Posts Tagged ‘Blood sugar’
Pros And Cons of Sugar Substitutes
Weight loss fanatics are not the only people who are crazy about artificial sweeteners. There are also the diabetics. But, for them, replacing sucrose or table sugar with more intense sugar substitutes mean more than shedding off a couple of pounds. On many occasions, these are a matter of staving off diabetes symptoms or not.
Pros
Save on calories – The typical North American consumes around twenty teaspoons of sugar every day. This much sugar translates to more than 300 calories per day. It will only take you a little more than five days to pack up another pound by consuming the same amount of sugar alone on a daily basis. While at the outset, this problem is somewhat exclusive for obese individuals, those people diagnosed with diabetes also have issues with sugar. The solution to this problem of course is either to cut back on sugar intake or replace table sugar with zero-calorie sweeteners.
Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring
Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring; A Better Way To Control Glucose Than Glucometers? Continuous glucose monitoring systems or CGM'S provide a more convenient alternative to typical glucose monitoring devices that compel diabetes patients to prick their skin a couple of times every day. These use a circuit of devices that is connected to a sensor inserted under the skin to continuously gather records of blood glucose values. CGM basically records fluctuations in blood glucose levels on a constant basis to determine whether changes in the diet, medication, treatment, or physical activity are needed. CGM'S have three components; a sensor, a transmitter, and a pager-like wireless monitor. The sensor is inserted under the skin, usually in the upper arm, near the thighs, and under the abdomen, to measure glucose levels of the tissue fluids. People who are using insulin injections, insulin pens, and insulin pumps have no problem finding these sites as these are basically the same. It should be noted that sensors should be placed two inches away from the navel and should not be placed over bruised, swollen, and tender skin. Placing the sensor is usually quick and relatively painless. A transmitter is hooked to the sensor and sends information every ten seconds or so via radio waves to a pager-sized monitor, which then displays blood glucose values. The transmitter of this type of blood meter is rechargeable and should be recharged every few days. This blood meter is also water resistant and does not need to be removed during bathing, exercising and swimming. The CGM comes with an alarm system as well. This alerts the patient whenever blood glucose levels go below or above the set threshold. The CGM is replaced every three to seven days, depending on the brand and manufacturer. After which, all the data recorded in its built-in memory are downloaded to a computer. This information will be analyzed and charts and graphs will be produced to represent the trends in the fluctuations of blood glucose levels. Although the results recorded by the CGM are accurate, these should still be checked with blood glucose monitors or glucometers from time to time for calibration purposes. Advantages; While CGM'S do not guarantee very accurate readings and are fairly expensive, many patients still opt to use this device because it allows constant monitoring of blood glucose levels without having to prick the skin to draw blood samples. Once the monitor is attached to the patient, continuous readings can be obtained. Another advantage of using a continuous glucose monitoring system over a glucometer is that fluctuations as well as trends in glucose levels are identified more constantly. Also, this system can record changes in blood glucose levels that are easily overlooked when using glucometers. For example, a CGM can detect dangerous changes in blood glucose levels overnight, in between meals, in the morning, during and after exercise, after every meal, and during a 7-hour time span. Information gathered around these hours can provide health care providers with critical information that will help them decide whether there is a need for a change in treatment, medication or lifestyle. Disadvantages; The CGM system has not yet been perfected. Thus, inconsistencies with records are very common. In order to resolve this problem, users often calibrate their CGM'S with their regular blood meter. CGM is not a replacement to glucometers. Although it can display blood glucose values continuously, glucometers still provide more accurate readings.
