What should the blood glucose level be of a 180 lbs. woman?
ANSWER: Hi there, Something very important for the glucose metabolism is that the glucose concentration is not depending on the age, or the weight of the patients. I will remind you that the normal blood glucose level is 3.5 - 6.1mmol/l or 64.8 – 104.4 mg/dl, depending on the unit of measurement which is used. The first scale is used in Europe and Canada and the second scale is used in the USA. To define the patient’s blood glucose level as normal it has to be within the mentioned ranges. In some cases, the blood glucose concentration might change, but this is happening, when the secretion of insulin is reduced, the amount of the glucose intake is elevated and when the secretion of insulin is increased. Pay attention to the fact that blood sugar below 3.5mmol/l or 64.8mg/dl is known as hypoglycemia. This condition may appear when there is an elevated insulin secretion or when you are not eating (reduced glucose intake). However, when the blood glucose level is higher than 6.1mmol/l or 104.4mg/dl, this condition is known as hyperglycemia. It can be observed when the amount of glucose acquired is increased or when the insulin secretion is reduced (during diabetes). It is true that the size and the weight is different between the single individuals, but there is proportion between the size of their body and the size of the internal organs. In other words, a small person is having small pancreas, which is producing enough insulin, just like the large pancreas of the big person. My advice for you is to visit your doctor immediately when you see that there are changes in your blood glucose concentration. As these changes are not caused by your weight, they may appear due to changes in the glucose consumption or in the insulin secretion. Hope it helped! Dr.Alba |