Helpful terms to learn more about diabetes

Diabetes doesn't exactly have its own language, but you may be unfamiliar with all the terms you hear. Here's help:

• A1C: This blood test reflects blood-sugar levels over the past three to four months. You're doing well if your A1C is as close to six percent as possible.
• Beta cells: These specialized cells, found in the pancreas, make insulin.
• Blood glucose (blood sugar): This is the sugar your body manufactures from the food you eat. It's carried through the bloodstream, and your body's cells use it as energy.
• Blood pressure: A measurement of the force of the blood against artery walls, blood pressure is recorded in two numbers. The higher number, called "systolic," is when the heart pumps blood into vessels; the lower number, "diastolic," occurs when the heart is at rest. Recent studies suggest that you should ask your health care practitioner take your blood pressure measurement in both arms. Pressure that's higher in one arm could indicate a problem with circulation, or something else.
• Cholesterol: This is a fatty substance carried through the blood. There are two forms of cholesterol. One is LDL, the so-called "bad" cholesterol. This waxy substance can accumulate and harden on artery walls, interfering with blood flow and eventually causing a heart attack or stroke. When you have diabetes, your LDL cholesterol should be less than 100 mg/dL (2.59 mmol/L), which is lower than the norm for people without diabetes.
• HDL: This is the "good" cholesterol that helps rid the body of LDL by scouring artery walls and ushering deposits of LDL to the liver and out of the body. High levels of HDL are good. (Don't settle for a test that gives you only total cholesterol, which won't reveal the critical ratio between good and bad cholesterol.) Aim for an HDL higher than 50 mg/dL (1.30 mmol/L).
• Diabetes: The common name for the disease officially known as diabetes mellitus. Diabetes occurs when your body can't use glucose for energy because there's too little insulin, or when the body is unable to use insulin.
• Hyperglycemia: This is the medical term for when your blood sugar is too high.
• Hypoglycemia: This is the medical term for when blood sugar falls too low.
• Insulin: This is a hormone that helps the body use blood glucose for energy. If your body doesn't make enough insulin, your doctor may recommend that you inject insulin.
• Ketones: These are chemicals the body makes when there isn't enough insulin in the blood. When ketones build up in the body over time, serious illness or coma can result.
• Triglycerides: Most of the fat you consume is made up of triglycerides, a type of lipid that cells store for energy. High triglyceride levels may contribute to hardening of the arteries. It should be less than 150 mg/dL (1.69 mmol/L).

Knowing the terms used in describing diabetes and its effects will help you get a better grasp of what it takes to control this illness.