Glucose is a source of food and fuel for the body. It is derived from the digestion of the food we eat and it is stored in the liver and the muscle cells as glycogen and in the fat cells as fat. For glucose to be stored, the hormone insulin is required. Insulin induces the muscle and fat cells to store glycogen and fat. In the patient with diabetes mellitus, there is an inability of the tissues to store and utilize glucose. The blood glucose rises to a high level and if it persists at such high levels for a long time then it becomes not a food nor a fuel to the body but a poison.
As food (carbohydrate) is the main source of glucose, it becomes necessary for the diabetic person to be prudent with his diet and top choose wisely the quantity and the nature or quality of its carbohydrate content. His aim as always is to attain a blood glucose level at 180 mg/DL two hours after a meal, that is, his post-prandial glucose should not exceed 180 mg/DL. If he can maintain this level of post-prandial blood glucose, it is possible that he may delay the onset of damages and ultimately failure of function of the various organs of his body.
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