What are normal blood sugar levels? Fasting (blood sugar level after not eating for 8 hours) blood sugar should be between 70 milligrams per deciliter to 100 mg/dL. Your blood sugar should not be above 100 at any given time; If it is, this suggests a pre-diabetes condition. A level of 100 - 199 suggests prediabetes. A level over 200 suggests that you have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

There are several steps in lowering your blood sugar. Try the following if you are interested in more normal blood sugar levels.

A. Begin slowly lowering your carbohydrate intake. If you want to get very specific on which foods you can and cannot eat, I recommend the diet as per Dr. Richard Bernstein. He has done all the testing for us and eliminated all foods that had a make up that could not be tracked. After all, if you can't track it, you can't manage it. Also, check out our diabetic recipes page for some delicious low carb meals. If you stick to a pre-calculated amount of carbohydrates per meal, your insulin amounts should be the same every day.

B. Test your blood sugar more frequently. We test from 5 - 10 times per day. If your fingers can take it, the blood sugar readings are imperative to helping understand if the insulin amounts are correct or not. Know your A1C. This test is very revealing as to how you are doing with blood sugar levels and should be under 6.0%.

C. Pay attention to how and when your type of insulin works. For example, before meals, Isobel gets about 2 units of Regular Humalin insulin. This particular insulin is given about 40 minutes before a meal because it takes that long to begin working. Humalog on the other hand is a more fast acting insulin and if given for meals, should only be given about 5 minutes before eating. Check with your doctor or do your own research on your insulin to make sure you are giving it enough time to start working before you eat.

What is it?

Diabetes is a disease where the body cannot properly produce or use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that turns the foods you eat into energy. If your body cannot turn food into energy, not only will your cells be starved for energy, you will also build up glucose (sugar) in your blood. This will lead you to have "high blood glucose levels." Over years, the high blood glucose level can damage major organs like your heart, eyes, and kidneys.

Statistics:

According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 18.2 million people in the United States with Diabetes. That's 6.3% of the population.

Diabetes is found in both men and women over the age of 20. About one-third of Diabetics do not know that they have it. African Americans are 1.6 times more likely to have diabetes than Whites. Latinos are 1.5 times more likely to have diabetes than Whites.

Type 1 is most often found in children, with the peak incidence at puberty. Type 2 is generally found in adults, however an alarmingly growing number of children are now diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. One of the main causes is overweight.

Types:

1. Type 1 Diabetes is caused by a total lack of insulin that, in turn, produces high blood glucose levels. Type 1 is most often is seen in children, but can develop in adults. If you have Type 1, your health care provider might recommend scheduled, nutritious meals, exercise, medication, and frequent blood sugar level tests.

2. Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot properly use insulin. This is the most common type. The treatment may be similar to Type 1.

3. Pre Diabetes or Borderline Diabetes may occur before a Type 2 diagnosis. Blood glucose levels will be higher than normal. Good nutrition and exercise may be recommended by your health care provider as treatment for pre diabetes. Even a slightly high blood sugar level is insidious and could affect major organs over time.

4. Gestational Diabetes occurs in pregnant women that have high blood glucose levels. This type of Diabetes can harm both Mother and baby. If you have Gestational Diabetes, your health care provider may prescribe meal plans, exercise, daily testing and medicine.

Symptoms:

The main symptom of diabetes is the lack of insulin activity or the inability for the body to create insulin.

Other symptoms include:

1. increase in urine production
2. blurry vision
3. irritability
4. extreme hunger
5. excessive weight loss
6. increased fatigue

Causes and Risk Factors:

The exact causes of Diabetes are still unknown. However, heredity, obesity and lack of exercise may play a role. Here are some general risk factors:

1. Your siblings or parents have diabetes.
2. You are more than 20% overweight.
3. You do not exercise.
4. You have had gestational diabetes or you have had a baby over 9 lbs.
5. You have high blood pressure.
6. Your cholesterol level is not normal.

Treatment Options:

According to the American Diabetes Association, people with Diabetes have the same nutritional needs as everyone else. In addition to prescribed medications, well-balanced meals may help you keep your blood glucose level as normal as possible.

Also, just like everyone else, exercise is an important part of staying healthy. Exercising with diabetes does require a few extra safety steps that your health care professional can make you aware of.

Nutritious meals, an exercise routine, along with the help of your doctor may aid you in controlling your Diabetes. Diabetes will never truly go away, but with proper nutrition, exercise and prescribed medications, it can be controlled.

Outlook:

There is no cure for Diabetes, but the treatment options are becoming better than they've ever been. Self-monitoring devices for blood glucose levels and administering insulin are the areas that have seen the most improvement. The following are a list of new treatment options that are currently being researched:

1. Insulin Pump Implants - a permanently implanted pump that will measure blood sugar levels and deliver the exact amount of insulin needed.
2. Insulin Capsule Implant - an insulin capsule that can be implanted to continuously release insulin into the bloodstream.
3. Insulin Inhaler - a rapid-acting insulin that is inhaled into the mouth. Currently in clinical trials.
4. Insulin Pill - Currently, the pill form has only been tested in animals.
5. Continuous Monitoring Device - The GlucoWatch Biographer, a wristwatch-like device, has been approved by the FDA. It is intended as a companion for the fingertip blood test to monitor glucose, in order to ensure accurate results.
6. Islet Cell Transplant - For people with Type 1 Diabetes, helps patients become insulin free for up to 14 months after treatment. Currently in clinical trials.
7. Gene Therapy
8. A Diabetes Vaccine - To prevent or slow the progress of Type 1 Diabetes.

Because hypoglycemia can effect your driving performance (even modestly low blood sugar can do this), if you are at all prone to hypoglycemia, I personally would strongly recommend you check out your blood sugar level each time you are about to drive.

Prior to you putting the key in the ignition, test your blood sugar. There are some great glucometers out there, like the Accu-Check Compact with the Accu-Check Multi-clix lancet pen.

The Accu-Check Compact has a 17 strip drum inside so you don't have to take any extra strips with you. The Accu-Check Multi-clix lancet pen has a drum that automatically holds 6 lancets within the pen to use quickly and easily. Again, you won't have to bring any lancets separately with you. If your blood sugar is low, treat yourself to some juice or hard candy and don't drive until your blood sugar is back to normal. Usually 80 mg/dl and higher you should feel better. Then try and eat a small meal, like a low fat cheese and/or turkey sandwich.

Usually in 15 minutes taking 15-20 grams of Carbohydrate (CHO) will usually bring up your blood sugar to normal range. You can have a 4-6 ounce glass of juice, glucose tablets or 2-3 pieces of hard candy. Don't overdo it because your blood sugar will then go sky high. If it doesn't return within normal limits in 15 minutes, repeat the 15-20 grams of CHO and then check your blood sugar in 15 minutes.

Usually if your blood sugar is above 80 mg/dl, you should feel fine but sometimes going above 100 mg/dl, you'll feel better. You should always follow with a small meal that contains CHO, protein that contains a small amount of fat.

Always make sure you have something to eat right within reach in the car (not in the trunk!). I tell my father to put 2-3 peppermint candy right in his pocket and have a supply of hard candy or peppermint candy always stashed in his car.

It is best if you eat 6-8 small meals a day. This would include a CHO, protein food that contains a little fat included. Example would be a cheese sandwich that contains either 1 or 2 slices of bread, a cheese that is low fat or turkey low in fat but not fat free. The protein and fat does help to stablize your blood sugar over a period of time instead of a quick spike in your blood sugar and a quick drop in blood sugar like juice would do.

During your trip if you need to take an insulin injection or an oral blood sugar medication, then make sure you eat as prescibed with your medication, otherwise your blood sugar can go low. I will be writing about how insulin and certain oral blood sugar medications can make your sugar go low. Not all insulin, esp. Lantus, or oral diabetic medications make your blood sugar low.

Oral diabetic medications that can cause low blood sugar or hypoglycemia

The following sulfonylurea medications for diabetes can cause hypoglycemia or low blood sugar as a side effect.

* Glipizide (Glucotrol)
* Glyburide (such as DiaBeta, Glynase, Micronase)
* Glimepiride (Amaryl)

Repaglinide (Prandin) and nateglinide (Starlix) are not sulfonylurea medications. However, they work in the same way and can also cause low blood sugar as a side effect.

You are unlikely to develop hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels if you are taking:

* Metformin (Glucophage)
* Acarbose (Precose)
* Rosiglitazone (Avandia)
* Pioglitazone (Actos)

Signs of Hypoglycemia:

**Cold sweat, faintness, dizziness
**Headache
**Pounding of heart, trembling, nervousness
**blurred vision
**Hunger
**Irritability
**Personality Change
**Not able to awaken

It is important to know if you oral diabetic medication has the side effect of low blood sugar because if you are going out or driving, you should test your blood sugar before you leave and make sure you take hard candy with you in your pocket or purse at all times. You should also have a supply of hard candy in your car at all times and not in the trunk of your car.

If you have the signs of low blood sugar, then you should take a piece of hard candy or juice first and then test your blood sugar.

Usually in 15 minutes taking 15-20 grams of Carbohydrate (CHO) will usually bring up your blood sugar to normal range. You can have a 4-6 ounce glass of juice, glucose tablets or 2-3 pieces of hard candy. Don’t overdo it because your blood sugar will then go sky high. If it doesn’t return within normal limits in 15 minutes, repeat the 15-20 grams of CHO and then check your blood sugar in 15 minutes.

New studies concluded that man's waist size may predict much more about his risk of developing type 2 diabetes type than any other used measures. Currently doctors use body mass index (BMI) a measure of weight in relation to height to estimate a patient's risk of developing type 2 diabetes and advise him how to lower his risk, such as by losing weight and changing their diet.

Many opinions say that men should have a waist size of less than 40 inches to help prevent developing of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. But recent medical observations say the cutoff for a man's waist size may need to be lowered to 34 inches. As waist size climbed above this level, type 2 diabetes risk rose progressively, as follows:

* waist size of 34 to 36 doubled diabetes risk.
* waist size of 36 to 38 inches nearly tripled the risk.
* waist size of 38 to 40 inches was associated with five times the risk.
* waist size of 40 to 62 inches was associated with 12 times the risk.

Measuring your waist circumference is a simple way to help you identify the risk of developing heart disease and diabetes. If you want to do it, note first that it is something different to belt size and follow this procedure:

1. take off your shirt and loosen your belt,
2. then place a tape measure around the waist at a point 1cm below your tummy button,
3. take care to measure the waist circumference with the abdomen relaxed, while breathing out.