In the last article I explained the three primary markers we use to track blood sugar: fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and hemoglobin A1c (A1c). We also looked at what the medical establishment considers as “normal” for these markers. The table below summarizes those values.
| Marker | Normal | Pre-diabetes | Diabetes |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <99 | 100-125 | >126 |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <140 | 140-199 | >200 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <6 | 6-6.4 | >6.4 |
In this article, we’re going to look at just how “normal” those normal levels are – according to the scientific literature. We’ll also consider which of these three markers is most important in preventing diabesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. But before we do that, I’d like to make an important point: context is everything.
As I mentioned in Part 1 of this article series, there are potential problems with how well these tests are utilized to diagnose diabetes. This is an area that needs further study, but continuous glucose monitoring for the general population may be a better marker.
In my work with patients, I never use any single marker alone to determine whether someone has a blood sugar issue. I run a full blood panel that includes fasting glucose, fasting insulin, A1c, fructosamine, uric acid and triglycerides (along with other lipids), and I also have them do post-meal testing at home over a period of 3 days with a range of foods.
If they have a few post-meal spikes and all other markers or normal, I’m not concerned. If their fasting BG, A1c and fructosamine are all elevated, and they’re having spikes, then I’m concerned and I will investigate further.
On a similar note, I’ve written that A1c is not a reliable marker for individuals because of context: there are many non-blood sugar-related conditions that can make A1c appear high or low. So if someone is normal on all of the other blood sugar markers, but has high A1c, I’m usually not concerned.
With all of that said, let’s take a look at some of the research.
Fasting Blood Sugar
According to continuous glucose monitoring studies of healthy people, a normal fasting blood sugar is 89 mg/dL or less. Many normal people have fasting blood sugar in the mid-to-high 70s.
While most doctors will tell you that anything under 100 mg/dL is normal, it may not be. In this study, people with FBG levels above 95 had more than 3x the risk of developing future diabetes than people with FBG levels below 90. This study showed progressively increasing risk of heart disease in men with FBG levels above 85 mg/dL, as compared to those with FBG levels of 81 mg/dL or lower.
Far more important than a single fasting blood glucose reading is the number of hours a day our blood sugar spends elevated over the level known to cause complications, which is roughly 140 mg/dl (7.7 mmol/L). I’ll discuss this in more detail in the OGGT section.
One caveat here is that very low-carb diets will produce elevated fasting blood glucose levels. Why? Because low-carb diets induce insulin resistance. Restricting carbohydrates produces a natural drop in insulin levels, which in turn activates hormone sensitive lipase. Fat tissue is then broken down, and non-esterified fatty acids (a.k.a. “free fatty acids” or NEFA) are released into the bloodstream. These NEFA are taken up by the muscles, which use them as fuel. And since the muscle’s needs for fuel has been met, it decreases sensitivity to insulin. You can read more about this at Hyperlipid.
So, if you eat a low-carb diet and have borderline high FBG (i.e. 90-105), it may not be cause for concern. Your post-meal blood sugars and A1c levels are more important.
Hemoglobin A1c
In spite of what the American Diabetes Association (ADA) tells us, a truly normal A1c is between 4.6% and 5.3%.
But while A1c is a good way to measure blood sugar in large population studies, it’s not as accurate for individuals. An A1c of 5.1% maps to an average blood sugar of about 100 mg/dL. But some people’s A1c results are always a little higher than their FBG and OGTT numbers would predict, and other people’s are always a little lower.
This is probably due to the fact that several factors can influence red blood cells.
A number of studies show that A1c levels below the diabetic range are associated with cardiovascular disease. This study showed that A1c levels lower than 5% had the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and that a 1% increase (to 6%) significantly increased CVD risk. Another study showed an even tighter correlation between A1c and CVD, indicating a linear increase in CVD as A1c rose above 4.6% – a level that corresponds to a fasting blood glucose of just 86 mg/dL. Finally, this study showed that the risk of heart disease in people without diabetes doubles for every percentage point increase above 4.6%.
Studies also consistently show that A1c levels considered “normal” by the ADA fail to predict future diabetes. This study found that using the ADA criteria of an A1c of 6% as normal missed 70% of individuals with diabetes, 71-84% with dysglycemia, and 82-94% with pre-diabetes. How’s that for accuracy?
What we’ve learned so far, then, is that the fasting blood glucose and A1c levels recommended by the ADA are not reliable cut-offs for predicting or preventing future diabetes and heart disease. This is problematic, to say the least, because the A1c and FBG are the only glucose tests the vast majority of people get from their doctors.
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OGTT / Post-Meal Blood Sugars
If you recall, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) measures how our blood sugar responds to drinking a challenge solution of 75 grams of glucose. I don’t recommend this test, because A) it’s not realistic (no one ever drinks 75 grams of pure glucose), and B) it can produce horrible side effects for people with poor glucose control.
However, there’s another more realistic and convenient way to achieve a similar measurement, and that is simply using a glucometer to test your blood sugar one and two hours after you eat a meal. This is called post-prandial (post-meal) blood sugar testing. As we go through this section, the numbers I use apply to both OGTT and post-meal testing.
As the table at the beginning of this article indicates, the ADA considers OGTT of between 140 – 199 two hours after the challenge to be pre-diabetic, and levels above 200 to be diabetic.
But once again, continuous glucose monitoring studies suggest that the ADA levels are far too high. Most people’s blood sugar drops below 120 mg/dL two hours after a meal, and many healthy people drop below 100 mg/dL or return to baseline.
A continuous glucose monitoring study showed that sensor glucose concentrations were between 71 – 120 mg/dL for 91% of the day. Sensor values were less than or equal to 60 or 140 mg/dL for only 0.2% and 0.4% of the day, respectively.
On the other hand, some studies suggest that even healthy people with no known blood sugar problems can experience post-meal spikes above 140 mg/dL at one hour. As I said in the beginning of the article, context is everything and all of the markers for blood sugar must be interpreted together.
If post-meal blood sugars do rise above 140 mg/dL and stay there for a significant period of time, the consequences are severe. Prolonged exposure to blood sugars above 140 mg/dL causes irreversible beta cell loss (the beta cells produce insulin) and nerve damage. Diabetic retinopathy is an extremely common (and serious) diabetic complication. Cancer rates increase as post-meal blood sugars rise above 160 mg/dL. This study showed stroke risk increased by 25% for every 18 mg/dL rise in post-meal blood sugars. Finally, 1-hour OGTT readings above 155 mg/dL correlate strongly with increased CVD risk.
What does it all mean?
Let’s take a look again at what the ADA thinks is “normal” blood sugar:
| Marker | Normal | Pre-diabetes | Diabetes |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <99 | 100-125 | >126 |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <140 | 140-199 | >200 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <6 | 6-6.4 | >6.4 |
But as we’ve seen in this article, these levels depend highly on context and whether all markers are elevated, or just a few of them.
If you’re interested in health and longevity – instead of just slowing the onset of serious disease by a few years – you might consider shooting for these targets. But remember to interpret the numbers together, and also remember that blood sugar is highly variable. If you wake up one morning and have a fasting blood sugar of 95, but your A1c and post-meal numbers are still normal, that’s usually no cause for concern. Likewise, if you see a one-hour post-meal spike of 145 mg/dL, but all of your other numbers are normal, that is also usually no cause for concern.
| Marker | Ideal |
| Fasting blood glucose (mg/dL) | <86* |
| OGGT / post-meal (mg/dL after 2 hours) | <120 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%) | <5.3 |
*If you’re following a low-carb diet, fasting blood sugars in the 90s and even low 100s may not be a problem, provided your A1c and post-meal blood sugars are within the normal range.
And the good news is that this can be done cheaply, safely and conveniently at home, without a doctor’s order and without subjecting yourself to the brutality of an OGTT.
I’ll describe exactly how to do this in the next article.
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Elizabeth – Bear in mind that A1C is not the most accurate test. Kris actually wrote an article about this. You are better off testing your fasting and 1 hour post meal blood sugar numbers, to see where you are really at.
I don’t count anymore, but 250-300 carbs comes from a lot of 1% milk in my tea throughout the day, my GF bread or buckwheat cereal in the morning, pasta/potato/rice at lunch, and soup, GF bread/crackers at supper. I also sometimes have a piece of fruit in between meals, not that often though, maybe twice a week.
Sharon – LC seems to work wonderfully for some people. However, if your glucose and insulin levels are rising on it and you feel like crap, it may be a sign that it is not for you. I ignored my body’s signals for years!! I’ll never be married to a theory again.
I’d be very careful about the nuts though, they contain a lot of PUFAs.
Also bear in mind that your initial blood sugar reaction to starches is likely to change over time. My BG numbers were way higher when I first reintroduced carbs.
I think that your friend’s hubby should do what makes him feel best and what helps his numbers. We are all different, and what helps him may harm someone else.
Chris, my friend’s husband was just diagnosed with full blown diabetes. She told me his doctor told him he must go on a low carb diet but what is strange is that he said he can only eat non or low fat dairy, absolutely no coconut oil or fats. He said that diabetes is caused by sugar and fats and not what most people think.
Is this guy for real? High(good) fat, moderate protein, low carb is what I thought was the diet to follow.
Where would he get such misinformation?
Hi Deb b
I don’t count anymore, but last time I checked I averaged 250-300 carbs a day.
I get my carbs from potatoes, rice,rice pasta, gluten free bread, bananas and some other fruits. I strictly avoid gluten.
Thanks – interesting how people can be so biochemically different! Glad you kept investigating and found a way of eating that lowered your numbers.
Sharon – Dr. B is wrong and I am proof positive. We are ALL different, but I had a fasting insulin level of 33 (extremely insulin resistant) after four years of low carbing and after a switch to a high starch, low PUFA WOE my insulin fell to 4.7. Optimal is less than 10 and perfect is less than 5. My HOMA score was also <1.
Finally, my fasting glucose now averages 75-84 and 2 hour PP also 75-84. It rarely ever goes above 100. Whereas on low carb, it was always late 90s fasting and 2 hours PP was 120.
Elizabeth – Sounds like you have become insulin resistant and that your thyroid function has decreased on LC. The exact same thing happened to me. I was already hypo, but LC just made it worse. The body often increases RT3 in response to weight loss/low carb intake and some people become insulin resistant on LC.
Can I ask what type (and how many grams) of carbs you eat now?
Thanks DB
Lynn- I was already on a real foods diet when I went primarily Paleo/Primal, LC/VLC. I included raw milk/cheese/yogurt. I didn’t lose any weight ditching grains, potatoes or fruit. Low-thyroid symptoms increased.
Since the A1c result the doc advised to eat meat and veggies only, I told him that was primarily what I ate and he said this is the only way to bring the A1c down, so keep doing it.
Against his advice I have added carbs back in, I have no idea how much, but my temps are rising from 95.-96.4 to 97.- 98. I feel as if I have more energy. I’m still gluten free, but have added back rice, potatoes, carrots, dates, honey in my green tea, organic popcorn popped in coconut oil (a splurge). But in the back of my mind I’m wondering if I’m raising my A1c. My blood glucose level from the same doc visit was 113, but that was non-fasting.
Also, while on Paleo/Primal I developed LPR, it may all be coincidental – I dont know.
What does 250-300 grams of starch/carbs look like in proportions?
thanks!
Wow, Lynn, now I’m really confused!
Should we low carb or not low carb?
My fasting sugars are usually in the 70s, sometimes low 80s and my PP is usually under 100 .
I stopped the starches and my only indulgence is too many nuts.
May I ask what WOE and HOMA stands for?
According to Dr. Joe Mercola, fasting insulin should be between 2 and 4.
When I had it checked last year it was 3. I’m going for another full panel of tests next week and I’m anxious to see where I stand.
Lynn – I realize it has been a year since you wrote this, but I liked your response to Elizabeth. I believe I have increased rT3 in response to LC diet, and I believe I have become insulin resistant as well. I am self-testing currently for more info. I would like to ask, what did you do to resolve your issues? Did you go on thyroid medicine and/or metformin, or were you able to treat nutritionally?
I have gone back on a good amount of carbs…clueless as to how much. I have gained at least 15lbs.
I’m still on a real foods diet. I have added back spelt or einkorn grains with few splurges on organic spelt pretzels or sprouted corn chips.
I’m tired of thinking about what is right or wrong in the diet world. I eat real food, but try not to over think it any longer. I feel much less stressed.
My hair is growing back in. I do not have a lot of the thyroid symptoms anymore, I do get cold hands and feet from time to time.
My rT3 I have not had checked lately.
While on lc I was heavy on nuts, those I eat sparingly now.
My blood sugar is still prediabetes level for the most part, so I’m taking cinnamon and chromium supplement. It seems to help a lot in keeping my fbg and pp under the target numbers.
My huge success is no longer being a slave to my diet… and not over thinking it. This has been a blessing not only for me, but also my husband who doesn’t always have to hear, “I can’t eat that!!” I had to work on my mind when first eating the “evil” foods. To me, this is a much more healthy way of life.
Freedom to eat and enjoy life without tons of guilt is a blessing, I’m glad I made the choice move away from lc.
Hi Maddie
I have been on Glucophage for 12 years: well before I developed an insulin level of 33, also during the time that my insulin levels became optimised. I am on Gluc because of my PCOS. I am also on T3 only because I have thyroid resistance caused by Hashimotos.
My diet hasn’t affected my thyroid, but low carb or high sugar intake puts my glucose and/or insulin in the wrong direction. So I still eat gluten free. good carb and low sugar.
Late to the party – any idea what would cause a 5.9 a1c, elevated rt3, low thyroid symptoms while on a low carb diet for over a year? Makes no sense to me. Thanks!
I just listened to a podcast from Dr. Richard Bernstein (The Diabetes Solution).
He’s far from natural, but pretty informative.
Someone presented the question to him about “safe starches” and mentioned The Perfect Health Diet.
He said there is no way that eating starches will improve insulin resistance. The only thing that will do it is losing belly fat, strenuous exercise, muscle building, taking Metformin.
He said if it’s too good to be true..don’t believe it.
Chris, once again, another opinion is out there.
What are your thoughts on Dr. Bernstein’s methods and philosophies?
I agree with him on some things, but not on others. In any event, with questions about starch or carbohydrates the answer varies depending on who’s asking. A diabetic will have different needs than a non-diabetic.
Well, all I know is that I did the “potato test” where I tested my fasting sugars (81) then ate one white potato. One hour later sugars tested at 142! Yikes! 2 hrs. later I tested at 88.
I read that if you are a low carber, you can minus 10 from the post prandial number. Still, I must say that I freaked out a little but felt better to see the 2hr PP at 88.
Any thoughts?
Hi Chris,
I am just reading your article here since I am still trying to make sense of a 2 hours glucose tolerance test I had last Sept. My Dr just said, all your numbers are normal, no big deal, but refused to explain them to me. They were all the same number, which really threw me off since I thought blood sugars went up then down. I am trying to make sense of this, and I took my own fasting blood sugar this am and it was 95, so this is back on my mind.
2 hour results as follows, all arm stick test, except at 95 minutes:
fasting 89
drank glucose
After 1 hour 89
After 95 mins (I had them test since I felt slightly dizzy–this was finger stick) 104
After 2 hours 87
I always thought it was odd the numbers are nearly the same except it went back up? after an hour?
I have always thought I had blood sugar issues, but I was told I am normal.
Brief history, I had gestational diabetes diagnosed with only one baby, before him, I had a 10 pounder (only 1 point over what was considered abnormal on my test with him, I believe it was 141), then an 11 pounder when I changed Drs who went totally with the test, and said I did not need to watch my diet. I had smaller babies 8 lbs 4 ozs when I was on a diabetic type diet, which I did on Drs orders since I had gestational diabetes before, he said “just do the diet, I’m not testing” I have had 9 babies, the last 2 we induced and even 10 days early my last one was 8 lbs 14 ozs.
Also, both my grandmothers had type-2 diabetes and one of my uncles does. Neither parent does and no one else that I know of, but both of them are fairly healthy and not overweight.
Soooo…..am I normal? or should I find a new Dr?
Oh, and I am not terribly large, although my BMI is 31.6
Thank you so much for this article! It had the information I needed. I was extremely frustrated that my last two analyses showed increased BS levels of 110 and 112 after I went on a low carb diet! Never had high BS before that. I started a low carb diet about 5 months ago to help my daughter who has been diagnosed with polycistic ovarian disease, and both BS tests I’ve had since then have been higher than normal. The HGB a1C levels have been staedy at ~ 5.5 over the past three years. The same was true for my daughter, who also had a BS level of 100 at the last test. Needles to say both of us were concerned and upset by the results.
My question is: is it OK to continue to low carb diet even with the higher BS, or should I increase the carb content of our diets?
Hey Chris,
I started feeling rough a few months ago and have been struggling ever since. The first time I checked my BG was maybe a week into feeling bad and it was 60. It’s never been below 60 for me. It will always go back up and not get too low. Usually it seems like my BG drops into the 60s after 1 hour or 1 hour and a half. Sometimes I remember in the mornings it would drop into the 60s like 40 minutes after eating breakfast. I started eating 3 eggs with cheese on wheat bread for bfeast. So I thought this may be why I feel bad was because my BG was getting low. My fasting was always 71-73 basically maybe 74 or 70 but never in the 60s so I think that’s probably good even tho I seem to feel a little off in the mornings like dizzy or something so I always eat bfeast before anything else. I also went to a Endo. and he told me my blood sugar levels looked normal and that 60s is probably normal for me and didn’t care to much and said I would just get better. What happened was I was in China for 4 months and at that 4 month mark I started feeling crappy and didn’t know why. So I had to come back to America cause I couldn’t hardly walk when this all hit me. I’m not sure if I just have bad Anxiety or if it’s just hypo causing this. I’ve been on a good diet for about 3 months now. This all started in mid November of 2011.
I did start feeling better tho about 2 months after this all started. I felt pretty normal for 2 weeks. I thought I was getting better. Now I’m started to kinda slip back into this again but not as bad as it was in China. I felt I would die in China. Now I just feel lightheaded and weak sometimes or something like that. I haven’t really gotten sweaty no blurred vision, no hunger pains or anything. Usually just dizzy, heart rate goes up a little, feels like I may faint. So Idk if it’s all anxiety or what. I do seem to feel a lot better when I can control my anxiety but 60s just seemed low to me but maybe it’s not. I’m 6’2 and way 177 now. I did get pretty skinny in China. I lost a lot of wait because I was always riding a bike and walking every where. Also they eat lots of rice and noodles. I probably didn’t eat well enough. I weiged 160 I think in China. And people said I looked pretty skinny and could see my bones in my face and things. My Endo. here in America said he thinks I just got malnurished and since I’ve gained my weight back I should just get better. He also said to try to just stop eating every 2 hours and try to get back to eating 3 meals a day maybe with a night snack. But I haven’t really been able to do that I feel too bad I guess to do that. I don’t want to take the chance yet. He also did some blood test on me. I think one was called a cortisyn stem test. They injected me with something that did something to my adrenalin and checked my cortisol levels. They injected me at 10am I think then checked my blood at 10:30am and my level was 25 something then and at 11:00am they checked again and it was 30 something my cortisol levels. I saw in my medical record the normal range is between 6-22 or something like that but my Endos. nurse called me back and said all my blood work looked perfectly normal and my BG levels were pretty much normal. So I hope this isn’t too long just worried why if seems hard to control when I’m eating right. Who knows maybe it is all just anxiety but that seems hard to believe when my BG drops into the 60s so fast and when I eat I feel better. I used to check my BG a lot but haven’t now for probably a month. Checking it just gave me anxiety and made my feelings worse. Thanks for the help!
Matt
I”m an overweight RN who eats a MOSTLY paleo/low carb diet. I have been feeling ‘strange’ lately, frequent urination, thirst, etc.
Just got a glucometer, thought I’d do some testing on myself.
My FASTING BS was 139 this morning – terrible. But my POST PRANDIAL blood sugars are running 100-130.
What the hell do I take away from THAT?
i have a very big worry. my a1c level is 6.7 and my fbs levels are all with in normal range of 75 and 77 when i do check them. random checking through the day is about 80. my pharmacist told me that there was nothing to worry about. i am however of african decent and dont know if this influences my a1c in anyway. i would be grateful if u kindly get back to me
Hi nana. I hope Chris will also jump in here, but when I saw your post, I just HAD to comment.
The pharmacist who told you there was “nothing to worry about” is absolutely wrong, in my opinion, as well as the opinion of many other medical professionals and the American Diabetes Association (who isn’t even in the cutting-edge when it comes to diagnostic criteria…)
For many people who become diabetic (studies are showing this is particularly true for middle-aged women) the fasting blood sugar level is the very LAST measurement to become abnormal.
There’s an excellent write-up here: https://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/14046621.php – read particularly the section just over half-way down the page with the heading “Why Fasting Blood Sugar Levels are Often the Last to Deteriorate” — it explains it quite well.
A HbA1c of 6.7% is now ABOVE what the ADA’s latest recommendations are for diagnosing diabetes. As of the most recent standards, the ADA is stating >6.5% meets the definition of diabetes. (American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes 2010.)
What this means to you is according to current diagnostic criteria, you ARE diabetic. It’s quite likely you have very high post-prandial (after-meal) readings, but not high fasting levels yet. You can still reverse this in the early stages – but you likely need to address things ASAP.
Nana: it really depends. A1c is not a particularly reliable marker in individuals because it depends on the assumption that everyone’s red blood cells survive an average of 90 days, which we now know is not true. If your fasting glucose is in the mid-70s, and your post-meal (one-hour after and two-hour after meals) blood sugars are below 120, it’s possible your red blood cells live longer than the average, and you have a falsely high A1c reading. I’ve written about that here: https://chriskresser.com/why-hemoglobin-a1c-is-not-a-reliable-marker
On the other hand, if you’re having dramatic blood sugar spikes throughout the day that are raising your average blood sugar, and that is showing up in elevated A1c, it’s definitely an issue.
Hello Chris,
Thank you for this website, you do an excellent job at educating diabetics and nondiabetics about diabetes. Why is there so little said about thin people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? I come from a family with a strong history of diabetes. Some of them were thin people.
Thin diabetics are often recommended to begin low carb and low calorie diets when many of us are already at or below a reasonable weight. The result is we often end up looking and feeling deprived. How can we maintain a sensible weight and have good blood sugars?
Also, I was testing my blood sugars 3 to 4 times daily (fasting and 3 post-prandial). This routine kept me (which can get expensive) very informed about how portion size, GI, and even the time of day I ate certain foods would affect my blood sugars. My doctor told me testing this often is not necessary and testing once daily would be sufficient. I was a little suprised to hear this news, I had always assumed testing frequently is one of the diabetic’s greatest weapons. It’s sort of like having the enemy’s strategy book. Could you please tell me your opinion on blood glucose testing?
Hi Chris,
I posted early about my daughter with no answer to it. I love the input you give and am at my wits end at this point. Please respond to this one and tell me what you think…
My daughter had BG of 350 at age 2 ish. and once more at that time it was 200. After that she was fine. She is now 8 and has been having periodic high fasting sugars of anywhere from 90 – 140. Not always and i can’t really predict when she will have issue. But we can usually tell when she is having the issues because of her behavior and attitude. Then we will test her and watch. During the day its kind of high after meals during those times. Nothing scary. 120 – 140. This will go on for a few days to a week and then go kind of low normals. 80 after meals FBG of 60 – 70. Twice in a row she has had an A1C of 5.7% and after giving her a GTT her 1 hour was 200 and 2 hours was 108. The 2 hour was great.
Yesterday we finally got in to see the Pediatric Endo. He said that none of this is indicative of anything and that having a bad emotional day can lead to sugars of 350 or whatever. He said that I am just being nervous and that she is 100% fine. An A1C is no signs of anything, and that fasting blood sugars less than 200 are just fine. So, now I am pretty confused. I kind of don’t trust him. Really?? FBG can be 140 and he doesn’t consider this a problem? Now, while I dont’ believe she has diabetes and I am not trying to borrow trouble I would like to know what is causing the off sugars. She is a small girl so none of this is weight related. He also said NOTHING except diabetes causes high blood sugars in a person. Is that true? There are no other conditions that would lead to high blood sugars? He wanted her to go get a blood draw for a FBG test this morning. I didn’t do it because I know right now it would be normal anyway. I don’t need him treating me like a nervous silly mother.
Now, I am really not sure what to do. Second opinion with a different Endo.? Or visit a naturopath? Or just continue being strict with her diet and hope that this truly is her noraml.
THANKS FOR SOME IN PUT!
It definitely sounds as if she has some insulin resistance and blood sugar issues. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to know more without a more thorough intake. I suspect autoimmune involvement, but that’s speculation at this point.
Thank you. If I was nearer to you I would be knocking at your office door first thing in the morning. LOL I live in Arizona, though. What would you do if you were me? Another Endo.? I really don’t want to ignor this and wait for it to be too late. I would rather deal with the hang nail and not wait for an infected finger if you know what I mean. Would you do intake over the phone or through email?
by the way–my AIC was 6.1 at the time of diagnosis
sorry didnt spell check or anything before I submitted my comments 🙂 Grammatical mistakes everywhere 🙂
I was just diagnosed with pre-diabetes last week. The Dr put me on 500mg of Metformin for two weeks and then said to increase 2 twice a day if I can tolerate it. How loing does it take for the body to get settled with the medicine? Sometimes I feel worse than when I wasnt on the meds. My morning blood sugars have been
118
128
111
126
108
121
92
102
My ave after meal have beeen 117. Is his incrediblly bad? I meet been really watching my carbs and meet with a nutritionist next week. I have overwight and have lost 6lbs since I found out so I am trying to get on the road on to a healther weight. Is it possible to control with diet and exercise alone or is the mecdicine going to be a part of my life foerever? Any comments or advice is appreciated.
If those are 1-hour post-meal numbers, they’re within the recommended targets. Statistically speaking, if you stay under 140 at 1-hour and 120 at 2-hours, you’re at no greater risk for blood sugar-related complications than a normoglycemic person.
Thanks Chris–the first list of numbers are my morning #s prior to eating.
My sugar count today:
Prior to having any food :102
1 hour after breakfast 101
2 hours after breakfast 85
1 hour after lunch 102
I am new to this so since I am going to start working out what is recommended? I heard that this causes the sugar count to to decrease quickly.
I really appreciate this forum. Its very helpful.
Hi Becky…
I didn’t have any luck finding any info other than the link that Lynn sent. I had been told to drastically reduce my breakfast carb intake to 15g. After reading this article, I increased my intake to 30g with no drastic consequence and felt much better! lol. However, my fasting numbers were still bordering in the high 80’s to low 90’s. I feel ridiculous even complaining of such numbers because I know people who have type 2 diabetes that would kill for these numbers. However, the medical establishment has become quite strict that fasting numbers during pregnancy remain under 90; the practice I go to is not exempt from this. What I found that worked well for me after much trial and error and keeping a food diary was that I needed to eat a relatively light dinner…salad, protein – lighter on the carbs for this particular meal. I don’t seem to have a great issue with carbs during the morning or afternoon. I try to not eat anything after 8:30pm. I also found that I didn’t necessarily need the snack they suggested before bed. If I am still hungry before bed I have a very light snack, for instance five wheat thins. And like clockwork I wake up at 3am every morning, so I drink about 4 oz. of milk… I don’t follow the eat every two hours philosophy that is also very prevalent – I eat when I feel hungry. Usually I eat every 4 hours. This has worked better for me in that I don’t feel like I am constantly keeping track of when I need to eat…I started to feel like this entire eating business and sugar control was taking over my life. lol. I still have occasional fastings numbers in the low 90’s, but I personally don’t find this all too concerning…my postprandrials are all in an acceptable range. I personally would not agree to insulin use during pregnancy unless my fasting numbers were over 100 on a regular basis and/or I seemed to be having problems after meals as well. Strangely enough…when I went back to eating similarly to how I ate before the diagnosis of gestational diabetes (which was relatively healthy, minus the refined sugar) I found that I felt better, was less stressed, and seemed to have better results. So there you go! 🙂 It is my opinion that this entire diagnosis of gestational diabetes is made out to be more serious than it necessarily has to be. I recommend reading Ina May Gaskin’s view (Guide to Childbirth) on gestational diabetes as well as Henci Goer:
https://www.ivillage.com/gestational-diabetes-common-sense-approach/6-a-129188
https://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/gdhgoer.html
I found both of these articles helpful in dealing with this diagnosis, as well as in making decisions regarding the recommended treatment.
I also found this website useful:
https://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/gd/gd_index.html
Best of luck to your daughter! I hope she can figure out something that works for her.
Any thoughts on high morning fasting levels? The last six to nine months mine have gone from in the 110-130 to around 140. I’m usually 90-100 at bedtime. My last A1c was 5.9 three months ago. Been type II for 3 and half years now. First A1c was 7.9. Dr. didn’t seem concerned over the high morning levels.
Connie- Hypoglycaemia is indeed a red flag for adrenal insufficiency. Do you have other adrenal symptoms?
Thanks Lynn, yes I believe so. Will see if some of Chris’ recommendations for adrenal insufficiency help with symptoms. I also have crushing insomnia.
I’m a 45 year young female nurse. My FBS is 3.8 (68) and my 2 hour post BS if I have simple carbs (which I crave) is usually around 3.5 (63). My 1 hour post BS is never over 6 (108) no matter how much carbs I eat.
I get symptomatic with tingling hands and feet, palpitations and a feeling of unreality. All of which go away with more carbs. I tried low carb paleo and my morning blood sugars were very low and symptomatic.
Any dietary advice would be appreciated.
Connie – fyi none of the readings you mentioned are truly hypoglycaemic.
If your only symptoms are the ones you mention, I would get tested for reactive hypoglycaemia. It’s something commonly overlooked by medical professionals who are more concerned about testing for hyperglycaemia, in all honesty.
That being said – there can be other reasons for the symptoms you mention – including anxiety. But I’d start with reactive hypoglycaemia due to it’s oft-overlooked status and the post-prandial readings you metnion.
Thank you Glen,
I won’t give all details but I have an indepth knowledge of TCM & nutrition with a special focus on Paleo nutrition. I was looking for input from Chris whom I view to be more knowledgable than myself.
I was thinking reactive hypoglycemia as well and was wondering about diet. Perhaps I need to give low carb a longer chance to adabt. These symptoms most often wake me up at 4 or 5am when I have to eat something to go back to bed and usually sleep soundly for another couple of hours. Perhaps given the timing there’s also an adrenal component die to timing?
Connie