Normal Blood Sugar Levels and Diabetes

Measurements of a person’s blood pressure, blood cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels, can indicate their state of health regarding two major disease conditions, heart disease and diabetes, diseases that rank first and seventh respectively as the leading cause of death in the United States. And those measurements can be obtained from a single simple blood sample after a laboratory analysis.

I should also add that about 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke. High blood pressure affects people of all ages, ethnic, and social backgrounds and the total cost of drugs used in the treatment of heart disease in the United States is probably greater than for any other disease.

Blood pressure measurement
In simple terms, measurements are usually obtained with the aid of a device that wraps an inflatable cuff around the upper arm that, when inflated, can detect the pressure required to pump blood from the heart into the arteries, called the systolic pressure and then the lower pressure that occurs between heart beats, called the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is highest when the heart beats and is lowest when at rest between beats. An attached gauge provides the specific values.

Normal blood pressure
The accepted normal blood pressure ranges are from a low normal of 90/60 to a high normal of 140/90 with the optimum at 120/80.

Blood pressure that is consistently above high normal would be categorized as hypertension (high blood pressure) and would require medical treatment. Blood pressure consistently below normal is categorized as hypotension (low blood pressure), and also not a healthy condition but that can be improved and managed with treatment.

Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day and the normal blood pressure range can also vary as a person gets older as the elasticity of the arteries is reduced with age.

So while the optimum blood pressure for a 25 year old is established at 120/80, for a 50 year old, normal is closer to 129/85

Comment
Lifestyle factors contribute to high blood pressure, being overweight and leading a sedentary way of life with little physical activity increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, and diabetes, and even young people in their twenties often find their blood pressure is higher than normal.

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Cholesterol target levels
Cholesterol is a necessary substance manufactured naturally by the body and is not primarily derived from dietary sources although they do exist in fatty foods.

There are several ways to refer to cholesterol levels in the blood, based on the total amounts and ratios of LDL (low density lipoprotein) and HDL (high density lipoprotein), that can be detected from a simple blood test.

LDL is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol, and HDL as the “good” cholesterol. In the United States cholesterol is expressed as milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), while most other countries use millimoles per liter (mmol/L).

LDL cholesterol can accumulate on the artery walls and can cause blockages in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks. HDL has a role in helping to collect LDL cholesterol and deliver it back to the liver

Cholesterol ranges in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic are as follows:

Re Total Cholesterol levels:

• The desired total cholesterol level is to be below 200 mg/dL
• 200 to 239 mg/dL is considered borderline high
• higher risk is above 240 mg/dL

Re LDL levels:

• The ideal LDL level is 100 to 129 mg/dL
• 130 to 159 mg/dL is considered borderline high
• higher risk is above 160 to 189 mg/dL
• very high risk is above 190 mg/dL

Re HDL levels:

• for women a high risk is HDL below 40 mg/dL and for men a high risk is below 50 mg/dL
• A better level is 50 to 59 mg/dL
• The best level is 60 mg/dL and above

Triglycerides
Triglycerides are another form of fat in the blood that, at high levels, are a factor in heart disease and stroke when in association with low levels of HDL. Triglyceride levels are normally provided from the same blood test analysis as that taken for blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels.

Triglyceride levels:

• Below 150 mg/dL are desirable
• 150 to 199 mg/dL are considered as borderline high
• 200 to 499 mg/dL are considered as high
• 500 mg/dL and above are considered to be very high

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Blood Sugar Levels
Blood sugar levels fluctuate during the day, especially related to the types and amounts of food consumed. For diagnostic purposes, blood sugar levels tests are are usually taken after an 8-hour period during which no food has been consumed, called a fasting blood sugar level, usually taken in the morning before breakfast, and on a second occasion 2-hours after having eaten food, called a postprandial blood test.

The American Diabetes Association states that

• Fasting levels should be between 70 and 100 mg/dL
• Postprandial levels should be less than 140 mg/dL

In conclusion
So much can be learned from the laboratory results of a simple blood test that takes only a few minutes to perform. And from the one blood sample, it is customary for the physician to requisition an assay of the amounts and levels of many other blood components, in addition to those referred to above, that can help determine a patient’s state of health. For more on the dangers of high blood pressure, high blood sugars, and high cholesterol levels, see Triple Threat.

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