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Medical & Clinical📖 5 min read
Understanding Blood Sugar: What Your Numbers Actually Mean
Fasting glucose, post-meal readings, and HbA1c explained in plain English, with the exact thresholds that separate normal from prediabetes from diabetes.
Step-by-Step Guide
1
Fasting blood glucose (8+ hours no food) should be under 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL); 5.6-6.9 mmol/L is prediabetes; 7.0+ is diabetes
2
Post-meal glucose (2 hours after eating) should return to below 7.8 mmol/L; above 11.1 mmol/L on two occasions confirms diabetes
3
HbA1c reflects your 3-month average: under 42 mmol/mol (6.0%) is normal, 42-47 is prediabetes, 48+ is diabetes
4
Track readings at the same time each day to spot trends; lifestyle changes (diet, exercise, weight loss) can reverse prediabetes entirely