Talk:Blood sugar

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[edit] Inaccuacy

The article talks about the target range being 4-6 mmol/L. This is accurate. 4-6 mmol/L translates to 72-108 mg/dl (multiply by 18). To convert from mg/dl to g/ 5 L, we'd divide by 1000 (mg->g), multiply by 10 (dl->L), and then multiply by 5? This gives 3.6-5.4 grams of sugar in the blood stream, not 3.3 to 7g, as reported. Even using the 70-100 mg/dl figure the article mentions, the range is 3.5-5g. 192.75.95.127 (talk) 23:15, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Measurement

This article needs information on how blood glucose levels are measured or a link to the same information. Regards.

[edit] Afternoon sleepies

Here [1] I see :

The Afternoon Sleepies

I used to suffer from this big time. Around two or three in the afternoon,
I'd start to get drowsy and nothing I did could fix it. A lot of people
suffer from this, but don't know the reason.

The most likely cause is low blood sugar. A large lunch, especially with
lots of starchy foods, will cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash.

... I don't know how true this is ... I added a short piece about it, that information would be useful in this page. But I don't know how valid it is. Flammifer 08:10, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Not at all :) People commonly attribute this to their lunch, but that's a fallacy of corrolation implying causation. Actually, people naturally have a dip in their circadian rhythm at that point, and it really has very little (if anything) to do with food. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BennyD (talk • contribs) 15:22, 25 January 2007 (UTC).
It's not terribly consistent with the way insulin and glucagon work in nondiabetics who aren't insulin-resistant. There is indeed a spike of insulin immediately after a meal (actually during the meal, as blood sugar spikes), but a few factors ensure that this doesn't result in rebound hypoglycemia. The major one is that the quantity of insulin released is almost never enough to fully correct the postprandial spike in blood sugar-- that's why there is a second, slower release of insulin that comes longer after a meal, and which tapers off very gradually. Reactive hypoglycemia does seem to be a real phenomenon, but it is quite rare-- certainly nowhere near as common as mainstream diet literature would lead you to believe.-- Kajerm

I get the post lunch sleepies too, but only after eating a hot meal. I've been eating half a cold sandwich and fruit for lunch for over a decade and I never seem to develope lethargy after eating. Size of a meal will affect me too. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.17.21.163 (talk) 18:04:31, August 19, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Determination

Perhaps we should mention here the chemical determination of sugar levels. I found the classical reference for an early method (Somogyi, M. Determination of blood sugar. J. biol. Chem. 1945, 160, 69.) JFW | T@lk 22:57, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other Sugars in Blood

I think it would be a good idea to add some more on other sugars found in blood, and how thay are used. I'm not exactly sure what other sugars are in blood or the relative concentrations. Anyone know? User:tcopley 00:10, 4 April 2007 —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 210.4.228.192 (talk) 14:11, 3 April 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Diabetes and relation to eczema

Is there a relationship of diabetes to eczema? 209.221.206.240 15:44, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Unit

"Countries that use the metric system use mmol/L. The U.S. uses mg/dL." - Not correct (while not completely false, though). In Germany mmol/l is the common unit used in puplications, science and theoretical medicine, while mg/dl is common in practical medicine (clinical and EMS). As an EMT I'm used to the mg/dl scale (since most glucometers work with it), as a biologist I work with the mmol/l scale. If somebody is going to correct/review the articel, he may consider this. Just sayin. --89.245.7.33 12:11, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why?

Does anyone know why the US, which uses all imperial units for most things, use the metric system for measuring blood glucose levels? While I'm not one to disagree, most of the metric-using world uses mmol/l. This is practically the one case where the US uses the metric system and everyone else uses a different "variation", if you will, of the metric system. Just wondering if anyone knows why...

[edit] Table

Can someone please fix the "Chemical Methods" table, so that it is the same width as the rest of the page? I'd do it, but maybe someone else can do it much faster. Thank you to all who contribute to Wikipedia!!!

WriterHound 23:08, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

this article makes several references to various coloured tubes. Since this isn't standardized internationally, either the relevant country should be mentioned (US?) or just remove the information (as I don't really think it's all that relevant). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.187.34.100 (talk) 23:42, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] MMOL

I'm reading this page because I don't know much about diabetes, glucose, etc. The use of jargon like "mmol" without a link to what "mmol" means might be fine for someone familiar with these units of measure, but for the rest of us, an explanation or a link might be helpful. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.166.220.154 (talk) 16:56, 18 April 2008 (UTC)