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Blood Glucose & Sugar Ranges

Blood glucose and sugar ranges are referred to interchangeably. Blood glucose can mean blood sugar in some explanations, but blood glucose really stays inside the blood as the homeostatic reading of a body at rest. Blood sugar is a better description of the reading that is obtained from consuming carbohydrate and sweets.

  1. Blood Glucose & Hemoglobin

    • Glucose is a simple sugar, part of a very important group of carbohydrates, that is essential for the function and maintenance of the body. Blood glucose is the concentration of sugar in a person's blood. Glucose binds to hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin is a protein that also binds with iron and is necessary for bringing oxygen to the rest of the body.

    Hemoglobin A1c Test

    • The hemoglobin (hgb) A1c test checks for the average amount of sugar that accumulates in the blood on a daily basis for a two- to three-month period. It can be done at a doctor's office, a clinic or at home with a specialized hgb A1c kit.

    Standard Measurements

    • In the United States, the standard measurement for a normal blood sugar reading is 70 to 100 mg/dl (milliliters over deciliters). In Canada, the standard measurement for a normal blood sugar reading is 4 to 7 mmol/L (millimoles over liters). When a person is fasting, his blood sugar should be a normal range of below 100 mg/dl in the United States and below 6.1 mmol/L in Canada. Two hours after eating, a normal blood sugar reading should be below 140 mg/dl (United States standards) or below 7.8 mmol/L (Canadian standards). Glucose in the blood should only quantify from about 3 to 7 grams total.

    High Blood Sugar & Low Blood Sugar

    • A diabetic can eat small amounts of carbohydrates. Large amounts daily can throw her body off kilter, though. She must monitor her intake to prevent complications from diabetes. Even though neither is desirable, high blood sugar is better than low blood sugar because high blood sugar is comparable to being drunk from alcohol and the blood sugar level can be brought down but a blood sugar too low can lead to diabetic coma and/or death.

    Healthy Diabetic Sugar Ranges

    • The most sugar doctors recommend for their patients is 300 g per day. Still, each patient has an individual limit of how much sugar is beneficial to his body. Some diabetics only need 120 g per day. Other people can survive with 180 g to 200 g per day of sugar. It all depends on the trial and error of the doctor working with his patient to get the right dosage of insulin and the right diet balanced together to promote a healthy eating lifestyle.

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