Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Lazy Man’s Way to Prevent Diabetes Trough Blood Glucose Test

The Lazy Man’s Way to Prevent Diabetes Trough Blood Glucose Test

One of the main parts of the body that is affected by Type 2 diabetes is the pancreas. Many people eat foods that contain high doses of sugar, which turns into glucose in the blood stream. When glucose enters the blood cells, insulin is released by the pancreas so that the glucose becomes a type of fuel for the body to run on. For a person who is living with Type 2 diabetes, all of this makes it difficult for the body to produce the insulin it needs and to use what little is produced. At this point, there is plenty of glucose to be used as fuel for the body, but the cells are not able to find it.

The American Diabetes Association has the duty of looking for information regarding this important medical condition. 23.6 million individuals living in America currently have diabetes, and because of this the country is seen as very unhealthy. Ninety percent of this figure has been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes and the tendency to be overweight usually run in the family. If there is too much glucose in your body, it could result in serious internal organ damage and affect one’s nervous system.

A Diabetic Life
Healthy living can be the best way to treat Type 2 diabetes. The things that healthy people do on a regular basis can have a huge effect on diabetics. This includes actions that are as simple as exercising and eating good, healthy foods.

Those who have diabetes may be able to avoid health complications by doing their best to keep the glucose levels in their blood within the recommended range. One of the most common ways to check blood glucose is to use a finger prick test. However, many physicians have indicated that these tests are as sufficient for tracking glucose fluctuations over time as the HbA1c test.

The percentage of glycated hemoglobin in the blood is gauged by the HbA1c test and can show when glucose levels are particularly high. Tests have shown that diabetics should usually maintain less than a 7% level according to the A1c. According to the CDC, the risks of many types of diseases would reduce by up to 40% if people would reduce their a1c levels to 7 percent.
Too Much Control

One of these studies, conducted at the Lancet and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, has found that people who have median levels may be at a far greater risk of death, especially for those taking insulin. However, other tests have indicated that A1c levels of 7 percent is still perfectly healthy. Matt Davies, An accredited Endocrinologist, has stated that maintaining a 7% A1c level is healthy according to recent studies, but that physicians should always take the individual patient's history into account prior to planning treatment.

About the Author - Kristina V. Ridley writes on diabetes meters .org , her personal hobby blog focused on helping people get free information to prevent diabetes and test blood glucose at home.

(Special Thank You to guest blogger Kristina)

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