I have Type II Diabetes? How often should I test my glucose levels? What is an acceptable level?

Thank you.

Asa type two diabetic I generally check my BG's about 2 - 3 times a day. I have been constantly advised that you shouldn't check them more than 4 times a day anyway unless you are unwell. I check mine before I go to bed to ensure my levels are high enough to take me through the night, and also during the day particularly if I feel shaky or unwell or even just hot.

I think you get to know your own body over time and you'll soon realise when you need to test by the way your body reacts. Its also worth remembering that blood sugars generally peak two hours after you've eaten, so probably best not to test then as it will be higher than you'd expect

I would suggest checking before meals. Normal BS is between 80-120

How often you use your glucose meter should be based on the recommendation of your health care provider. Often, self-monitoring plans direct you to test your blood sugar before meals, 2 hours after meals, at bedtime, at 3 a.m., and anytime you experience signs or symptoms. But, it's different for every person. Normally, a reading from 60 to 120 is acceptable.

I would recommend starting out checking your sugars 3-4 times daily until you start seeing definite patterns. Once before each meal and also once before bedtime. Once you get an idea of how your levels fluctuate during the day and night (everyones is different, for example some people have their highest number in the morning, this is because their liver lets out stored glucose into the blood, while other people have their lowest number in the morning) I would suggest checking 3 times one day then skip the next 2 days then go 3 times on the third day again and so on. This is a common way for type 2's to get an idea of how they are doing. As for acceptable levels you are shooting for between 70 and 120 before a meal, and less then 160 after a meal. Good luck.

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Diabetes and Glutathione Status

Patricia A.L. Kongshavn, Ph.D
Former Professor: Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Diabetes affects 10-25 million North Americans most, as yet, undiagnosed. It is, of course, an insulin disorder that impairs the body鈥檚 ability to metabolize sugar. Although this problem is dealt with by providing insulin or drugs to lower blood sugar, diabetic individuals exhibit other related medical problems.

One of the main complications of this illness is damage to the circulatory system (both large and small vessels) leading to atherosclerosis (plaque build-up in vessel walls), heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, renal failure, neuropathy (nerve damage), blindness and gangrene. The other main complication of diabetes is an impaired immune system, as a result of which diabetics are more likely to succumb to infections (another reason why they are at risk for gangrene).

It is well documented that diabetic individuals have an increased level of oxidative stress and free radical formation in their tissues. By the same token, their blood and tissues are marked by critically low glutathione levels. A reasonable assumption is that the increased oxidative stress depletes the tissues of glutathione, the latter being the major intracellular antioxidant responsible for neutralizing the free radicals.

There is good evidence that a weakened glutathione antioxidant system is responsible, at least in part, for the observed cardiovascular disease seen in diabetics and a role for supplementation with antioxidants has been proposed, for example by Giugliano et al. and Dominguez et al. as well as others. Similarly, the impaired immune function seen in diabetics could be due, at least in part, to glutathione deficiency. (The importance of glutathione for the immune system is discussed in the article entitled 鈥楾he Immune System: Role of Glutathione鈥?.

Thus, there is a clear indication for using this nutraceutical in diabetic individuals to raise intracellular glutathione levels and thereby ameliorate the major complications that accompany this illness.
References.
1. Curcio F et al. SOD and GSH inhibit the high glucose-induced oxidative damage and the PDGF increased secretion in cultured human endothelial cells. Thrombolysis and Hemostasis:74:969-973,1995
2. Dominguez C et al. Oxidative stress at onset and in early stages of type I diabetes in children and adolescents. Diabetes Care 22:870-3,1999
3. Donnini D et al. Glucose may induce cell death through a free radical-mediated mechanism. Biochem Biophys Research Communications 219:412-7,1996
4. Guigliano D et al. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease: which role for oxidative stress? Metabolism 44:363-8,1995
5. Thornalley et al. Negative association between erythrocyte reduced glutathione concentration and diabetic complications. Clinical Science 91:575-582,1996
6. Yoshida et al. Weakened cellular scavenging activity against oxidative stress in diabetes mellitus: regulation of glutathione synthesis and efflux. Diabetologica 38:201-210.1995