IOH Prevention of Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)

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IOH Prevention of Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)
Diabetes Information
03/09/2006

Mini Site Index

How Insulin Works in the Body
Preventing Hyperglycemia During the Day
-- Tips for those on shots
-- Tips for those on insulin pumps
Preventing Hyperglycemia During the Night
-- Nighttime hyperglycemia from high-fat diet
-- Dawn Effect
-- Somogyi Effect (also called "Rebound Effect")

Previous Section & Additional Information

About Hyperglycemia
Normal Blood Glucose Ranges
Target Ranges for People with Diabetes
Symptoms of Hyperglycemia
Treating Hyperglycemia
Causes of Hyperglycemia
Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

How Insulin Works in the Body

Glucose, a form of sugar, is an important fuel for your body. Carbohydrates are the main dietary sources of glucose. Rice, potatoes, bread, tortillas, cereal, milk, fruit, and sweets are all carbohydrate-rich foods. After a meal, glucose molecules are absorbed into your bloodstream and carried to the cells, where they are used for energy. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps glucose enter cells. If you take in more glucose than your body needs at the time, your body stores the extra glucose in your liver and muscles in a form called glycogen. Your body can use the stored glucose whenever it is needed for energy between meals. Insulin is a "fat-storing" hormone because it helps glucose to be converted to fat and stored in fat cells.

When blood glucose begins to rise, insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, acts like a key to open cells so that the glucose can enter into them. Without insulin, glucose remains in the blood stream and can build up to dangerous levels. Persons with diabetes take insulin in order help glucose from the blood stream enter into, and nourish cells. If a person takes too much insulin their blood glucose can go too low (se Hypoglycemia). If they do not take enough insulin their blood glucose levels will remain too high.

The key to avoiding complications with diabetes is to manage blood glucose levels judiciously. Long-term complications of diabetes are very serious, diminish quality of life, and can take years off your life span. But long-term problems don't develop magically on their own, they happen slowly over time when daily care is mismanaged. This is one of the reasons why so many health care professionals are advocates of tight diabetes control.

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