Blood Sugar Basics For the Entire Family

If you don't have diabetes, you don’t have to think about your blood sugar levels, right? Wrong. Blood sugar problems don't happen overnight, so it’s important to be aware of your levels on a regular basis—to decrease your risk of serious health complications. As your blood sugar rises, not only does your risk of developing diabetes increase, but so does your risk of coronary heart disease. Here's some basic information everyone should know about blood sugar levels.

What Does Blood Sugar Do?

Blood sugar, or glucose, provides vital energy to all our cells. The hormone insulin, produced in the pancreas, helps glucose get into those cells. Blood sugar levels rise and fall to balance your body's needs: up after eating, down when you need to eat. When blood sugar rises too high, it causes insulin resistance and prevents glucose from delivering its energy properly.

Insulin resistance increases when you're overweight, especially if you carry extra weight in your mid-section. Only medical tests can show if you have a healthy blood sugar level. You may be tested after fasting for a specific amount of time. Here is a quick breakdown of blood sugar levels after fasting for a test:

• Normal: 70 to 99 mg/dl
• Prediabetic: 100 to 125 mg/dl
• Diabetic: 126 mg/dl or above

You might also drink a sugary drink and then be tested with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). If your OGTT score is 140 mg/dl to 199 mg/dl, you're pre-diabetic; above that is diabetes.

How Can You Maintain Healthy Blood Sugar Levels?

There are several ways to achieve or maintain healthy blood sugar levels:

• Lose weight if you are overweight;
• Take a few minutes to walk every day, working up to a goal of at least 30 minutes a day;
• Increase your fiber intake. Good sources of fiber include oatmeal, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes;
• Reduce your use of sugary foods and drinks as well as refined starches, such as white bread, white rice, and white pasta;
• Cut your total fat intake to less than 30 percent of your daily calorie total, with saturated fat under 10 percent.

To learn more about how to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, consult your doctor,or visit http://www.healthywomen.org/healthtopics/diabetes.