Blood Tests Explained

Posted by Russ on September 5, 2009 in Fighting Diabetes · 0 Comments

Medical doctors require certain blood tests be performed for diabetes progress monitoring. Ideally, these tests are performed on a regular basis. These reports include a priceless aggregation of indicators the embody how your metabolism is performing. What just do the assorted indicators mean? What do they indicate?

The tests described below are typical, but your doctor may require more specialized tests, depending upon your individual situation.

Fasting Blood Sugar : This is the level glucose in your body when you haven’t ingested anything for at least 8 hours before a blood sample is taken. This result is often used as the prototypical indicator for diabetes as it is assumed that if there is a more than normal level of glucose in your fasting system, you are not using sugar correctly (which is the definition of diabetes). A higher value here than under post prandial (PP) test indicates diabetes.

The requirement for this test is that you have not ingested or drank anything (other than water) for at least 8 hours before the test.

Postprandial (PP): 2-hour postprandial blood sugar measures blood glucose exactly 2 hours after you eat a meal. By this point blood sugar has usually gone back down in healthy people, but it may still be elevated in people with diabetes. Thus, it serves as a test of whether a person may have diabetes, or of whether a person who has diabetes is successfully controlling their blood sugar.

For a 2-hour postprandial test, eat a meal exactly 2 hours before the blood sample is taken. A home blood sugar test is the most common way to check 2-hour postprandial blood sugar levels.

As noted above, comparing this result with the fasting blood sugar test allows you to understand how well your body processes food.

Serum Creatinine (SC)
Creatinine is a by-product of muscles doing work (think of smoke from a fire). High levels of SC could show a decrease in kidney function as this waste product is removed from the body through these organs. Creatinine levels are measured in both the blood and urine to obtain an accurate picture of kidney function.

Because diabetes causes blood vessels to become brittle over time, the microscopic filtering systems of the kidneys are especially at risk for damage. This test helps determine if your kidneys are falling prey to this aspect of the damage caused by diabetes.

Maternity tends to magnify SC levels. This makes sense, once you consider that mom is supporting two people (at least) as the baby develops.

To obtain an accurate reading, refrain from strenuous training for 48 hours before the test. This blood test is best compared to a urine creatinine level to understand the general level of kidney function, again as directed by your medical professional.

Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found among the lipids (fats) in the bloodstream and in all cells. Cholesterol comes in several forms, most notable of which are “good” and “bad” cholesterol. These ‘blood fats’ are divided into three types:

HDL: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is considered “the good cholesterol” because high levels seem to protect against heart attacks. About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL. It helps remove plaque deposits from the walls of the blood vessels, preventing blockages.

LDL: High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), aka “the bad cholesterol,” can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke. LDL is the major cholesterol carrier in the blood and it can form a plaque on the inside of arteries, which is a condition known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks blood from flowing to the heart muscle, a heart attack can occur. If a clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain, a stroke results. Keeping your LDL low helps to protect your heart.

Triglycerides: Triglyceride is another type of fat that circulates in the bloodstream. High triglycerides raise your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

VLDL Cholesterol: Very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol is one of the three major types of lipoproteins. The other two are high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Each type contains a mixture of cholesterol, protein and triglyceride, but in varying amounts.

It is important to know your VLDL cholesterol level. However, there is no simple, direct way to measure VLDL cholesterol. So VLDL cholesterol is usually estimated as a percentage of your triglyceride value.

By lowering your triglyceride levels, you also lower your VLDL cholesterol levels

Conclusion

Blood test results provide an important way to see various symptoms of diabetes’ effects on your body’s functions. The points reviewed above are the major places that medical professional look to determine recommended courses of action

Current medical procedures concerning diabetes treat these symptoms, not the underlying causes. Thus, one doesn’t ‘cure’ diabetes with these tools, you can only monitor these symptoms. To cure diabetes you need to go beyond the typical recommendations of doctors. Possible actions are outlined on this blog as well as in the recommended documents listed in the ‘recommended’ list on this site, including the book “Reverse Diabetes Now!“.