Is 130 a good blood sugar level: Managing your blood sugar: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

08.03.202125.07.2023 by alexxlab

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Managing your blood sugar: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

When you have diabetes, you should have good control of your blood sugar. If your blood sugar is not controlled, serious health problems called complications can happen to your body. Learn how to manage your blood sugar so that you can stay as healthy as possible.

Know the basic steps for managing your diabetes. Poorly managed diabetes can lead to many health problems.

Know how to:

Recognize and treat low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Recognize and treat high blood sugar (hyperglycemia)
Plan healthy meals
Monitor your blood sugar (glucose)
Take care of yourself when you are sick
Find, buy, and store diabetes supplies
Get the checkups you need

If you take insulin, you should also know how to:

Give yourself insulin
Adjust your insulin doses and the foods you eat to manage your blood sugar during exercise and on sick days

You should also live a healthy lifestyle.

Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Do muscle strengthening exercises 2 or more days a week.
Avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time.
Try speed walking, swimming, or dancing. Pick an activity you enjoy. Always check with your health care provider before starting any new exercise plans.
Follow your meal plan. Every meal is an opportunity to make a good choice for your diabetes management.

Take your medicines the way your provider recommends.

Checking your blood sugar levels often and writing down, or using an app to track the results will tell you how well you are managing your diabetes. Talk to your doctor and diabetes educator about how often you should check your blood sugar.

Not everyone with diabetes needs to check their blood sugar every day. But some people may need to check it many times a day.
If you have type 1 diabetes, check your blood sugar at least 4 times a day.

Usually, you will test your blood sugar before meals and at bedtime. You may also check your blood sugar:

After you eat out, particularly if you have eaten foods you don’t normally eat
If you feel sick
Before and after you exercise
If you have a lot of stress
If you eat too much
If you are taking new medicines that can affect your blood sugar

Keep a record for yourself and your provider. This will be a big help if you are having problems managing your diabetes. It will also tell you what works and what doesn’t work, to keep your blood sugar under control. Write down:

The time of day
Your blood sugar level
The amount of carbohydrates or sugar you ate
The type and dose of your diabetes medicines or insulin
The type of exercise you do and for how long
Any unusual events, such as feeling stressed, eating different foods, or being sick

Many glucose meters let you store this information.

You and your provider should set a target goal for your blood sugar levels for different times during the day. If your blood sugar is higher than your goals for 3 days and you don’t know why, call your provider.

Random blood sugar values are often not that useful to your provider and this can be frustrating to people with diabetes. Often fewer values with more information (meal description and time, exercise description and time, medicine dose and time) related to the blood sugar value are much more useful to help guide medicine decisions and dose adjustments.

For people with type 1 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends that blood sugar targets be based on a person’s needs and goals. Talk to your doctor and diabetes educator about these goals. A general guideline is:

Before meals, your blood sugar should be:

From 90 to 130 mg/dL (5.0 to 7.2 mmol/L) for adults
From 90 to 130 mg/dL (5.0 to 7.2 mmol/L) for children, 13 to 19 years old
From 90 to 180 mg/dL (5.0 to 10.0 mmol/L) for children, 6 to 12 years old
From 100 to 180 mg/dL (5. 5 to 10.0 mmol/L) for children under 6 years old

After meals (1 to 2 hours after eating), your blood sugar should be:

Less than 180 mg/dL (10 mmol/L) for adults

At bedtime, your blood sugar should be:

From 90 to 150 mg/dL (5.0 to 8.3 mmol/L) for adults
From 90 to 150 mg/dL (5.0 to 8.3 mmol/L) for children, 13 to 19 years old
From 100 to 180 mg/dL (5.5 to 10.0 mmol/L) for children, 6 to 12 years old
From 110 to 200 mg/dL (6.1 to 11.1 mmol/L) for children under 6 years old

For people with type 2 diabetes, the American Diabetes Association also recommends that blood sugar targets be individualized. Talk to your doctor and diabetes educator about your goals.

In general, before meals, your blood sugar should be:

From 70 to 130 mg/dL (3.9 to 7.2 mmol/L) for adults

After meals (1 to 2 hours after eating), your blood sugar should be:

Less than 180 mg/dL (10.0 mmol/L) for adults

High blood sugar can harm you. If your blood sugar is high, you need to know how to bring it down. Here are some questions to ask yourself if your blood sugar is high.

Are you eating too much or too little? Have you been following your diabetes meal plan?
Are you taking your diabetes medicines correctly?
Has your provider (or insurance company) changed your medicines?
Is your insulin expired? Check the date on your insulin.
Has your insulin been exposed to very high or very low temperatures?
If you take insulin, have you been taking the correct dose? Are you changing your syringes or pen needles?
Are you afraid of having low blood sugar? Is that causing you to eat too much or take too little insulin or other diabetes medicine?
Have you injected insulin into a firm, numb, bumpy, or overused area? Have you been rotating sites?
Have you been less or more active than usual?
Do you have a cold, flu, or another illness?
Have you had more stress than usual?
Have you been checking your blood sugar every day?
Have you gained or lost weight?

Call your provider if your blood sugar is too high or too low and you do not understand why. When your blood sugar is in your target range, you will feel better and your health will be better.

Hyperglycemia – control; Hypoglycemia – control; Diabetes – blood sugar control; Blood glucose – managing

Manage your blood sugar

Blood test

Glucose test

Atkinson MA, Mcgill DE, Dassau E, Laffel L. Type 1 diabetes. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 36.

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee; Draznin B, Aroda VR, et al. 6. Glycemic Targets: Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes-2022. Diabetes Care. 2022;45(Suppl 1):S83-S96. PMID: 34964868 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34964868/.

Riddle MC, Ahmann AJ. Therapeutics of type 2 diabetes. In: Melmed S, Auchus RJ, Goldfine AB, Koenig RJ, Rosen CJ, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 35.

Leg or foot amputation

Type 1 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes

ACE inhibitors

Cholesterol and lifestyle

Diabetes and exercise

Diabetes eye care

Diabetes – foot ulcers

Diabetes – keeping active

Diabetes – preventing heart attack and stroke

Diabetes – taking care of your feet

Diabetes tests and checkups

Diabetes – when you are sick

Dietary fats explained

Fast food tips

Foot amputation – discharge

Heart disease – risk factors

Leg amputation – discharge

Leg or foot amputation – dressing change

Low blood sugar – self-care

Managing your blood sugar

Mediterranean diet

Phantom limb pain

Type 2 diabetes – what to ask your doctor

Updated by: Sandeep K. Dhaliwal, MD, board-certified in Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, Springfield, VA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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What are Normal Blood Sugar Levels?

Your blood sugar levels are a critical part of your overall health and your body’s ability to function properly on a daily basis.

For those of us with diabetes, striving to achieve “normal” blood sugar levels is a constant, hour-by-hour pursuit. And it isn’t easy.

In this article, we’ll look at “normal” blood sugar levels and goal ranges for a non-diabetic’s body, and realistic blood sugar goals for people with prediabetes, type 1, and type 2 diabetes.

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Normal blood sugar ranges in healthy non-diabetics

For a person without any type of diabetes, blood sugar levels are generally between 70 to 130 mg/dL depending on the time of day and the last time they ate a meal.

Newer theories about non-diabetic blood sugar levels have included post-meal blood sugar levels as high as 140 mg/dL.

(If you live outside the US and are used to measures in mmol/L, just divide all numbers by 18)

Here are the normal blood sugar ranges for a person without diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association:

Fasting blood sugar (in the morning, before eating): Less than 100 mg/dL
1-2 hours after a meal: Less than 140 mg/dL
2-3 hours after eating: Less than 100 mg/dL

Diagnosing prediabetes, type 2, and type 1 diabetes

Depending on which country or medical organization you ask, the qualifying numbers for “normal” versus “prediabetes” versus diagnosed type 1 or type 2 diabetes can vary slightly.

The following blood sugar and A1c results are used to diagnose prediabetes and diabetes according to sources including the American Diabetes Association and Diabetes UK:

Prediabetes

HbA1c: 5. 7 to 6.4 percent
Fasting: 100 to 125 mg/dL
2 hours after a meal: 140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL

Type 1 or 2 diabetes

HbA1c: 6.5 percent or higher
Fasting: 126 mg/dL or higher
2 hours after a meal: 200 mg/dL or higher

Please note: Type 1 diabetes tends to develop very quickly which means that by the time symptoms are felt, blood sugar levels are generally well above 200 mg/dL all the time. For many, symptoms come on so quickly that they are dismissed as the lingering flu or another seemingly ordinary virus.

By the time blood sugar levels are tested, many newly diagnosed type 1 patients will see levels above 400 mg/dL or higher. If you do suspect that you or a loved one has type 1 diabetes, visit your primary care or urgent care immediately and ask for a urine test to measure ketones in addition to testing blood sugar levels and A1c.

Read more about ketones at diagnosis in our Diabetic Ketoacidosis Guide.

Your A1c and blood sugar goals

Managing any type of diabetes is far more complicated than giving a patient some insulin and telling them to keep their blood sugars within X and X. If you’ve lived with diabetes for more than a few days, you probably already know this.

What is A1c?

“A1c, hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c or glycohemoglobin test (all different names for the same thing) is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar over the last 2-3 months,” explains Christel Oerum in DiabetesStrong’s guide to lowering your A1c.

The prior two weeks of blood sugar levels before your blood is tested for your A1c have the largest impact on your results, but the amount of glucose attached to hemoglobin (the protein in your red blood cells) in your body from the prior 3 months. The more glucose there is in your bloodstream from high blood sugar levels, the more glucose there is to attach to hemoglobin.

Translating your A1c to a blood sugar level

Using this easy calculator from the ADA, you can translate your most recent A1C result to an “eAG” or “estimate average glucose level. ”

You can also use this translation when working to improve your A1c and achieve closer to normal blood sugar levels.

If you know an A1c of 6.5 is an average blood sugar level of 126 mg/dL or a range of 100 to 152 mg/dL, then you can look at your current blood sugar results on your CGM and meter and pinpoint which time of day you’re frequently higher than this range.

12% = 298 mg/dL or range of 240 – 347
11% = 269 mg/dL or range of 217 – 314
10% = 240 mg/dL or range of 193 – 282
9% = 212 mg/dL or range of 170 –249
8% = 183 mg/dL or range of 147 – 217
7% = 154 mg/dL or range of 123 – 185
6% = 126 mg/dL or range of 100 – 152
5% = 97 mg/dL or range of 76 – 120

“Normal blood sugar levels” in a person without diabetes can result in an A1c as low as 4.6 or 4.7 percent and as high as 5.6 percent.

Just a decade or two ago, it was rare for a person with type 1 diabetes to achieve an A1c result below 6 percent. Thanks to new and improved insulin and better technology like continuous glucose monitors and smarter insulin pumps, more people with diabetes are able to safely achieve A1c levels in the higher 5 percent range.

Why your A1c matters

In a nutshell: your A1c is one of the clearest indicators of your risk for developing diabetes complications like neuropathy (nerve damage in your hands and feet), retinopathy (nerve damage in your eyes, risking blindness), nephropathy (nerve damage in your kidneys), and severe infection in any part of your body that requires healing.

For instance, a small cut on your toe could become infected due to high blood sugars, struggle to heal, and become severe enough that the infection could lead to an amputation.

The general guidelines from the American Diabetes Association recommend an A1c at or below 7.0 percent for the best prevention of diabetes complications. Your risk of developing a diabetes complication continues to drop as your A1c drops closer to 6 percent.

Some people with diabetes aim for A1c levels in the 5s and lower — especially those who follow strict low-carb diets like the ketogenic diet and the Bernstein diet. However, this hasn’t been proven in research as especially necessary, nor is it reasonably achievable for the larger population of people with diabetes.

It’s also important to remember that your blood sugar levels and your A1c are just information that tells you whether your body needs more or less of factors like insulin, other diabetes medications like Metformin, changes in your nutrition, and changes in your exercise.

If you don’t like the number you’re seeing on your glucose meter or your A1c results, use that number as motivation to make changes (with the support of your diabetes healthcare team) in how you safely manage your diabetes in order to get different results.

Determining the right A1c goal for you

Just because a normal blood sugar range of 70 to 130 mg/dL is considered the healthiest doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the appropriate goal range for you — especially if you have type 1 diabetes, or take insulin as a person with type 2 diabetes.

The reason this may not be the right goal for you is that extremely tight blood sugar management in people taking insulin can potentially lead to frequent low blood sugars — which can be dangerous.

Achieving extremely tight blood sugar management, like a range of 70 to 130 mg/dL, also often requires a strict nutrition plan, more frequent than usual blood sugar monitoring, precise medication management, and most importantly, years of experience studying your blood sugar levels.

A1c goals should be individualized

“A1c goals should be individualized based on the individual capabilities, risks, and prior experiences,” explains Gary Scheiner, MS, CDE, founder of Integrated Diabetes, and author of Think Like a Pancreas.

“For example, we generally aim for very tight A1c levels during pregnancy and more conservative targets in young children and the elderly.”

However, Scheiner highlights important factors that could justify aiming for a higher A1c, like “hypoglycemia unawareness,” which is described as when a person with diabetes no longer feels the oncoming warning signs of low blood sugar. This can put you at significant risk for severe low blood sugars resulting in seizures or death. To reduce that risk, you would aim for higher target blood sugar ranges.

“Someone with significant hypoglycemia unawareness and a history of severe lows should target higher blood glucose levels than someone who can detect and manage their lows more effectively,” adds Scheiner. “And certainly, someone who has been running A1c’s in double digits [like 10 percent or higher] for quite some time should not be targeting an A1c of 6%… better to set modest, realistic, achievable goals.”

Your blood sugar isn’t just because of what you eat

Mainstream media would have you believe that your blood sugar levels are impacted only by what you eat and how much you exercise, but people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who test their blood sugars frequently could tell you otherwise.

It’s especially important to keep this in mind when looking at your own blood sugars and your goals because there are certain variables and challenges that impact blood sugar levels that you can’t always control.

For example:

Menstrual cycles: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
Adrenaline rushes from competitive sports, heated arguments, or rollercoaster rides: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
The common cold and other illnesses: usually raise blood sugar and insulin needs
Hormonal changes due to puberty and healthy growth in young adults: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
An injury that raises overall inflammation levels: raises blood sugar and insulin needs
Glucogenesis during anaerobic exercise: raises blood sugar

While you can’t necessarily prevent these factors that affect your blood sugar from occurring, you can work with your diabetes healthcare team to adjust your insulin, other diabetes medications, nutrition and activity levels to help compensate for them when they do occur.

For example, when engaging in anaerobic exercise — like weightlifting — many people with type 1 diabetes find it necessary to take a small bolus of insulin prior to or during their workout because anaerobic exercise can actually raise blood sugar.

Still frustrated with your blood sugar and A1c results?

Your blood sugars and your insulin or medication needs never stay in one place. If you gain weight or lose weight, your insulin and medication needs will change. If you become more active or less active, your needs will change. If you make drastic or even small changes to your nutrition, your needs will change!

Working with your diabetes healthcare team, and diabetes coaches who can teach you how to make changes in your overall diabetes management plan are essential. Diabetes is a lifelong learning process.

Take a deep breath and be patient. If you don’t like what you’re seeing on your glucose meter, don’t get mad…get studying! Take good notes and work with your team to make changes to reach your goals.

Read more about improving your A1c in DiabetesStrong’s guide, How to Lower Your A1c.

Blood sugar norm: for women, men, children

Glucose is fuel for cells. For the normal functioning of the body, it is necessary that a small amount of it is always present in the blood. If there is too little of it, the cells begin to starve, and this harms the functioning of the organs. Excess blood glucose is most often the result of problems with insulin, which can be a manifestation of diabetes or other diseases.

How blood sugar is measured
Norm
Advanced level
Reduced level
Physician’s comment

The material was checked and commented by Anastasia Danilova, endocrinologist of the Semeynaya clinic network

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How sugar levels are measured

It is worth clarifying right away: when people talk about blood sugar, they mean glucose. This is not entirely true – regular sugar, when it enters the body, is broken down into glucose and fructose.

The traditional methods of measuring sugar levels are venous plasma and capillary blood tests (from a finger). The first method is more accurate, it is used in medical research. You can easily take blood from a finger yourself, so the second method is used in pocket glucometers, which allow you to check your sugar level without the help of a doctor.

Over the past few years, innovative devices for continuous monitoring of sugar levels have appeared on the market. Sensors that are attached to or implanted under the skin transmit glucose levels every few minutes.

Another clinical method for diagnosing diabetes is the glucose tolerance test. The patient is measured fasting blood sugar, and then given a glass of water with dissolved glucose (oral method, OGTT). Then the sugar level is checked after two hours (or after an hour – in pregnant women). This allows you to study how the body metabolizes carbohydrates [1].

Blood sugar levels

In Russia, blood sugar is measured in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). In America and Europe, in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). 1 mmol/L = 18.01 mg/dL.

Fasting sugar norm

Glucose norm two hours after OGTT

even with a random test, that is, at any time after a meal. The Ministry of Health does not recommend diagnosing diabetes on the basis of a single blood test, except in acute situations where hyperglycemia is present. For accuracy, the study must be repeated.

Elevated blood sugar

The condition when the glucose level is higher than 7 mmol/l on an empty stomach or 11.1 mmol/l two hours after a meal is called hyperglycemia. Most often, it occurs when there is a violation of the production and use of insulin, a hormone that delivers glucose to cells. In this case, there is a lot of sugar in the blood, but it is not used.

The main cause of impaired insulin production is diabetes mellitus, but there are other causes. Sugar spikes can occur:

after operations;
against the background of diseases of the pancreas;
against the background of diseases of the endocrine system, such as Cushing’s syndrome;
against the background of infectious diseases, such as influenza;
when taking steroid drugs;
after stress.

For people who do not have such diseases, glucose surges are not terrible – the body itself will return its level to normal.

Symptoms of hyperglycemia are similar to those of diabetes:

profuse urination;
constant thirst;
fatigue;
deterioration of mental abilities;
headaches;
blurred vision.

Hyperglycemia is the first sign of a carbohydrate metabolism disorder. If a doctor has diagnosed this disorder, he may recommend:

move more, play sports;
switch to a low-carbohydrate diet;
monitor the glycemic index of food;
give up bad habits.

Low blood sugar

The condition when the amount of glucose in the blood falls below 2.8 mmol/l in healthy people and below 3.9 in patients with diabetes is called hypoglycemia [3]. With it, the body does not have enough energy, the cells gradually begin to starve.

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Acute hypoglycemia affects all organs, but primarily the nervous system and brain. The main symptoms of this condition include:

dizziness;
weakness;
inability to concentrate;
depressed mood;
hunger;
sweating;
nausea;
aggressiveness;
mydriasis – pupil dilation;
panic;
trembling;
confusion;
convulsions;
paresthesia – sensations of tingling, burning on the skin;
palpitations.

If glucose levels fall even lower, damage to the nervous system begins, which can lead to coma and death. The critical value is 2.5 mmol / l in men, 1.9 in women and 2.2 in children.

These symptoms may be associated with other diseases and conditions, including hyperglycemia. Often, blood sugar levels drop without any symptoms at all. Therefore, hypoglycemia can be detected only with the help of a glucometer.

Hypoglycemia most commonly occurs in people with diabetes who have taken too much insulin and then not eaten enough carbohydrates. In patients with type 1 diabetes, hypoglycemia, as well as hyperglycemia, can occur in the morning, and in people with type 2 diabetes, after physical activity and taking certain drugs.

In non-diabetic people, dangerous hypoglycemia occurs rarely, but in completely healthy and well-nourished people almost never. It can be provoked by:

alcohol consumption in large quantities – it can disrupt the function of the liver, which is responsible for saturating the blood with glucose;
taking certain medications – antimalarial drugs, antibiotics, drugs for pneumonia;
anorexia;
hepatitis;
diseases of the adrenal and pituitary glands;
liver disease;
diseases of the pancreas, including insulinoma – a rare tumor that provokes the production of additional insulin;
postpartum period;
severe physical exhaustion;
prolonged fasting.

In addition, there is reactive hypoglycemia, in which the blood sugar level falls some time after eating. It can develop after operations on the stomach and upper part of the small intestine [4].

Hypoglycemia is relieved by high carbohydrate foods or drinks, glucose or glucagon injections.

Doctor’s comment

Anastasia Danilova, endocrinologist of the Semeynaya clinic chain

At what age and at what risk factors should you start monitoring your sugar levels?

Glucose levels should be checked regularly, even if everything seems to be in order. The WHO Expert Committee recommends testing for diabetes in all patients over the age of 45 years, and if the result is negative, the tests should be repeated every three years.

But, given the fact that diabetes in the current conditions is rapidly getting younger and more common, doctors recommend an annual examination of patients even at a younger age, especially if there are signs of the so-called metabolic syndrome. You can talk about it in the case of severe obesity, and in addition, with a hereditary burden of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol in history. For women, additional risk factors are gestational diabetes (detected during pregnancy) and the birth of a child weighing more than 4.5 kg.

Under what conditions can dangerous hypoglycemia develop in a healthy person?

The state of hypoglycemia can also develop in a healthy person in case of starvation, severe emotional stress, prolonged physical or mental stress without replenishing glucose reserves. Hypoglycemia can occur after drinking alcohol, especially on an empty stomach or immediately after intense exercise.

Diabetes mellitus | Association of Cardiovascular Surgeons of Russia Section “Cardiology and Imaging in Cardiac Surgery”

DIABETES

What is diabetes?

In diabetes mellitus, blood sugar (glucose) is chronically elevated. This is due to a malfunction of the hormone insulin produced by the pancreas. Insulin is involved in glucose metabolism and lowers blood sugar levels.

Diabetes mellitus, like any other chronic disease, is characterized by a progressive course. Elevated blood sugar for a long time leads to chronic diseases. With diabetes, a complete cure is impossible. However, effective measures to control blood sugar levels have now been developed.

If you learn to manage your body so well that your blood sugar stays at a normal level almost all the time, then diabetes will turn from a disease into a special way of life . It is a way of life, not a disease! Only with this lifestyle, you can avoid all the complications associated with diabetes.

Why does blood sugar rise?

There are two sources of high blood sugar: carbohydrates from food and glucose from the liver. The liver is the storage (depot) of sugar in the body. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve a decrease in blood sugar levels only by restricting carbohydrate intake. Under such conditions, the liver will simply increase the release of sugar into the blood, and the sugar level will still remain high.

If your blood sugar is above 7.8 mmol/l,
which is confirmed by repeated measurement
a few days later,
you have diabetes mellitus.

For diagnosis, you can also use the test with a load of
glucose (measuring glucose
2 hours after taking a sugar solution),
, as well as measuring
glycated blood hemoglobin (HbA1c).

Insulin is a pancreatic hormone that helps glucose to “absorb” – to penetrate into all cells of the body. In a non-diabetic person, when glucose levels rise, the required amount of insulin enters the bloodstream. That is, when sugar levels rise, the pancreas increases insulin production, and when it decreases, it decreases.

If there is not enough insulin in the blood, the blood sugar level after eating does not decrease and goes beyond the normal range. In diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or the body’s cells lose the ability to take up insulin.

What is a normal blood sugar level?

For people without diabetes, the blood sugar level (glycemia) on an empty stomach is 3.3-5.5 mmol/l or 60-100 mg%.

After eating the blood sugar level in a person without diabetes rises to 7.8 mmol/l (but not higher!).

Normal blood sugar ranges from 3.3 to 7.8 mmol/l.

If the sugar level remains high, the cells of the body starve, the person feels thirsty, weak, gets tired quickly, becomes unable to perform even ordinary work, and loses weight.

Diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2

Diabetes mellitus is divided into 2 types: type 1 (1) and type 2 (2).

The first type – insulin dependent, develops in people with insufficient insulin production. Most often it appears at an early age: in children, adolescents, young people. But this does not mean that type 1 diabetes (insulin-dependent) occurs only in young people. In this type of diabetes, the patient is forced to constantly inject himself with insulin.

The second type – insulin-independent , sometimes occurs even with an excess of insulin. In this type of diabetes, the cells of the body do not take insulin well, and glucose is not absorbed. This type of diabetes appears in adulthood, often after the age of 40. Its development is associated with increased body weight . In type 2 diabetes, in order to control the disease, it is necessary to change the diet, increase the intensity of physical activity and lose weight. It is not enough just to take pills. If you do not change your lifestyle, most likely, the complications caused by diabetes will develop rapidly.

How does diabetes affect organs?

By the way,

In people with diabetes who control their blood pressure,
the risk of developing myocardial infarction and stroke, as well as
death from cardiovascular causes,
is reduced by 2 times.

A constantly elevated blood sugar level leads to damage to the vessels of various organs. There are microvascular and macrovascular complications. microvascular complications of include damage to the small vessels of the eyes and kidneys, which can lead to the development of renal failure and loss of vision. Macrovascular complications are associated with damage to the large vessels of the legs and heart. In diabetes mellitus, not only blood vessels are affected, but also nerve fibers, leading to the development of neuropathy.

Ischemic heart disease (CHD) is the most common vascular complication of diabetes mellitus (DM).

The prevalence of coronary heart disease in patients with type II diabetes is 2-4 times higher, and the risk of developing acute myocardial infarction (MI) is 6-10 times higher than in people without diabetes. Men and women aged 50 years with type II diabetes have a life expectancy of 7.5–8.2 years less than equivalent persons without diabetes.

In the presence of the same number of traditional risk factors for coronary artery disease, mortality from cardiovascular diseases is significantly higher in patients with diabetes. Vascular damage progresses faster in patients with diabetes mellitus. The reason for the high morbidity and mortality of diabetic patients from cardiovascular accidents is the fact that in addition to the common for all risk factors for coronary artery disease, patients with diabetes also have risk factors that are characteristic only for this disease:
– hyperglycemia (increased blood glucose),0214 – hyperinsulinemia (high levels of insulin in the blood),
– microalbuminuria (protein excretion in the urine associated with kidney damage).

The interaction of all these factors significantly accelerates the development of atherosclerosis.

Harvard Medical School recommends:

Blood sugar and blood pressure control, as well as
lifestyle changes, will help
significantly reduce the risk of
myocardial infarction and stroke.

Lifestyle changes include:
– Daily exercise
– Weight loss (if necessary)
– Smoking cessation
– Low-calorie diet

– With an equal degree of increase in systolic blood pressure, mortality from cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus is 2-3 times higher than in people without diabetes.

– With a similar increase in cholesterol levels, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes is 2-4 times higher than in those without diabetes.

– And with a combination of three risk factors (hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and smoking), mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes is also 2-3 times higher than in people without diabetes.

How to control type 2 diabetes?

If blood sugar levels cannot be normalized only by diet and lifestyle changes, special preparations are used. Most often, these are tablets taken daily according to a certain scheme. In more complex cases, therapy is supplemented with insulin preparations, which are administered subcutaneously. Selection of drugs is carried out individually under the supervision of an endocrinologist.

The effectiveness of DM treatment is assessed by the following indicators characterizing the state of carbohydrate metabolism:
– fasting sugar level sugar level 2 hours after a meal
– glycated hemoglobin.

Glycosylated hemoglobin ( HbA1c) shows how well your blood glucose levels have been controlled over the past 2-3 months.

Target values for glycemic control, lipid metabolism and blood pressure in patients with diabetes

Blood sugar control	HbA1c	Fasting glycemia	Glycemia 2 hours after eating
	≤6.5%	≤5.5 mmol/L	≤7.5 mmol/L
Cholesterol control	Total cholesterol	LDL (“bad” cholesterol)	HDL (“good” cholesterol)	triglycerides
			>1. 0 mmol/L (male) >1.3 mmol/L (female)
Blood pressure control (BP)	Systolic blood pressure	Diastolic BP
	≤130 mmHg	≤80 mmHg

Glycemic control reduces the risk of developing all complications of diabetes, including damage to blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, nerve fibers.

Maintaining normal blood sugar levels is essential to prevent strokes and coronary heart disease.

When should I check my blood sugar?

For patients with type 2 diabetes, it is important to monitor blood sugar levels 1.5-2 hours after eating, measuring it with a glucometer. It is important for you to know what happened in the body with those carbohydrates that entered the body during the next meal. If the sugar level is high, then you have failed to establish your lifestyle, which should include a low-calorie diet and exercise. You should write down the calorie content of the food, the sugar level, the number of pills you take.

You must have a diary with you every time you visit a doctor. With it, you can effectively discuss with your doctor the problems associated with the control of diabetes.

How to eat right if you have type 2 diabetes

The first and most important way to maintain normal blood sugar and cholesterol levels is a well-chosen diet. There are general nutritional rules that all people with diabetes should follow, as well as everyone who cares about their health (see table).

Treatment should begin with a visit to a nutritionist and the development of an individual nutrition program that will help normalize carbohydrate and fat metabolism and, if necessary, reduce weight. The most competent nutrition planning system is the system for counting carbohydrates consumed. The first step in developing your individual plan is to calculate your personal daily calorie needs, which depends on your level of physical activity. Based on this, the daily amount of carbohydrates you need is calculated.

20 healthy eating habits for diabetics (as recommended by Harvard Medical School)

Exercise is essential for people with diabetes

Experts from the American Heart Association recommend two types of exercise for people with diabetes: 90 200 aerobic exercise and strength training. This combination is also good for the heart. Aerobic activity (such as walking, swimming) strengthens the heart, lungs, and muscles; allows you to control blood pressure and blood sugar levels, maintains the elasticity of the arteries. In addition, such exercises are indispensable for weight loss and maintaining shape. Strength training helps muscles respond better to insulin, a hormone that helps glucose enter cells. One workout helps muscle cells better “feel” insulin for 12 hours or more.

Most people with DS do not need any additional testing before starting classes. However, if you have concomitant diseases of the heart and blood vessels, as well as if you have been diabetic for 10 years or more, it is recommended to perform a stress test and determine individual exercise tolerance.

People with diabetes need to be a little more careful and attentive to themselves than others.

When playing sports, observe the following precautions :

– Start slowly. If you have just started playing sports, it is better to start with a low-intensity exercise: walking, swimming or cycling. Gradually increase your daily exercise.

– Select the correct time. The best time to exercise is about an hour after a meal when blood sugar is slightly higher.

– Know when to stop. Check your blood sugar before and after your workout to find out how your body responds to exercise.

– Take care of your legs and eyes. Make sure your athletic shoes fit perfectly – chronic calluses can lead to ulcers. If you suffer from foot pain or decreased sensation (neuropathy), avoid exercises that can lead to pressure sores or foot fractures. If you have damage to the blood vessels in one or both eyes (diabetic retinopathy), avoid heavy lifting and other exercises that can cause a sharp rise in blood pressure – this can cause retinal bleeding. It is allowed to lift a small weight – but try not to hold your breath during the lift.

– Get ready. Always have water and a light snack on hand during class. It is especially important to have a meal rich in carbohydrates so that you can quickly raise the level of sugar if it suddenly drops too much.

– Report danger. Wear a special medical bracelet that will let you know you are a diabetic if something happens.

Is there a way to prevent diabetes?

There is no prevention of type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent). This means that you could not do or not do anything to avoid diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can be prevented. If one of your parents was obese and type 2 diabetes, then you should carefully monitor your weight and not allow you to develop obesity. In this case, diabetes may not be.

It is extremely important to modify risk factors for cardiovascular diseases in persons suffering from type II diabetes, namely:
– smoking cessation;
– control of body weight;
– control over the level of blood pressure;
– control of blood cholesterol levels;
– correction of hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance;
– glycemic control.