Blood Glucose Testing: How Sweet It Isn't

Monitoring blood sugar levels is key to managing diabetes and assessing risks for both high and low blood sugar. Our body normally keeps blood sugar between 72-108 mg/dL (4-6 mmol/L), using hormones like insulin and glucagon to balance these levels.

Insulin helps move glucose into many cells in the body. If cells resist insulin, blood sugar rises, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Lack of insulin, on the other hand, leads to high blood sugar and type 1 diabetes.

There are several ways to test blood sugar.

1. Capillary Blood Glucose (CBG) testing uses a small blood sample from a fingerstick, but its accuracy can be affected by factors like low blood sugar, anemia, or using old test strips.
2. Venous blood sampling is more accurate but less convenient.
3. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) tracks glucose in the body's interstitial fluid but may lag in detecting rapid changes in blood sugar.

Capillary and venous tests mostly align with normal blood sugar levels, but not always, especially at very low levels. While CBG testing is good for daily monitoring and screening, more comprehensive lab tests are needed for diagnosing diabetes or serious low blood sugar.

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