# Blood sugar question? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000 "2014-09-20T04:02:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/1 "2014-09-20T04:02:40Z")
My chart shows normal being from 70 to 100, would 103 be considered diabetic or pre diabetic. My Dr. hasn’t made any recomendations one way or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/2 "2014-09-20T04:08:18Z")
Is that taken after fasting for 12 hours? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/3 "2014-09-20T04:14:21Z")
Timing, food, dirty finger for the ‘stick’ all make a difference. I was told that up to 10% difference under identical as possible conditions are within reason. It is about trends. I have to fast real tight and wash my hands, and have new needles & strips to get under 100. But what does your doc say?? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/4 "2014-09-20T04:32:55Z")
My experience here is based on growing up with a Type 1 DM as a best friend (and being aware of his blood sugar on a daily basis; more than daily when we roomed together in college), and working now in a clinic where I deal with the blood sugar levels of Type 2 DMs all the time. **IANAD,** and everyone’s body is different, but generally speaking, 103 is not a big deal at all. Fasting BG for most people should be between 70-120, and postprandial up to 180. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/5 "2014-09-20T04:37:41Z")
That was a 10 hour fast, should have been 12. I started watching my diet and picked up my walking a bit and will ask for a retest in a few months if the Dr. doesn’t contact me inbetween. They didn’t do a stick, they drew blood. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/6 "2014-09-20T04:44:37Z")
> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > That was a 10 hour fast, should have been 12. I started watching my diet and picked up my walking a bit and will ask for a retest in a few months if the Dr. doesn’t contact me inbetween. They didn’t do a stick, they drew blood. If after such a long fast, then 103 is definitely a bad sign. Very much too high. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/7 "2014-09-20T06:10:53Z")
In Australia they talk about 6 or 6.5 for blood pressure. Anyone know the conversion rate? ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/8 "2014-09-20T06:25:20Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > If after such a long fast, then 103 is definitely a bad sign. Very much too high. Considering **Honeybadger’s** age, it is not that far out of whack according to my doctor. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/9 "2014-09-20T06:29:58Z")
Isn’t the number that really matters here your [A1C](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin)? CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/10 "2014-09-20T07:57:27Z")
There are some drugs that can cause anomalous readings too, when I had taken too much albuterol my blood sugar was in the 300s but within 6 hours was below a 100. Maybe check if any meds you’re taking have hyperglycemia as a side effect. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/11 "2014-09-20T09:04:06Z")
And “fasting” includes beverages. Mine went from 76 at home to 127 at the doctor’s office, just because I had a cup of coffee with skim milk. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/12 "2014-09-20T11:19:40Z")
Fasting blood glucose of 103 is perfect. Lovely. As stated upthread, anywhere from 70-120 is “normal”. “Prediabetes” is not an official diagnosis of anything, but most doctors start to use it as a warning/threat when you’re consistently hovering in the 110-120 range when fasting, even though those numbers are technically normal. I’ve never heard anyone saddled with the label for a single 103 reading. But forget about the number for a moment: how do you _feel_? Are you overweight, especially around the middle? Then you want to do something about that, whether you are currently diabetic or not. Are you excessively thirsty? Do you pee a whole lot? Does your pee look foamy or smell funky? Do you get frequent headaches and/or tremors that are relieved with food? Have you lost or gained a significant amount of weight recently without trying to? Numbers are nice, and help doctors to make diagnoses with more confidence. But how you feel is important, too. If you feel some or all of the above, then I’d be concerned and push for more testing (like an A1C, that reveals your average glucose control over the previous 3 months), 103 or no. But if your doctor drew blood recently, she may have ordered that already. The A1C measures how many of the hemoglobin molecules in your blood cells got glucose molecules stuck to them while they were being made. The higher your blood sugar the day a red blood cell was made, the more glucoses will be stuck to the hemoglobin in it. It’s a common test when they are monitoring someone for the development of diabetes. It’s also not taken any more often than every 3 months, because once stuck, they’re stuck for the lifespan of the red blood cell. It takes about 3 months for your red blood cells to die off and be replaced by new ones for a second test. The US and most of Europe uses a scale of milligrams of glucose in a deciliter (100 milliliters) of blood, and normal is 70-120. The UK uses a scale of millimoles of glucose in a liter of blood, and normal is 4-6. There are [conversion calculators available online](http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-sugar-converter.html). ---
**Author:** ![Amberlei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e56c9b/32.png) [@Amberlei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amberlei)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/13 "2014-09-20T12:13:07Z")
How long after you woke up did you have your labs done? I’ve found that an hour after waking, my glucose levels rise about 20 mg/dl if I don’t eat and about 30 mg/dl if I exercise before eating. My Dr. says that this is normal, because glucose is required for energy and if there’s insufficient glucose present, more will be released from the liver to meet the demand. What are your A1C levels? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/14 "2014-09-20T12:16:09Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Fasting blood glucose of 103 is perfect. Lovely. As stated upthread, anywhere from 70-120 is “normal”. … Perfect? [Um](http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diagnosis/), [no.](http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/30/3/753.full) “Impaired Fasting Glucose” is currently defined as greater than or equal to 100 to less than 126. It is considered one way to define “pre-diabetes”, as is a HgbA1c of 5.7 to 6.4 or an oral glucose tolerance test result of 140 to 199 at 2 hours after challenge. Some people are abnormal on one and not on another and not all will progress to diabetes but while 103 is not horrible it is not “lovely.” 25% will progress to T2DM, 50% will stay in the impaired range, and 25% will come back to normal. Older and overweight increase the odds of being in the progression group. Waitng to be concerned until he is feeling badly from it? No. Even 103 should serve as a wake up call. From the first link, the general public consumption one of the ADA: > [@](#): > > There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes, so, you may have it and not know it. … > > …Results indicating prediabetes are: > > An A1C of 5.7% – 6.4% > Fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dl > An OGTT 2 hour blood glucose of 140 mg/dl – 199 mg/dl Yes, watching his diet and exercising more is clearly indicated. Follow up is usually in one to two years. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/15 "2014-09-20T12:20:03Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And “fasting” includes beverages. Mine went from 76 at home to 127 at the doctor’s office, just because I had a cup of coffee with skim milk. Milk is loaded with sugar! While I was dealing with gestational diabetes, I learned that milk was one of the absolute worst for spiking my blood sugar sky high. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/16 "2014-09-20T12:47:39Z")
The ac1 does not show any recent tests. A 2 year old test was at the high end of normal at 5.9. Previous glucose tests I saw were not fasting and they were 1 and 2 years old respectively with an 80 and a 92 now 103. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/17 "2014-09-20T14:29:08Z")
> [@Duke\_of\_York](#): > > In Australia they talk about 6 or 6.5 for blood pressure. Anyone know the conversion rate? 1. This comes about as follows. In the US, it is measured in mg/deciliter. In the rest of the world (or, at any rate, in Canada) it is measured in mmoles/liter. The molecular weight of glucose is 180. But the change from dl to l makes it 180/10 = 18. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/18 "2014-09-20T15:25:18Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Isn’t the number that really matters here your [A1C](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycated_hemoglobin)? That’s been my experience. My blood glucose is controlled by a combination of Metformin and Glimepiride. A little too well controlled, in fact. When my doctor reduced the Metformin from 2000 mg/day to 1700 mg/day, he noticed that my A1C started climbing. So I’m back on 2000 mg/day and need some sugar in my diet to keep my blood glucose from dropping too low. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/19 "2014-09-20T17:19:46Z")
For comparison, I’m diabetic because my pancreas up and died on me without telling me. When I was diagnosed, my blood sugar was somewhere around 350 or so. I just had a reading of 109, which was a pleasant surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2014, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000/20 "2014-09-20T18:13:11Z")
For reference, continuous glucose monitoring studies have shown healthy people to have fasting blood glucose readings that are around 80 mg/dl: > **[Continuous Glucose Profiles in Healthy Subjects under Everyday Life...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2769652/)** > > This study investigated continuous glucose profiles in nondiabetic subjects. Continuous interstitial glucose measurement was performed under everyday life conditions (2 days) and after ingestion of four meals with standardized carbohydrate content... > [@](#): > > Under everyday life conditions, the mean 24-hour interstitial fluid glucose concentration was about 90 mg/dl and the mean fasting glucose concentration was about 80 mg/dl. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blood-sugar-question/699000.md?page=2)