blood sugar
Meaning of blood sugar: Blood sugar level shifts throughout the day depending on food intake, physical activity, and hormones that raise or lower it.
Definition of blood sugar
Blood sugar refers to the concentration of glucose, a simple sugar that serves as the body's primary source of energy, circulating in the bloodstream. Glucose enters the blood from digested food and is also released from stores within the liver, and cells throughout the body take up glucose from the blood to use as fuel.
Blood sugar levels are regulated primarily by the hormones insulin and glucagon, produced by the pancreas, which work opposite one another to lower or raise glucose levels as needed, keeping blood sugar within a relatively narrow range despite changes in food intake, activity, and other factors throughout the day.
Blood sugar is measured through a blood test and is used both to evaluate general health and to diagnose and monitor conditions in which glucose regulation is disrupted, such as diabetes, in which blood sugar levels can become persistently elevated because the body does not produce or respond to insulin normally.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Blood sugar was checked before breakfast as part of the patient's diabetes management.
Good to know
Blood sugar and glycemia refer to the same measurement, though blood sugar level naturally fluctuates throughout the day, so a single reading is generally interpreted alongside the timing of the last meal.