What your number means
One fasting reading is one morning. A bad night, stress or a late dinner can nudge it, so your doctor looks at it together with your HbA1c and your symptoms.
- Normal below 100 mg/dL
- Prediabetes 100 to 125 mg/dL
- Diabetes range 126 mg/dL or more
By the American Diabetes Association's cut-offs. Scale in mg/dL.
| Your number | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 85 mg/dL | Normal. That is about 4.7 mmol/L. | American Diabetes Association |
| 99 mg/dL | Still normal, the highest number in the normal band. That is about 5.5 mmol/L. | CDC |
| 100 mg/dL | The first number of the prediabetes range, about 5.6 mmol/L. It is worth showing your doctor and repeating. | American Diabetes Association |
| 110 mg/dL | Inside the prediabetes range, about 6.1 mmol/L. Your HbA1c tells your doctor whether this is a one-off or a pattern. | American Diabetes Association |
| 126 mg/dL | The diabetes cut-off, 7.0 mmol/L. A doctor usually confirms it with a repeat test before diagnosing. | American Diabetes Association |
| 150 mg/dL | Well into the diabetes range, about 8.3 mmol/L. Please take the report to your doctor, and do not wait for your next scheduled test. | American Diabetes Association |
The ranges
Fasting means you have had nothing but water overnight before the blood is drawn. The same cut-offs are shown in both units, because Indian reports use both.
| Fasting glucose | In mmol/L | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 100 mg/dL | Below 5.6 mmol/L | Normal fasting blood sugar. | American Diabetes Association |
| 100 to 125 mg/dL | 5.6 to 6.9 mmol/L | Prediabetes range, sometimes called impaired fasting glucose. Higher than normal but below the diabetes cut-off. | American Diabetes Association |
| 126 mg/dL or more | 7.0 mmol/L or more | Diabetes range. A doctor usually confirms it with a repeat test before diagnosing. | American Diabetes Association |
The first call is free
Tell Puja what's going on and she will tell you honestly whether she can help.
Things to keep in mind
- Fasting sugar shows how your body is doing after a night without food. It does not show what happens after meals, which is what the glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and your HbA1c fill in.
- If you have your fasting insulin too, the site's HOMA-IR calculator turns the two into one number that estimates insulin resistance. It is not a diagnosis, and doctors use different cut-offs.
- A nutritionist never changes a medicine, a dose or its timing. That is for your doctor. What Puja does is look at your plate and your routine alongside your reports.
Where to go next
- To try the numbers yourself, use the HOMA-IR calculator.
- To see what eating around it can look like, read diabetes sample diet charts, how Puja works with diabetes.
- Other numbers people ask about: HbA1c normal range.
Read next: Prediabetes diet: what to change first.
Words from this page, explained
Sources
Every cut-off above comes from one of these, and the one that supports each number is linked beside it.
This is general information, not medical advice. Follow your doctor on any medicine, its dose and its timing.
Not sure what your fasting sugar means?
Send Puja the report. She will go through it with you in plain words, and say what she would look at on your plate.
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