No single glucose value alone serves to define the medical
condition termed hypoglycemia for all people and purposes.
Throughout the 24 hour cycles of eating, digestion, and fasting,
blood plasma glucose levels of healthy people past infancy are
generally maintained between 72 and 144 mg/dL (4-8 mmol/L)
throughout a 24 hour period. Although 60 or 70 mg/dL (3.3 or 3.9
mmol/L) is commonly cited as the lower limit of normal glucose,
different values (typically below 40, 50, 60, or 70 mg/dL) have
been defined as low for different populations, clinical
purposes, or circumstances. In other words, many healthy people
can occasionally have glucose levels in the hypoglycemic range
without symptoms or disease. The precise level of glucose
considered low enough to define hypoglycemia is dependent on (1)
the measurement method, (2) the age of the person, (3) presence
or absence of effects, and (4) the purpose of the definition.
While there is no disagreement as to the normal range of blood
sugar, debate continues as to w