Fasting glucose reading without medication between 5.4 to 6.4 is that normal ?

[Alfred Schmid]

Should I worry about this readings

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[chalup]

Without knowing more about you, like your A1c and FBG at diagnosis and your diet, it is very hard to answer that question. Those numbers are certainly not terrible but lots here have much lower and lots have much higher. It depends where in the journey you are. Please tell us more about yourself and we will try to give you a better answer. I will tag @daisy1 and she will give you some great information for newcomers. Please read through it and welcome to the forum.

 

[KevinPotts]

Should I worry about this readings

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All other things being equal (that's my caveat), the range you've quoted is fine.

A lot of us like to keep in the 4s, but I've struggled with that this last two weeks whilst testing more types and quantity of carbs.


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[JohnEGreen]

Those figures seem ok to me I wouldn't quibble over them.

"
Normal and diabetic blood sugar ranges
For the majority of healthy individuals, normal blood sugar levels are as follows:

Between 4.0 to 6.0 mmol/L (72 to 108 mg/dL) when fasting
Up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating
For people with diabetes, blood sugar level targets are as follows:

Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/L for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
After meals: under 9 mmol/L for people with type 1 diabetes and under 8.5mmol/L for people with type 2 diabetes"

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

 

[phdiabetic]

Your numbers are fine! Above 6 is slightly high but I wouldn't be concerned about low 6's

 

[daisy1]

@Alfred Schmid

Hello Alfred and welcome to the forum Members think your levels seem fine. To give you some more advice, here is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions and someone will be able to help you.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 150,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

• Reduce your carbohydrate intake
• Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

LOW CARB PROGRAM:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/low carb program


Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)

• Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l

Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)

• Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
• 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l

However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

• structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
• self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.

 

[Alfred Schmid]

Thank you for all the advice I was diagnosed as D2 2013 subscribed medication 2 x daily glucomed and metformin in 2014 I started Banting lchf low carb high fat after 4 month without taking medication my doctor decided that I am no longer D2 my last 6 monthly HbA1c blood test results where 5.7% I only test in the morning fasting occasionally I test 2 hrs after meals and never been higher then 8 mmol

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[chalup]

My doctor told me I was no longer D2 at one point so I stopped testing and got on with my life. He was wrong. You have it well controlled but please do not think you are cured. You have done a fantastic job to get where you are. Keep an eye on it and on your diet. It is much harder to get back under control the second time around.

 

[Freema]

before I was diabetic my blood glucose allways was 4.5 an hour after eating and in the mornings as well.... now the lowest I have been is 4.9 ... and more frekvently 5.3
I hope to find a way to get back low on the 4.5 level Again... but maybe I must loose 25 more pounds then and live on ketonic foods alone then

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

As JohnEGreen says, if in doubt, consult the Oracle, in this case one of this forums web pages.

 

[micksmixxx]

Should I worry about this readings

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Dear Alfred Schmid,

You should not immeditely worry about the figures, but I disagree with people on here who state that your fasting blood glucose levels are normal. They are NOT. Even diabetes.co.uk get it wrong with the figure that they present as the 'normal' range' for fasting blood glucose levels.

The 'normal' fasting blood glucose levels for a non-diabetic are between 3.9 and 5.5 mmol/l ... that's according to ALMOST all legitimate diabetes-related website around the world.

Your fasting blood glucose level of 6.4 mmol/l, if repeatable on a number of occasions indicates that you are well inside the realms of pre-diabetes ... almost at the level of a type 2 diabetic. (A fasting blood glucose level of between 5.7% and 6.4% indicates pre-diabetes)

If your daytime levels are within the 'normal' range, it indicates that you MAY have Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG), which is a precursor to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Were these fasting blood glucose level results done at a doctor's or at home? I ask this as there are several things that you need to take into account, such as whether the test was carried out correctly. i.e. did you wash and dry your hands immediately prior to testing? (Remnants of food(s) and/or drink can cause blood glucose levels to appear higher than they otherwise might); were the test strips used within their use-by date? Had the blood glucose meter been calibrated? Things such as whether you had an underlying infection at the time of testing can also cause a higher than 'normal' blood glucsoe level, as can if you were undergoing extreme stress at the time of testing, and if you were wearing various types of creams/emollients/moisturisers. Some medications can also cause a rise in blood glucose levels, as can various cleaning products that might be on your hands.

 

[JohnEGreen]

@micksmixxx Are you saying this website is illegitimate?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Hey!!!

This thread is an ancient one. The original post is 2 years old!!!!!!!

 

[JohnEGreen]

Good God so it is.

Hang on 24 weeks not months.

 

[Bluetit1802]

So it is. I'm wearing brand new glasses. I'll blame them!

 

[micksmixxx]

@micksmixxx Are you saying this website is illegitimate?

Hi JohnEGreen,

Not at all, sir. What I'm saying is that not all of the information offered here is factual.

 

[Lamont D]

Hi JohnEGreen,

Not at all, sir. What I'm saying is that not all of the information offered here is factual.

I think that you will find that anything remotely related to most forms of endocrine system conditions including various types of diabetes is up for debate.
No two diabetics are exactly the same and this where any advice can be skewed.
This website functions because in broader terms low carb, higher fat actually works if you can get the balance right.

What's a fact?
What's normal?

Most figures quoted are only a guideline, there is no way to be exact!

 

[JohnEGreen]

Not at all, sir. What I'm saying is that not all of the information offered here is factual.

Prove your assertion if you can't then qualify your statement ie to the best of my knowledge I believe it to be so.

The page on this site giving the figures you mention as non facts clearly states that

Recommended blood glucose levels have a degree of interpretation for every individual and you should discuss this with your healthcare team.

In addition, women may be set target blood sugar levels during pregnancy.

The following ranges are guidelines provided by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) but each individual’s target range should be agreed by their doctor or diabetic consultant.

 

[Thyroiddiabetic]

Those figures seem ok to me I wouldn't quibble over them.

"
Normal and diabetic blood sugar ranges
For the majority of healthy individuals, normal blood sugar levels are as follows:

Between 4.0 to 6.0 mmol/L (72 to 108 mg/dL) when fasting
Up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating
For people with diabetes, blood sugar level targets are as follows:

Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/L for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes
After meals: under 9 mmol/L for people with type 1 diabetes and under 8.5mmol/L for people with type 2 diabetes"

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

Interestingly I get post meal spikes over 8.5 10 to 11 but strangely hba1c of 5.4

 

[Bluetit1802]

Interestingly I get post meal spikes over 8.5 10 to 11 but strangely hba1c of 5.4

This is why the HbA1c is an unreliable marker for good control and should be used in conjunction with other tests.

https://chriskresser.com/why-hemoglobin-a1c-is-not-a-reliable-marker/

Personally my HbA1c is always higher than expected, and significantly so. I rely on my Libre sensor and finger pricks to see how well I'm doing.