Normal blood glucose levels chart for adults

Understanding Prediabetes: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment

Table of Contents Show

What is Prediabetes?
Are There Any Symptoms of Prediabetes?
Diagnosing Prediabetes: How to Tell If I Have It?
What Can I Do to Help Myself If I Have Prediabetes?
Control Blood Sugar in 7 Ways - Slideshow
Important Facts About Blood Sugar
Alarming facts about Diabetes -
Click Here to Download "Diabetes Wallet Card"
What is the normal blood sugar level for adults?
What is a good blood sugar level chart?
Is blood sugar of 7.8 high?

Prediabetes doesn’t have to progress to type 2 diabetes. Find out what the condition means and how you can keep your blood sugar levels in check.

What is Prediabetes?

Healthcare professionals sometimes refer to prediabetes as impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG), or both, depending on the type of test used for detection and diagnosis.

“Before people develop type 2 diabetes, almost all [of them] pass through the stage of prediabetes where [their] blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be considered as frank or overt diabetes,” says Dr Goh Su Yen, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Endocrinology, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the SingHealth group.

Having prediabetes means that you are likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the near future. You can, however, take steps to reduce these risks.

Are There Any Symptoms of Prediabetes?

There are no clear symptoms of prediabetes. The only reliable method of diagnosis is to have blood tests done.

Some people may experience a few symptoms associated with diabetes, such as:
- Excessive thirst and frequent urination
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Blurred vision

Diagnosing Prediabetes: How to Tell If I Have It?

	Normal	Prediabetes	Diabetes
Fasting glucose	< 6.1 mmol/L	6.1-6.9 mmol/L	>7.0 mmol/L
Two-hour plasma glucose level after oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)*	< 7.8 mmol/L	7.8-11.0 mmol/L	>11.1mmol/L

*OGTT (oral glucose tolerance test): 75g of glucose is given to a patient after an overnight fast; blood glucose levels are checked (1) before the ingestion of glucose and (2) two hours after the ingestion of glucose

What Can I Do to Help Myself If I Have Prediabetes?

Lifestyle changes coupled with modest weight loss (five to 10 percent of body weight) and moderate-intensity physical activity (~30 minutes daily) are recommended.

You should start any new activity slowly, increasing the intensity levels and duration of each activity gradually as you become accustomed to the routine.

It has been shown unequivocally that structured programmes and intensive lifestyle modification programmes can help people learn proper techniques, establish goals and stay motivated, and lead to a sustained reduction in the conversion of prediabetes to overt type 2 diabetes.

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This article was last reviewed on Friday, November 22, 2019

Last Updated on Jan 19, 2022

Diabetes is a condition where success of treatment depends on how well you keep your blood sugar controlled. Good

self-management

can help improve both short and long term health outcomes( 1✔✔Trusted Source
Qual Life Res. 2019 Sep 23. doi: 10.1007/s11136-019-02299-2.

Go to source

). Use Medindia's 'Blood Sugar Calculator' and its resources, if you have recently been diagnosed to have diabetes. It will help you with self-education and better management of your health(2✔ ✔Trusted Source
BMC Health Serv Res. 2015 Dec 29;15:578. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-1246-9

Go to source

). Over a period of time you will learn how to manage the condition yourself and will understand why your sugar level fluctuates.

If you are worried about your risk of developing diabetes. Click here to know about your risks.

The Blood sugar chart provides descriptions of blood sugar values in terms of mg/dl depending on the test type � Fasting sugar, post-meal or post prandial and Glucose tolerance test (GTT) for a normal person, in early diabetes and in established diabetes.

Blood Sugar Chart
Category	Fasting Value (mg/dl)	Post Prandial (mg/dl)
Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Just after eating	Value 2 hours after consuming glucose
Normal	70	100	170 to 200	Less than 140
Early Diabetes	101	126	190 to 230	140 to 200
Established Diabetes	More than 126	-	230 to 300	More than 200

Download Blood Glucose Log

(Note: This interpretation does not apply if you are pregnant)

Control Blood Sugar in 7 Ways - Slideshow

Important Facts About Blood Sugar

Glucose is a simple sugar and is one of the primary molecules which serve as energy sources for both plants and animals(3✔ ✔Trusted Source
How Cells Obtain Energy from Food
Go to source
).
Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, helps maintain normal blood sugar levels(4✔ ✔Trusted Source
Insulin - Wikipedia
Go to source

).
Uncontrolled or high blood sugar levels can lead to health complications such as blindness, heart disease and kidney disease(5✔ ✔Trusted Source
Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke
Go to source
).
Find out if you are at risk for developing diabetes by using our Diabetes Risk Assessment calculator
Increase or decrease in the glucose level in the blood can lead to a condition called "diabetic coma"(6✔ ✔Trusted Source
Diabetic Coma
Go to source
).
Consume foods with a low �Glycemic Index� to keep the blood sugar levels in check and lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Use our Glycemic Index Calculator to know more about low glycemic index foods.

Alarming facts about Diabetes -

The International Diabetic Federation estimates that 1 in 11 adults in the world have diabetes, and some 46.5% of adults with diabetes are undiagnosed
The global burden of type-2 diabetes is set to increase to 438 million by 2030 from 285 million people (recorded in 2010)
India is the diabetes capital of the world. The country has around 50 million people suffering from the type-2 diabetes

Read more Alarming facts about Diabetes- https://www.medindia.net/health_statistics/health_facts/diabetes-facts.htm

Click Here to Download "Diabetes Wallet Card"

References

Qual Life Res. 2019 Sep 23. doi: 10.1007/s11136-019-02299-2. - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31549366)
BMC Health Serv Res. 2015 Dec 29;15:578. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-1246-9 - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26715038)
How Cells Obtain Energy from Food - Molecular Biology of the Cell. 4th edition. - (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26882/)
Insulin - Wikipedia - (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin)
Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke - (https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-problems/heart-disease-stroke)
Diabetic Coma - (https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-complications/diabetic-coma.html)

What is the normal blood sugar level for adults?

A blood sugar level less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L) is normal. A reading of more than 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L) after two hours means you have diabetes. A reading between 140 and 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L) means you have prediabetes.

What is a good blood sugar level chart?

Blood sugar chart: Normal and diabetic blood sugar ranges.

Is blood sugar of 7.8 high?

Less than 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L ) is normal. 140 to 199 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L and 11.0 mmol/L ) is diagnosed as prediabetes. 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L ) or higher after two hours suggests diabetes.