Q. What are the normal blood sugar levels?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Normal blood sugar levels vary depending on the person and their metabolic needs. In general, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends 80-130 mg/dL before meals and less than 180 mg/dL two hours after starting a meal for non-diabetics.
For those with diabetes, glucose targets are individualized by their healthcare provider based on age, activity level and other factors such as kidney or liver function. Typically fasting goals range from 70–130mg/dL and postprandial (after eating) goals of 180mg/dL or lower. It’s important to note that there is no one size fits all approach to glycemic control; an ideal balance may take some trial and error but should ultimately be discussed with your healthcare provider as lifestyle modifications may not always cut it for someone with diabetes.
Blood sugar is tightly regulated in our bodies by insulin, a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps move sugar from our bloodstream into cells where it can be used for energy production or stored away as glycogen for later use. But when this process isn't working properly due to either lack of insulin secretion or impaired action of insulin in people with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes respectively; chronically high blood glucose levels occur- leading to potential long term health problems if left unchecked over time such as heart disease, stroke and nerve damage among others associated complications related directly or indirectly to poorly managed blood glucose levels over time.
Therefore monitoring your blood sugar levels regularly will help you better understand which activities, foods etc have an effect on increasing or decreasing these numbers allowing you identify patterns which could then help optimize your daily actions against developing possible complications associated with unstable medical conditions like diabetes - sustainable long term management begins by understanding!
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