Diabetes Blood Test - Different Methods of Blood Sugar Testing Available

Diabetes has slowly started to spread amongst the American popular as issues with obesity and poor food consumption have sent health problem to an all time high. People who suffer from diabetes are undergoing a disorder in the body where their pancreas isn't able to make enough of the chemicals needed to move their blood sugar through their system. If the blood sugar (or glucose) can't move through the body, then the body doesn't have enough energy flowing through it, and the person could end up with greater health problems as a result. If you are concerned that you could be suffering from diabetes or if your family has a history of such


problems, then there are diabetes blood tests available that you can have to diagnose and monitor the problem. Here are some of the tests that can be done:
1. Finger-prick blood sugar screening: This is the most common blood test performed and the only one you are probably familiar with. With a finger-prick diabetes blood test, a person simply uses a machine or needle to draw a small amount of blood from the tip of their finger. The blood is analyzed through a small monitor that reads the amount of sugar in the blood. People are able to test themselves throughout the day, and they can monitor their own problems.
2. Random blood sugar test: This diabetes blood test happens less frequently than the finger-prick, but the analysis is more thorough. It is performed during an annual (or for some, a monthly) physical, during which the doctor draws blood to determine how healthy a person is. This will indicate more than just the presence of diabetes, but it is not necessary to do more than a few times a year.
3. Glucose tolerance test: This diabetes blood test is conducted at the beginning of the diagnosis to determine how severe a person's diabetes is. If you were to get this test done, it would be conducted early in the morning so that your blood has enough time to circulate all of the sugar out. This essentially gives any new sugar that enters your body a clean liquid to go on. For the blood test, you would drink something high in sugar (probably a soda) and the doctors would monitor how quickly it takes your body to process everything. The faster it goes, the better. This will gauge how bad your diabetes really is.
4. Glycated hemoglobin test: This diabetes blood test measures the amount of sugar in the blood over the course of time. Some sugar will stay in the system for around 3 months because it stays with the hemoglobin in the blood cells. The test monitors these sorts of sugar levels for a more accurate overall measurement.
Sometimes diabetes is unavoidable, but there are ways to lessen your risk of getting the disorder. You'll want to stay on a healthy food regimen, minimizing your intake of foods high in sugar. Keep your weight under control and try increasing your fiber intake. You'll still want to get a diabetes blood test performed frequently for diabetes though, especially if it runs in the family. That will allow you to get a proper diagnosis before the diabetes leads to worse health problems in the future.