A normal fasting sugar level is typically in the range of 60 to 110 mg/dL. In other words, this is the concentration of glucose in your blood after your body has had an opportunity to metabolize your last meal. A normal blood sugar level means your body is able to metabolize sugar effectively, and a high blood sugar level could be harmful to your health. Always ask your health care provider if you have questions about your blood sugar level.
Sugar Metabolism
The cells in your body need glucose to keep your heart beating and your muscles warm and to help you think straight. Your cells obtain glucose from your bloodstream with the help of insulin. The hormone insulin helps transport glucose from your blood, across the cell membrane, into the interior of your cells. Abnormally high blood sugar indicates insufficient insulin secretion by your pancreas, reduced cellular sensitivity to insulin or a combination of the two conditions.
Fasting Blood Sugar Levels
The most popular test of blood sugar is the fasting blood sugar, or FBG, test. For an accurate test, it is important not to eat or drink anything with calories after midnight on the day your blood is drawn. A normal fasting blood sugar level is between 60 and 110 mg/dL. An FBG level of 115 to 125 mg/dL indicates a condition known as pre-diabetes or impaired fasting blood glucose. Physicians use an FBG of 126 mg/dL or greater on at least two occasions to diagnose diabetes mellitus.
Dietary Sugars
Although you may ingest a number of different sugars, both simple and complex, in your diet, glucose is primarily the only sugar circulating in your bloodstream. Glucose is a simple sugar, also known as a monosaccharide. Your liver has the ability to transform the other simple sugars, fructose and galactose, into glucose "look-alike" molecules that your cells can use to generate energy. This is why blood sugar testing looks exclusively at glucose, in spite of the fact that you may eat many different carbohydrates.
Testing Intervals
MedlinePlus recommends that adult men and women obtain a fasting blood glucose test once every three years starting at 45 years of age. Earlier and more frequent testing is recommended for diabetics and those with a family history of diabetes, as well as for people who are obese or hypertensive. Racial or ethnic groups at high risk for diabetes, including African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, also should be tested more often.
References
- "Present Knowledge in Nutrition"; B. Bowman; 2001
- MedlinePlus: Diabetes
