URINE FOR REDUCING SUBSTANCES

Urine testing for reducing substances is a method used to identify specific sugars, like glucose, present in urine that have the ability to undergo reduction reactions. In conditions such as diabetes mellitus or certain metabolic disorders, an excess of glucose in the bloodstream can overwhelm the kidney’s ability to reabsorb it, leading to its appearance in the urine. By adding a particular reagent to a urine sample, this test reveals the presence of these sugars through a visible reaction. Although it was once a primary tool for diagnosing diabetes, direct blood glucose tests have largely supplanted it due to their superior accuracy and reliability in diagnosing and monitoring the condition.