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'normal' post prandial blood glucose values?

CathyN

CathyN

Well-Known Member
Messages
248
Location
dorset
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
prejudice, racism, complacency, ignorance
Hello all

Can anyone help me to find out the range of post prandial blood glucose for the non-diabetic person, please? I am aware that this will vary, but an average value would be useful. I'm aware that type 2s should be aiming for about 8mmol/l 2 hrs post prandial, but what would that be if you did not have diabetes??? And, is this what I should be aiming for - ultimately. At the moment, after 9 days of RIGOROUS testing and dropping refined carbs, I'm coming in under 8mmol/l post prandial every time ..... my best result was in the sixes.But I see that people come in on the 5s and 4s, so I'm high compared to that. ( I'm diet controlled)

Thanks

Cathy x
 
non diabertics CAN show high levels after meals, but they drop back quickly.
I let a group of junior doctors [none diagnosed diabetic] play with a meter and pretty much all of them had higher readings than me, after lunch. They had eaten a pasta bake and I had eaten salad.
One of them recorded 8.4. She was also of South Asian origin, so I suspect that she's at risk of T2 the othere were all around 6 - 7.
Hana
 
"Normal" is assumed to be between 4 and 6 for a non diabetic after two hours http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html

There is this kind of logic going on which has been worked out from various and many studies. The numbers below are for the AVERAGE person.

7.8 is seen to be the value where diabetic complications will begin to potentially occur so it follows that all non diabetics should theoretically meet that target or else if they didn't they'd be diabetic. As Hana points out its a bit more complex as what you have eaten will effect the outcome even in a perfectly healthy non diabetic person. So a non diabetic will be quite likely to spike on a very high carb meal but will return lower far more quickly than the average diabetic.

7.8 is where 20 out of 20 of the population end up after 2 hours. So give 20 non diabetics a "standard" meal (whatever that is) and all 20 of them will record under 7.8 two hours later.

6.5 is where 19 out of 20 of the population end up after 2 hours. So give 20 non diabetics a "standard" meal (whatever that is) and 19 of them will record under 6.5 two hours later. Just 1 in 20 non diabetics will end up between 6.5 and 7.8

5.5 is where 15 out of 20 of the population end up after 2 hours. So give 20 non diabetics a "standard" meal (whatever that is) and 15 of them will record under 5.5 two hours later. Obviously correct as getting 5.5 is harder to get than 6.5 so 5 in 20 non diabetics will end up between 5.5 and 7.8

Hope that helps.
 
Thank you. It has helped. Good to know what would be good to aim for.

Cathy x
 
The NICE target figures are:

Non-diabetic: 3.5 - 5.5 before meals;
below 8, 2 hours after

and Type 2: 4 - 7 before meals;
less than 8.5, 2 hours after.

If you are trying diet control, you should be looking to have little difference between your pre- and 2-hrs-post figures - eg 5 before, less than 6, 2 hours after. This does depend on what you eat, of course! I would be happy to be under the revised post-meal figures that Xyzzy suggests - less than 7.8.

I aim to be within the non-diabetic target range whenever possible. After 2 years of diet control and weight loss, plus metformin, I usually am! :D

Viv 8)
 
Non diabetic below 8
Type 2 below 8.5
I can have two seperate meter readings from different fingers report 1mmol difference .
 
I was looking at a graph on the net yesterday that showed precisely that, one of the interesting features of the graph was the the blood glucose level only started to fall sharply 90 minutes following the meal.
This isn't the same page but the graph shows similar information devide the y axis numbers by 18 to convert UK mmol/l units. http://pathways4health.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Chart2A2.jpg
 
CathyN reading back over your post I see you have cut refined carbs, but no mention of cutting complex starchy carbs.
After complex eating starchy carbs the spike in blood sugar rises more slowly than with sugars but it also takes longer too fall.
In your position I would test again but trying 48 or even just 24 hours with as near zero carbs as you feel comfortable with.
 
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