Managing Your Diabetes An Overview: Diabetes
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Managing your diabetes: An overview
The treatment regimens needed to achieve and maintain near-normal, or "tight," blood sugar control differ for type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 treatment centers on replacing insulin to offset the body's inability to produce it. Type 2 treatment typically relies on exercise, weight loss, and one or more medications to overcome insulin resistance and compensate for the insulin shortfall. Taking insulin, though, often becomes necessary. Most people with type 2 diabetes also have the added burden of managing one or more other conditions, such as obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
Your treatment goal, regardless of which type of diabetes you have, is to keep your blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible (see "Optimal blood sugar levels") to prevent damage to your eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves, and blood vessels.
TABLE 2 Optimal blood sugar levels | |
| Time | Range |
| Before a meal | 70–120 mg/dL |
| About two hours after a meal (when blood sugar levels are usually at their peak) | Less than 180 mg/dL* |
| *Even lower levels may be desirable in certain situations, such as during pregnancy. | |
| Last updated: | January 23, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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