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Sugar in your body: How much glucose is actually in your blood?
Blood glucose level, blood glucose concentration, plasma glucose level, or simply blood sugar, is a measurement of the concentration of glucose in the blood. The human body must tightly control these glucose levels to maintain metabolic stability. For example, a 70 kg (154 lb) adult has about 4 grams of glucose in the plasma, which is readily available to the body.
If the glucose in the body is within the normal range, then in the case of long-term fasting, the glycogen in the liver and muscles can continue to release enough glucose to help the body maintain a stable blood sugar level.
Glucose comes mainly from the intestines or liver and is transported to other tissues of the body via the blood. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is primarily responsible for regulating glucose uptake by cells. When glucose enters the cell, it undergoes a process called glycolysis as an energy source. In humans, normal glucose levels are necessary for the proper functioning of many tissues, especially the human brain, which consumes about 60% of blood sugar in the fasting, sedentary state.
If blood sugar levels remain too high, it may lead to glucose poisoning, which increases the risk of cell dysfunction and causes various complications of diabetes. Blood sugar levels are usually lowest in the morning and can rise by several millimoles per liter within 1 to 2 hours after eating. If blood sugar levels remain abnormally high, it is called hyperglycemia; conversely, if blood sugar levels are too low, it is called hypoglycemia.
The pathological characteristic of diabetes is persistent hyperglycemia, which is closely related to the imbalance of blood sugar regulation.
There are many ways to measure blood sugar concentration, which is divided into two main units: millimoles per liter (mmol/L) is commonly used in the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth countries and some former Soviet countries; in the United States and other countries Milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) is a common unit. Conversion between these two units is necessary, usually using a conversion formula from mmol/L to mg/dL and knowledge of the molecular weight of glucose or other related measurement method.
Normal blood sugar range
Normal blood glucose levels in healthy adults in the fasting state should generally be between 3.9 and 5.5 mmol/L (70 and 100 mg/dL). For people with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends a fasting blood glucose target range of 3.9 to 7.2 mmol/L (70 to 130 mg/dL). Two hours after a meal, blood sugar levels should be less than 10 mmol/L (180 mg/dL). Although these normal values may vary between different laboratories, healthy glucose homeostasis maintains blood glucose levels between approximately 4.4 and 6.1 mmol/L (79 and 110 mg/dL).
A healthy 75 kg (165 lb) male has a blood sugar level of about 5.5 mmol/L (100 mg/dL), which is equivalent to about 5 grams of glucose, which is only about a small teaspoon of sugar.
It is worth noting that the actual amount of glucose in the human body is very small, and whether it is a healthy person or a diabetic, the normal glucose concentration will not make our body overly dependent on the glucose stored in the blood. .
Blood sugar regulation mechanism
The body's homeostasis maintains blood sugar levels through many interacting systems, of which hormonal regulation is the most important. There are two types of antagonistic hormones that regulate blood sugar levels: catabolic hormones (such as glucagon, cortisol, and catecholamines), which raise blood sugar, and anabolic hormones (such as insulin), which lower blood sugar. Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreatic islets, while insulin comes from the beta cells. They are coordinated through a negative feedback process. When blood sugar is too high, insulin prompts muscles to absorb excess glucose and convert it into glycogen for storage.
However, in response to emotional or physical stress, cortisol provides emergency energy. This hormonal interplay works so delicately that effective blood sugar regulation is essential for the daily functioning of the body.
However, if blood sugar levels remain high for a long time, it will affect the health of the entire body and cause a number of potential diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, eye and kidney damage, etc.
The impact of abnormal blood sugar
If blood sugar levels remain high, it may suppress appetite in the short term, but long-term high blood sugar levels may cause serious health problems. When blood sugar levels exceed 16.7 mmol/L (300 mg/dL), a fatal reaction may occur. The most common cause of high blood sugar is diabetes, and treatment of this phenomenon is usually achieved through the use of anti-diabetic drugs, the most common of which is meclofenamic acid.
Also, when blood sugar levels are too low (less than 70 mg/dL), this is called hypoglycemia, which is especially common in people with type 1 diabetes. Hypoglycemia can be caused by a variety of factors, including overdosing on insulin, not consuming enough carbohydrates, and excessive drinking. If blood sugar drops too low, potentially serious symptoms of hypoglycemia may result. These symptoms include confusion, weakness, tremors, sweating, and in severe cases may even lead to coma or epileptic seizures.
Therefore, whether it is high blood sugar or low blood sugar, special attention should be paid to its long-term health effects.
Nowadays, in addition to blood sample testing for blood glucose, continuous blood glucose monitoring technology has also been widely used, which greatly improves the accuracy and convenience of blood glucose estimation. By monitoring daily blood sugar changes, diabetic patients can better manage their health and quality of life.
Glucose regulation in the body isn't just about numbers, it's about overall health, and what can you learn about yourself from this complex mechanism?
