals normal blood sugar count.