Everyday, people all over the world are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, also known as "sugar diabetes." Diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce enough insulin to process the glucose, or sugar, in the bloodstream. When blood sugar exceeds normal levels over a prolonged period of time it causes damage to the blood vessels and organs in the body. Until insulin replacement therapy was discovered in 1922, a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus was considered a death sentence. Now, however, through proper monitoring of blood glucose levels, together with the right diet, and insulin injections or pills, a person with diabetes can expect to have a normal life expectancy. This paper will demonstrate how to properly monitor a diabetic's blood sugar so that adjustments can be made in diet and insulin to keep the blood sugar amount at healthy levels ("Definition, Diagnosis and Classification of Diabetes Mellitus and its Complications" 1999).
The most effective way of monitoring blood glucose levels is by using a glucometer, otherwise known as a blood glucose monitor. Although stress, food, and other factors influence blood glucose levels, in a normal, fasting adult the levels should be 70-110 mg%. In diabetics, however, the levels are often much higher and need to be regulated. While urine testing using urine glucose strips may seem less invasive than blood testing, it only lets the diabetic know what the blood sugar levels were, not what they are currently. In order to accurately regulate glucose levels, a diabetic needs to know what their existing blood glucose levels are. The blood glucose monitor helps the diabetic decide how to adjust their diet and insulin in order to keep their glucose levels regulated. The best time to test glucose levels is either before eating or at least two hours after eating as ingesting food can cause the levels to read abnormally high ("Diabetes Mellitus," 2004
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