How blood sugar levels can affect your health

So what is blood sugar level?

A person’s blood sugar level (also referred to as serum glucose level or plasma glucose level) is really just the level of glucose (sugar) present in their blood at any time.

Exactly why is glucose important?

Glucose (otherwise known as dextrose) is a simple sugar which is generated by the body from the carbohydrate food that individuals take in. It is vital for a variety of necessary bodily functions. Specifically, it is important as it supplies energy to our cells, nervous system as well as the brain.

Glucose is transferred from the intestinal tract or liver to body cells by way of the circulatory system, and is made available for cell absorption via the hormone insulin, generated by the pancreas.

Glucose which is not directly used as an energy source by brain cells, intestinal cells and red blood cells is taken to the liver, adipose tissue and muscle cells, where it’s assimilated and stored as glycogen. This glycogen can be switched back to glucose and returned to the bloodstream in the event that insulin is low or absent.

How is blood sugar level tested?

Blood sugar is generally measured in molecular count, the unit for which is mmol/L (millimoles per liter). It is also frequently calculated as a weight in grams, the unit for which is mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).

What is a healthy or standard blood sugar level?

On average, the body sustains its blood glucose level at a reference range of between 3.6 and 5.8 mmol/L (or 64.8 and 104.4 mg/dL).

The mean regular blood glucose level in humans is around 4 mmol/L (or 72 mg/dL), though the level naturally varies during the course of the day. As you may expect, glucose levels are likely to be lowest upon waking, before the first meal of the day and spike immediately after eating for 1 - 2 hours by a couple of milliMolar. However, in terms of diabetics, blood sugar fluctuates more widely - see further below.

How does blood sugar / glucose levels have an effect on your overall health?

As mentioned above, glucose gives your body with the fuel that it must have to undertake important physiological functions. Too little sugar / glucose (a low blood sugar level) or an excessive amount of sugar / glucose (a high blood sugar level) can bring about significant illnesses and blood sugar levels outside of the standard range may be a signal of an underlying disease.

Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia

A continuously high blood sugar level is referred to as hyperglycemia, while low levels are termed as hypoglycemia.

Hypoglycemia is a potentially fatal condition. Symptoms include lethargy, weakened mental functioning, becoming easily irritated, trembling, twitching, lack of strength in arm and leg muscles, pale colouration, excessive sweating, paranoid or hostile mentality and loss of consciousness. In rare cases, brain damage is possible.

By contrast, hyperglycemia can involve suppressed appetite in the short term, with long term health issues including coronary disease, diabetes and eye, kidney, and nerve damage.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is characterised by persistent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) either because the body does not make enough insulin, or due to the fact that their cells do not react to the insulin which is produced. It happens to be the most prevalent disease associated with malfunction in blood sugar regulation.

For people with diabetes, it is of course especially vital to maintain blood sugar levels inside normal ranges, otherwise major health complications can arise. For instance, nephropathy (kidney disease), neuropathy (nerve disease), retinopathy (eye disease) and cardiovascular diseases (heart diseases).

Insulin resistance

Insulin resistance (a manifestation of polycystic ovarian syndrome) is another instance of a condition where blood sugar levels have a crucial role. In this case, the body doesn’t recognise the consumption of sugars and carbohydrates which means that it continues to pump out insulin which is not required. If this goes on for a prolonged period of time, the pancreas can shut down and cease to produce insulin entirely. If proper care is not taken by those who have this problem to ensure a well-balanced diet and balanced blood sugar levels, it has the potential ultimately lead to type 2 diabetes.

Can anything else affect blood sugar levels?

A variety of things can impact an individual’s blood sugar level. Including, it can be temporarily elevated as a result of severe stress (such as trauma, stroke, myocardial infarction, surgery or disease) or as a result of drug / medication use, which can cause glucose levels to increase or go down.

Alcohol intake additionally causes an initial upturn in blood sugar, but afterwards tends to cause levels to fall.

Keeping your blood sugar level within healthy ranges

Making positive and healthy lifestyle choices (and, if needed, adjustments) is a good starting point in keeping your blood sugar levels in control. For instance, taking regular physical exercise and (if needed) slimming down in a smart and healthy way.

Dietary modifications, specifically, can often be very useful in keeping blood sugar levels within normal ranges. For those with restricted diets (such as diabetics), it can often be a challenge to ensure an optimum consumption of vitamins and minerals everday. Many individuals find that top quality, nutrients-fortified meal replacement powders / shakes can help with this.

MEALtime is a liquid meal / meal replacement powder that’s rich in quality protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, nutritious herbs and psyllium husks. On top of that, it is appropriate for diabetics and others trying to maintain healthy, stable blood sugar levels because the only sugars included are those found naturally in the ingredient fruits.

MEALtime is a fast and simple way to fuel up on the go. Not only does this meal replacement / protein shake contain an array of important vitamins and minerals, but it also has important amino acids, ginseng and aloe vera for energy!

Obviously, before altering your eating habits or taking health supplements, always be sure to talk to your physician or qualified health practitioner (particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on medications).