Q&A

Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Level

Normal Fasting Blood Sugar Level A normal fasting blood sugar (which is also the blood sugar a normal person will see right before a meal) is: 83 mg/dl (4.6 mmol/L) or less. Many normal people have fasting blood sugars in the mid and high 70 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/L) range. Though most doctors will tell you any fasting blood sugar under 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L) is "normal", there are several studies that suggest that testing with a fasting blood sugar in the mid 90 mg/dl (5 mmol/L) range often predicts diabetes that is diagnosed a decade later.

Post-Meal Blood Sugar (Postprandial)

Independent of what they eat, the blood sugar of a truly normal person is:
Under 120 mg/dl (6.6 mmol/L) one or two hours after a meal.
Most normal people are under 100 mg/dl (5.5 mmol/L) two hours after eating.
If your blood glucose test result seems unusually high or low, or inconsistent with your previous results, check the following:
1. Does the code number on the strip vial match the code number on the meter?
2. Was the blood sample applied immediately to the glucose strip after removing it from the vial?
3. Was the size of the blood sample sufficient?
4. Was the test strip vial cap tightly sealed?
5. Was the test strip used before the expiration date?
6. Were the glucose strips stored away from extreme temperatures in very cold or hot weather or from areas of high humidity?
Then run a quality control check with your A+ Control Solutions and a new test strip. If the control test result is within the acceptable range, review testing procedure and repeat your blood glucose test with a new test strip. If your blood glucose value is still inconsistent with your previous results, glucose trend, or how you feel, contact your doctor immediately for help.

HbA1c . A truly normal A1c is between 4.6% and 5.4%

HbA1cs are not as good a measure of actual blood sugar control in individuals as they are for groups. An A1c of 5.1% maps to an average blood sugar of 100 mg/dl (5.6 mmol/L) or less when group statistics are analyzed, but normal variations in how our red blood cells work make the A1cs of truly normal individuals fall into a wider range. Some people's A1cs are always a bit higher than their measured blood sugars would predict. Some are always lower. NOTE: If you are anemic your A1c will read much lower than your actual blood sugars and the resulting A1c is not a useful gauge of your actual blood sugar control.